Statistical relations of salt and selenium loads to geospatial characteristics of corresponding subbasins of the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers in Colorado
Kenneth J. Leib, Joshua I. Linard, Cory A. Williams
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5003
Elevated loads of salt and selenium can impair the quality of water for both anthropogenic and natural uses. Understanding the environmental processes controlling how salt and selenium are introduced to streams is critical to managing and mitigating the effects of elevated loads. Dominant relations between salt and selenium loads and...
Objective definition of rainfall intensity-duration thresholds for the initiation of post-fire debris flows in southern California
Dennis Staley, Jason W. Kean, Susan H. Cannon, Kevin M. Schmidt, Jayme L. Laber
2012, Landslides
Rainfall intensity–duration (ID) thresholds are commonly used to predict the temporal occurrence of debris flows and shallow landslides. Typically, thresholds are subjectively defined as the upper limit of peak rainstorm intensities that do not produce debris flows and landslides, or as the lower limit of peak rainstorm intensities that initiate...
Dealing with incomplete and variable detectability in multi-year, multi-site monitoring of ecological populations
Sarah J. Converse, J. Andrew Royle
Robert A. Gitzen, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Andrew B. Cooper, Daniel S. Licht, editor(s)
2012, Book chapter, Design and analysis of long-term ecological monitoring studies
An ecological monitoring program should be viewed as a component of a larger framework designed to advance science and/or management, rather than as a stand-alone activity. Monitoring targets (the ecological variables of interest; e.g. abundance or occurrence of a species) should be set based on the needs of that framework...
Radar analysis of fall bird migration stopover sites in the Northeastern U.S.
Jeffrey J. Butler, Deanna K. Dawson
2012, Report
The national network of weather surveillance radars (WSR-88D/NEXRAD) detects birds in flight, and has proven to be a useful remote-sensing tool for ornithological study. We used data collected during Fall 2008 and 2009 by 16 WSR-88D and 3 terminal Doppler weather radars in the northeastern U.S. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife...
Flow-adjusted trends in dissolved selenium load and concentration in the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers near Grand Junction, Colorado, water years 1986--2008
John W. Mayo, Kenneth J. Leib
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5088
As a result of elevated selenium concentrations, many western Colorado rivers and streams are on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2010 Colorado 303(d) list, including the main stem of the Colorado River from the Gunnison River confluence to the Utah border. Selenium is a trace metal that bioaccumulates in aquatic...
Perils of correlating CUSUM-transformed variables to infer ecological relationships (Breton et al. 2006; Glibert 2010)
James E. Cloern, Alan D. Jassby, Jacob Carstensen, William A. Bennett, Wim Kimmerer, Ralph Mac Nally, David H. Schoellhamer, Monika Winder
2012, Limnology and Oceanography (57) 665-668
We comment on a nonstandard statistical treatment of time-series data first published by Breton et al. (2006) in Limnology and Oceanography and, more recently, used by Glibert (2010) in Reviews in Fisheries Science. In both papers, the authors make strong inferences about the underlying causes of population variability based on...
Frequent arousal from hibernation linked to severity of infection and mortality in bats with white-nose syndrome
DeeAnn M. Reeder, Craig L. Frank, Gregory G. Turner, Carol U. Meteyer, Allen Kurta, Eric R. Britzke, Megan E. Vodzak, Scott R. Darling, Craig W. Stihler, Alan C. Hicks, Roymon Jacob, Laura E. Grieneisen, Sarah A. Brownlee, Laura K. Muller, David S. Blehert
2012, PLoS ONE (7)
White-nose syndrome (WNS), an emerging infectious disease that has killed over 5.5 million hibernating bats, is named for the causative agent, a white fungus (Geomyces destructans (Gd)) that invades the skin of torpid bats. During hibernation, arousals to warm (euthermic) body temperatures are normal but deplete fat stores. Temperature-sensitive dataloggers...
A conceptual model of the hydrogeologic framework, geochemistry, and groundwater-flow system of the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers in the Pecos County region, Texas
Johnathan R. Bumgarner, Gregory P. Stanton, Andrew Teeple, Jonathan V. Thomas, Natalie A. Houston, Jason Payne, MaryLynn Musgrove
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5124
A conceptual model of the hydrogeologic framework, geochemistry, and groundwater-flow system of the Edwards-Trinity and related aquifers, which include the Pecos Valley, Igneous, Dockum, Rustler, and Capitan Reef aquifers, was developed as the second phase of a groundwater availability study in the Pecos County region in west Texas. The first...
Seasonal patterns in nutrients, carbon, and algal responses in wadeable streams within three geographically distinct areas of the United States, 2007-08
Kathy Lee, David L. Lorenz, James C. Petersen, John B. Greene
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5086
The U.S. Geological Survey determined seasonal variability in nutrients, carbon, and algal biomass in 22 wadeable streams over a 1-year period during 2007 or 2008 within three geographically distinct areas in the United States. The three areas are the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMIS) in Minnesota, the Ozark Plateaus (ORZK)...
Documentation of the U.S. Geological Survey sea floor stress and sediment mobility database
P. Soupy Dalyander, Bradford Butman, Christopher R. Sherwood, Richard P. Signell
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1137
The U.S. Geological Survey Sea Floor Stress and Sediment Mobility Database contains estimates of bottom stress and sediment mobility for the U.S. continental shelf. This U.S. Geological Survey database provides information that is needed to characterize sea floor ecosystems and evaluate areas for human use. The estimates contained in the...
Quick-start guide for version 3.0 of EMINERS - Economic Mineral Resource Simulator
Walter J. Bawiec, Gregory T. Spanski
2012, Open-File Report 2009-1057
Quantitative mineral resource assessment, as developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), consists of three parts: (1) development of grade and tonnage mineral deposit models; (2) delineation of tracts permissive for each deposit type; and (3) probabilistic estimation of the numbers of undiscovered deposits for each deposit type (Singer and...
Coordinated bird monitoring: Technical recommendations for military lands
Jonathan Bart, Ann Manning, Richard Fischer, Chris Eberly
2012, Open-File Report 2010-1078
The Department of Defense (DoD) is subject to several rules and regulations establishing responsibilities for monitoring migratory birds. The Sikes Act requires all military installations with significant natural resources to prepare and implement Integrated Natural Resources Management Plans (INRMPs). These plans guide the conservation and long-term management of natural resources...
Groundwater flow and water budget in the surficial and Floridan aquifer systems in east-central Florida
Nicasio Sepulveda, Claire R. Tiedeman, Andrew M. O’Reilly, Jeffery B. Davis, Patrick Burger
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1132
A numerical transient model of the surficial and Floridan aquifer systems in east-central Florida was developed to (1) increase the understanding of water exchanges between the surficial and the Floridan aquifer systems, (2) assess the recharge rates to the surficial aquifer system from infiltration through the unsaturated zone and (3)...
Hydrologic index development and application to selected Coastwide Reference Monitoring System sites and Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act projects
Gregg A. Snedden, Erick M. Swenson
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1122
Hourly time-series salinity and water-level data are collected at all stations within the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) network across coastal Louisiana. These data, in addition to vegetation and soils data collected as part of CRMS, are used to develop a suite of metrics and indices to assess wetland condition...
User guide for MODPATH version 6—A particle-tracking model for MODFLOW
David W. Pollock
2012, Techniques and Methods 6-A41
MODPATH is a particle-tracking post-processing model that computes three-dimensional flow paths using output from groundwater flow simulations based on MODFLOW, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) finite-difference groundwater flow model. This report documents MODPATH version 6. Previous versions were documented in USGS Open-File Reports 89-381 and 94-464. The program uses a...
Sources of suspended sediment in the Waikele watershed, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Scot K. Izuka
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5085
Data from streamflow/sediment gages and measurements of changes in channel-bed sediment storage were gathered between October 1, 2007, and September 30, 2010, to assess the sources of suspended sediment in the Waikele watershed, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. Streamflow from the watershed averaged 33 cubic feet per second during the study period, with...
Science implementation of Forecast Mekong for food and environmental security
D. Phil Turnipseed
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3086
Forecast Mekong is a significant international thrust under the Delta Research and Global Observation Network (DRAGON) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and was launched in 2009 by the U.S. Department of State and the Foreign Ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam under U.S. Department of State Secretary Hillary...
Nutrient and suspended-sediment trends, loads, and yields and development of an indicator of streamwater quality at nontidal sites in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, 1985-2010
Michael Langland, Joel Blomquist, Douglas Moyer, Kenneth Hyer
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5093
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) updates information on loads of, and trends in, nutrients and sediment annually to help the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) investigators assess progress toward improving water-quality conditions in the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. CBP scientists and managers have worked since 1983 to improve water quality...
The 3D Elevation Program: summary of program direction
Gregory I. Snyder
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3089
The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative responds to a growing need for high-quality topographic data and a wide range of other three-dimensional representations of the Nation's natural and constructed features. The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA), which was completed in 2011, clearly documented this need within government and industry sectors....
Forecast Mekong 2012: Building scientific capacity
James E. Stefanov
2012, General Information Product 144
In 2009, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton joined the Foreign Ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam in launching the Lower Mekong Initiative to enhance U.S. engagement with the countries of the Lower Mekong River Basin in the areas of environment, health, education, and infrastructure. The U.S. Geological...
Nutrient concentrations and loads in the northeastern United States - Status and trends, 1975-2003
Elaine C. Todd Trench, Richard B. Moore, Elizabeth A. Ahearn, John R. Mullaney, R. Edward Hickman, Gregory E. Schwarz
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5114
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) began regional studies in 2003 to synthesize information on nutrient concentrations, trends, stream loads, and sources. In the northeastern United States, a study area that extends from Maine to central Virginia, nutrient data were evaluated for 130 USGS water-quality monitoring...
National Enhanced Elevation Assessment at a glance
Gregory I. Snyder
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3088
Elevation data are essential for hazards mitigation, conservation, infrastructure development, national security, and many other applications. Under the leadership of the U.S. Geological Survey and the member States of the National Digital Elevation Program (NDEP), Federal agencies, State agencies, and others work together to acquire high-quality elevation data for the...
The new IASPEI standards for determining magnitudes from digital data and their relation to classical magnitudes
Peter Bormann, James W. Dewey
Peter Bormann, editor(s)
2012, Book chapter, New Manual of Seismological Observatory Practice 2 (NMSOP-2)
Why there is a need for measurement standards of magnitudes: In October 2005, the Commission on Seismic Observation and Interpretation of the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth´s Interior (IASPEI) adopted the summary recommendations made by the IASPEI Working Group on Magnitudes on new measurement standards for widely used local, regional...
Brook trout movement in response to temperature, flow, and thermal refugia within a complex Appalachian riverscape
J. Todd Petty, Jeff L. Hansbarger, Brock M. Huntsman, Patricia M. Mazik
2012, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (141) 1060-1073
We quantified movements of brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and brown trout Salmo trutta in a complex riverscape characterized by a large, open-canopy main stem and a small, closed-canopy tributary in eastern West Virginia, USA. Our objectives were to quantify the overall rate of trout movement and relate movement behaviors to...
Hydrologic and landscape database for the Cache and White River National Wildlife Refuges and contributing watersheds in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma
Gary R. Buell, Loren L. Wehmeyer, Daniel L. Calhoun
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1026
A hydrologic and landscape database was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for the Cache River and White River National Wildlife Refuges and their contributing watersheds in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The database is composed of a set of ASCII files,...
