Predicting thermal reference conditions for USA streams and rivers
Ryan A. Hill, Charles P. Hawkins, Daren M. Carlisle
2013, Freshwater Science (32) 39-55
Temperature is a primary driver of the structure and function of stream ecosystems. However, the lack of stream temperature (ST) data for the vast majority of streams and rivers severely compromises our ability to describe patterns of thermal variation among streams, test hypotheses regarding the effects of temperature on macroecological...
Avoiding The Inevitable? Capacity Loss From Reservoir Sedimentation
John R. Gray, Timothy J. Randle, Kent L. Collins
2013, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union (94) 4-4
The inexorable loss of capacity of the nation's reservoirs—sooner or later threatening water supplies for municipal, agricultural, and industrial uses—is but one of a number of deleterious effects wrought by sediment deposition. Trapped sediments can also damage or bury dam outlets, water intakes, and related infrastructure. Downstream effects of sediment...
Approaches in highly parameterized inversion: bgaPEST, a Bayesian geostatistical approach implementation with PEST: documentation and instructions
Michael N. Fienen, Marco D'Oria, John E. Doherty, Randall J. Hunt
2013, Techniques and Methods 7-C9
The application bgaPEST is a highly parameterized inversion software package implementing the Bayesian Geostatistical Approach in a framework compatible with the parameter estimation suite PEST. Highly parameterized inversion refers to cases in which parameters are distributed in space or time and are correlated with one another. The Bayesian aspect of...
Effects of best-management practices in Bower Creek in the East River priority watershed, Wisconsin, 1991-2009
Steven R. Corsi, Judy A. Horwatich, Troy D. Rutter, Roger T. Bannerman
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5217
Hydrologic and water-quality data were collected at Bower Creek during the periods before best-management practices (BMPs), and after BMPs were installed for evaluation of water-quality improvements. The monitoring was done between 1990 and 2009 with the pre-BMP period ending in July 1994 and the post-BMP period beginning in October 2006....
A review of episodes of zinc phosphide toxicosis in wild geese (Branta spp.) in Oregon (2004−2011)
Rob J. Bildfell, Wilson K. Rumbeiha, Krysten L. Schuler, Carol U. Meteyer, Peregrine L. Wolff, Colin M. Gillin
2013, Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation (25) 162-167
Epizootic mortality in several geese species, including cackling geese (Branta hutchinsii) and Canada geese (Branta canadensis), has been recognized in the Willamette Valley of Oregon for over a decade. Birds are generally found dead on a body of water or are occasionally observed displaying neurologic clinical signs such as an...
The coming megafloods
Michael D. Dettinger, B. Lynn Ingram
2013, Scientific American (308) 64-71
Geologic evidence shows that truly massive floods, caused by rainfall alone, have occurred in California about every 200 years. The most recent was in 1861, and it bankrupted the state. Such floods were most likely caused by atmospheric rivers: narrow bands of water vapor about a mile above the ocean...
Comparison of water consumption in two riparian vegetation communities along the central Platte River, Nebraska, 2008–09 and 2011
Brent M. Hall, David L. Rus
2013, Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5203
The Platte River is a vital natural resource for the people, plants, and animals of Nebraska. A recent study quantified water use by riparian woodlands along central reaches of the Platte River, Nebraska, finding that water use was mainly regulated below maximum predicted levels. A comparative study was launched through...
Mississippi River streamflow measurement techniques at St. Louis, Missouri
Chester C. Wastson, Robert R. Holmes Jr., David S. Biedenham
2013, Journal of Hydraulic Engineering (139) 1062-1070
Streamflow measurement techniques of the Mississippi River at St. Louis have changed through time (1866–present). In addition to different methods used for discrete streamflow measurements, the density and range of discrete measurements used to define the rating curve (stage versus streamflow) have also changed. Several authors have utilized published water...
2011 monitoring and tracking wet nitrogen deposition at Rocky Mountain National Park
Kristi Morris, Alisa Mast, Greg Wetherbee, Jill Baron, Curt Taipale, Tamara Blett, David Gay, Jared Heath
2013, Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/ARD/NRR-2013/701
No abstract available....
Sculpin and round goby assessment, Lake Ontario 2012
Brian Weidel, Maureen G. Walsh, M.J. Connerton
2013, Report, 2012 Annual Report
Historically slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus were the most abundant native, benthic prey fish in Lake Ontario and important prey for juvenile lake trout. Over the past 34 years, slimy sculpin abundance has fluctuated, but generally decreased, with a substantial decline occurring in the past 10 years. The 2012 slimy sculpin mean density (0.005...
Dispersal of fine sediment in nearshore coastal waters
Jonathan A. Warrick
2013, Journal of Coastal Research (29) 579-596
Fine sediment (silt and clay) plays an important role in the physical, ecological, and environmental conditions of coastal systems, yet little is known about the dispersal and fate of fine sediment across coastal margin settings outside of river mouths. Here I provide simple physical scaling and detailed monitoring of a...
Identification of metrics to monitor salt marsh integrity on National Wildlife Refuges in relation to conservation and management objectives
Hilary A. Neckles, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, W. George Shriver, Nicholas P. Danz, Whitney A. Wiest, Jessica L. Nagel, Jennifer H. Olker
2013, Report
Executive Summary Most salt marshes in the US have been degraded by human activities, and threats from physical alterations, surrounding land-use, species invasions, and global climate change persist. Salt marshes are unique and highly productive ecosystems with high intrinsic value to wildlife, and many National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) have been established...
Adaptive harvest management for the Svalbard population of pink-footed geese: briefing summary
Fred A. Johnson
2013, Report
The African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA; http://www.unep-aewa.org/) calls for means to manage populations which cause conflicts with certain human economic activities. The Svalbard population of the pink-footed goose has been selected as the first test case for such an international species management plan to be developed. This document describes progress to...
Emergent wetlands status and trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico: 1950-2010
2013, Conference Paper
Throughout the past century, emergent wetlands have been declining across the Gulf of Mexico. Emergent wetland ecosystems provide many resources, including plant and wildlife habitat, commercial and recreational economic activity, water quality, and natural barriers against storms. As emergent wetland losses increase, so does the need for information on the...
Application of ground-truth for classification and quantification of bird movements on migratory bird habitat initiative sites in southwest Louisiana: final report
Wylie C. Barrow, Michael J. Baldwin, Lori A. Randall, John Pitre, Kyle J. Dudley
2013, Report
This project was initiated to assess migrating and wintering bird use of lands enrolled in the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative (MBHI). The MBHI program was developed in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, with the goal of improving/creating habitat for waterbirds affected...
User's guide and metadata for WestuRe: U.S. Pacific Coast estuary/watershed data and R tools
M.R. Frazier, D.A. Reusser, H. Lee II, L.M. McCoy, C. Brown, W. Nelson
2013, Report
Overview There are about 350 estuaries along the U.S. Pacific Coast (U.S. Fish andWildlife 2011). Basic descriptive data for these estuaries, such as their size and watershed area, are important for coastal-scale research and conservation planning. However, this information is spread among many sources, making it difficult to find and standardize....
Extent of endocrine disruption in fish of western and Alaskan National Parks
Carl B. Schreck, Michael Kent
2013, Report
In 2008 2009, 998 fish were collected from 43 water bodies across 11 western Alaskan national parks and analyzed for reproductive abnormalities. Exposure to estrogenic substances such as pesticides can induce abnormalities like intersex. Results suggest there is a greater propensity for male intersex fish collected from parks located in...
ECALS: Loading studies interim report July 2013
Katy E. Klymus, Cathy A. Richter, Duane Chapman, Craig P. Paukert
2013, Report
Since the initial detection of Asian carp moving up the Mississippi Basin, the potential for invasion of the Great Lakes by Silver Carp and Bighead Carp has been a major concern to stakeholders. To combat this problem, sampling for environmental DNA (eDNA) is used to monitor the waterways near Lake...
Of travertine and time: otolith chemistry and microstructure detect provenance and demography of endangered humpback chub in Grand Canyon, USA
Karin E. Limburg, Todd A. Hayden, William E. Pine III, Michael D. Yard, Reinhard Kozdon, John W. Valley
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
We developed a geochemical atlas of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon and in its tributary, the Little Colorado River, and used it to identify provenance and habitat use by Federally Endangered humpback chub, Gila cypha. Carbon stable isotope ratios (δ13C) discriminate best between the two rivers, but fine...
Wildfire and landscape change
P. Santi, S. Cannon, J. DeGraff
2013, Book chapter, Treatise on Geomorphology
Wildfire is a worldwide phenomenon that is expected to increase in extent and severity in the future, due to fuel accumulations, shifting land management practices, and climate change. It immediately affects the landscape by removing vegetation, depositing ash, influencing water-repellent soil formation, and physically weathering boulders and bedrock. These changes...
The geomorphic effectiveness of a large flood on the Rio Grande in the Big Bend region: insights on geomorphic controls and post-flood geomorphic response
David J. Dean, John C. Schmidt
2013, Geomorphology (201) 183-198
Since the 1940s, the Rio Grande in the Big Bend region has undergone long periods of channel narrowing, which have been occasionally interrupted by rare, large floods that widen the channel (termed a channel reset). The most recent channel reset occurred in 2008 following a 17-year period of extremely low...
Relationships between ecosystem metabolism, benthic macroinvertebrate densities, and environmental variables in a sub-arctic Alaskan river
Emily R. Benson, Mark S. Wipfli, Joanne E. Clapcott, Nicholas F. Hughes
2013, Hydrobiologia (701) 189-207
Relationships between environmental variables, ecosystem metabolism, and benthos are not well understood in sub-arctic ecosystems. The goal of this study was to investigate environmental drivers of river ecosystem metabolism and macroinvertebrate density in a sub-arctic river. We estimated primary production and respiration rates, sampled benthic macroinvertebrates, and monitored light intensity,...
Sediment Transport from Urban, Urbanizing, and Rural Areas in Johnson County, Kansas, 2006-08
Casey J. Lee
2013, Book
1. Studies have commonly illustrated that erosion and sediment transport from construction sites is extensive, typically 10-100X that of background levels. 2. However, to our knowledge, the affects of construction and urbanization have rarely been assessed (1) since erosion and sediment controls have been required at construction sites, and (2) at...
Electromagnetic-induction logging to monitor changing chloride concentrations
Loren F. Metzger, John A. Izbicki
2013, Ground Water (51) 108-121
Water from the San Joaquin Delta, having chloride concentrations up to 3590 mg/L, has intruded fresh water aquifers underlying Stockton, California. Changes in chloride concentrations at depth within these aquifers were evaluated using sequential electromagnetic (EM) induction logs collected during 2004 through 2007 at seven multiple-well sites as deep as...
Investigating the potential impact of efflorescent mineral crusts on water quality: complementing analytical techniques with geochemical modelling
Bronwyn Camden-Smith, Raymond H. Johnson, Robert Richardson, David Billing, Hlanganani Tutu
Adrian Brown, Linda Figueroa, Christian Wolkersdorfer, editor(s)
2013, Conference Paper, Annual International Mine Water Association Conference: Reliable Mine Water Technology
Efflorescent crusts are a common feature forming on the surface of gold mining sites and tailings storage facilities during the dry season. Their dissolution at the start of the wet sea- son releases an acidic pulse of water rich in metal pollutants. The composition of the crusts is indicative of the water from...
