Evaluation of water-quality characteristics and sampling design for streams in North Dakota, 1970–2008
Joel M. Galloway, Aldo V. Vecchia, Kevin C. Vining, Brenda K. Densmore, Robert F. Lundgren
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5216
In response to the need to examine the large amount of historic water-quality data comprehensively across North Dakota and evaluate the efficiency of the State-wide sampling programs, a study was done by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the North Dakota State Water Commission and the North Dakota Department...
Role of surface-water and groundwater interactions on projected summertime streamflow in snow dominated regions : An integrated modeling approach
Justin L. Huntington, Richard G. Niswonger
2012, Water Resources Research (48)
Previous studies indicate predominantly increasing trends in precipitation across the Western United States, while at the same time, historical streamflow records indicate decreasing summertime streamflow and 25th percentile annual flows. These opposing trends could be viewed as paradoxical, given that several studies suggest that increased annual precipitation will equate to...
Approaches to the simulation of unconfined flow and perched groundwater flow in MODFLOW
Vivek Bedekar, Richard G. Niswonger, Kenneth Kipp, Sorab Panday, Matthew Tonkin
2012, Ground Water (50) 187-198
Various approaches have been proposed to manage the nonlinearities associated with the unconfined flow equation and to simulate perched groundwater conditions using the MODFLOW family of codes. The approaches comprise a variety of numerical techniques to prevent dry cells from becoming inactive and to achieve a stable solution focused on...
Producing fractional rangeland component predictions in a sagebrush ecosystem, a Wyoming sensitivity analysis
George Xian, Collin G. Homer, Brian Granneman, Debra K. Meyer
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1239
Remote sensing information has been widely used to monitor vegetation condition and variations in a variety of ecosystems, including shrublands. Careful application of remotely sensed imagery can provide additional spatially explicit, continuous, and extensive data on the composition and condition of shrubland ecosystems. Historically, the most widely available remote sensing...
Rapid, low-cost photogrammetry to monitor volcanic eruptions: An example from Mount St. Helens, Washington, USA
Angela K. Diefenbach, Juliet G. Crider, Steve P. Schilling, Daniel Dzurisin
2012, Bulletin of Volcanology (74) 579-587
We describe a low-cost application of digital photogrammetry using commercially available photogrammetric software and oblique photographs taken with an off-the-shelf digital camera to create sequential digital elevation models (DEMs) of a lava dome that grew during the 2004–2008 eruption of Mount St. Helens (MSH) volcano. Renewed activity at MSH provided...
Changes to dryland rainfall result in rapid moss mortality and altered soil fertility
Sasha C. Reed, Kirsten K. Coe, Jed P. Sparks, David C. Housman, Tamara J. Zelikova, Jayne Belnap
2012, Nature Climate Change (2) 752-755
Arid and semi-arid ecosystems cover ~40% of Earth’s terrestrial surface, but we know little about how climate change will affect these widespread landscapes. Like many drylands, the Colorado Plateau in southwestern United States is predicted to experience elevated temperatures and alterations to the timing and amount of annual precipitation. We...
Remote sensing of sagebrush canopy nitrogen
Jessica J. Mitchell, Nancy F. Glenn, Temuulen T. Sankey, DeWayne R. Derryberry, Matthew J. Germino
2012, Remote Sensing of Environment (124) 217-223
This paper presents a combination of techniques suitable for remotely sensing foliar Nitrogen (N) in semiarid shrublands – a capability that would significantly improve our limited understanding of vegetation functionality in dryland ecosystems. The ability to estimate foliar N distributions across arid and semi-arid environments could help answer process-driven questions...
Porphyry copper assessment of the Tibetan Plateau, China: Chapter F in Global mineral resource assessment
Steve Ludington, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Gilpin R. Robinson Jr., John L. Mars, Robert J. Miller
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5090-F
The U.S. Geological Survey collaborated with the China Geological Survey to conduct a mineral-resource assessment of resources in porphyry copper deposits on the Tibetan Plateau in western China. This area hosts several very large porphyry deposits, exemplified by the Yulong and Qulong deposits, each containing at least 7,000,000 metric tons...
Comparing modern and presettlement forest dynamics of a subboreal wilderness: Does spruce budworm enhance fire risk?
Brian R. Sturtevant, Brian R. Miranda, Douglas J. Shinneman, Eric J. Gustafson, Peter T. Wolter
2012, Ecological Applications (22) 1278-1296
Insect disturbance is often thought to increase fire risk through enhanced fuel loadings, particularly in coniferous forest ecosystems. Yet insect disturbances also affect successional pathways and landscape structure that interact with fire disturbances (and vice-versa) over longer time scales. We applied a landscape succession and disturbance model (LANDIS-II) to evaluate...
Spatial distribution of damage around faults in the Joe Lott Tuff Member of the Mount Belknap Volcanics, Utah: A mechanical analog for faulting in pyroclastic deposits on Mars
Chris H. Okubo
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets (117)
Volcanic ash is thought to comprise a large fraction of the Martian equatorial layered deposits and much new insight into the process of faulting and related fluid flow in these deposits can be gained through the study of analogous terrestrial tuffs. This study identifies a set of fault-related processes that...
Low-flow characteristics of streams under natural and diversion conditions, Waipiʻo Valley, Island of Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi
Richard A. Fontaine
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5118
Over the past 100 years, natural streamflow in Waipiʻo Valley has been reduced by the transfer of water out of the valley by Upper and Lower Hāmākua Ditches. The physical condition and diversion practices along the two ditch systems have varied widely over the years, and as a result, so...
Spatial patterns of March and September streamflow trends in Pacific Northwest Streams, 1958-2008
Heejun Chang, Il-Won Jung, Madeline Steele, Marshall Gannett
2012, Geographical Analysis (44) 177-201
Summer streamflow is a vital water resource for municipal and domestic water supplies, irrigation, salmonid habitat, recreation, and water-related ecosystem services in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) in the United States. This study detects significant negative trends in September absolute streamflow in a majority of 68 stream-gauging stations located on unregulated...
Gold deposits of the Carolina Slate Belt, southeastern United States--Age and origin of the major gold producers
Nora K. Foley, Robert A. Ayuso
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1179
Gold- and iron sulfide-bearing deposits of the southeastern United States have distinctive mineralogical and geochemical features that provide a basis for constructing models of ore genesis for exploration and assessment of gold resources. The largest (historic) deposits, in approximate million ounces of gold (Moz Au), include those in the Haile...
Impact of reduced near-field entrainment of overpressured volcanic jets on plume development
Farhad Saffaraval, Stephen A. Solovitz, Darcy E. Ogden, Larry G. Mastin
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research (117)
Volcanic plumes are often studied using one-dimensional analytical models, which use an empirical entrainment ratio to close the equations. Although this ratio is typically treated as constant, its value near the vent is significantly reduced due to flow development and overpressured conditions. To improve the accuracy of these models, a...
Yield of bedrock wells in the Nashoba terrane, central and eastern Massachusetts
Leslie A. DeSimone, Jeffrey R. Barbaro
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5155
The yield of bedrock wells in the fractured-bedrock aquifers of the Nashoba terrane and surrounding area, central and eastern Massachusetts, was investigated with analyses of existing data. Reported well yield was compiled for 7,287 wells from Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Geological Survey databases. Yield of these wells...
Estimating recruitment dynamics and movement of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon using an integrated assessment model
Josh Korman, Steven Martell, Carl J. Walters, Andrew S. Makinster, Lewis G. Coggins, Michael D. Yard, William R. Persons
2012, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (69) 1827-1849
We used an integrated assessment model to examine effects of flow from Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona, USA, on recruitment of nonnative rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Colorado River and to estimate downstream migration from Glen Canyon to Marble Canyon, a reach used by endangered native fish. Over a 20-year...
Improving the accuracy of S02 column densities and emission rates obtained from upward-looking UV-spectroscopic measurements of volcanic plumes by taking realistic radiative transfer into account
Christoph Kern, Tim Deutschmann, Cynthia Werner, A. Jeff Sutton, Tamar Elias, Peter J. Kelly
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres (117)
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is monitored using ultraviolet (UV) absorption spectroscopy at numerous volcanoes around the world due to its importance as a measure of volcanic activity and a tracer for other gaseous species. Recent studies have shown that failure to take realistic radiative transfer into account during the spectral retrieval...
Insights from fumarole gas geochemistry on the origin of hydrothermal fluids on the Yellowstone Plateau
Giovanni Chiodini, Stefano Caliro, Jacob B. Lowenstern, William C. Evans, D. Bergfeld, Franco Tassi, Dario Tedesco
2012, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (89) 265-278
The chemistry of Yellowstone fumarole gases shows the existence of two component waters, type MC, influenced by the addition of deep mantle fluid, and type CC, influenced by crustal interactions (CC). MC is high in 3He/4He (22 Ra) and low in 4He/40Ar (∼1), reflecting input of deep mantle components. The other water is...
Land use alters the resistance and resilience of soil food webs to drought
Franciska T. de Vries, Mira E. Liiri, Lisa Bjornlund, Matthew A. Bowker, Soren Christensen, Heikki Setala, Richard D. Bardgett
2012, Nature Climate Change (2012) 276-280
Soils deliver several ecosystem services including carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling, which are of central importance to climate mitigation and sustainable food production. Soil biota play an important role in carbon and nitrogen cycling, and, although the effects of land use on soil food webs are well documented the consequences...
Elucidating spatially explicit behavioral landscapes in the Willow Flycatcher
Amanda V. Bakian, Kimberly A. Sullivan, Eben H. Paxton
2012, Ecological Modelling (232) 119-132
Animal resource selection is a complex, hierarchical decision-making process, yet resource selection studies often focus on the presence and absence of an animal rather than the animal's behavior at resource use locations. In this study, we investigate foraging and vocalization resource selection in a population of Willow Flycatchers, Empidonax traillii...
Geomorphic analysis of the river response to sedimentation downstream of Mount Rainier, Washington
Jonathan A. Czuba, Christopher S. Magirl, Christiana R. Czuba, Christopher A. Curran, Kenneth H. Johnson, Theresa D. Olsen, Halley K. Kimball, Casey C. Gish
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1242
A study of the geomorphology of rivers draining Mount Rainier, Washington, was completed to identify sources of sediment to the river network; to identify important processes in the sediment delivery system; to assess current sediment loads in rivers draining Mount Rainier; to evaluate if there were trends in streamflow or...
Consequences of declining snow accumulation for water balance of mid-latitude dry regions
Daniel R. Schlaepfer, William K. Lauenroth, John B. Bradford
2012, Global Change Biology (18) 1988-1997
Widespread documentation of positive winter temperature anomalies, declining snowpack and earlier snow melt in the Northern Hemisphere have raised concerns about the consequences for regional water resources as well as wildfire. A topic that has not been addressed with respect to declining snowpack is effects on ecosystem water balance. Changes...
Carbon stocks across a chronosequence of thinned and unmanaged red pine (Pinus resinosa) stands
Matthew D. Powers, Randall K. Kolka, John B. Bradford, Brian J. Palik, Shawn Fraver, Martin F. Jurgensen
2012, Ecological Applications (22) 1297-1307
Forests function as a major global C sink, and forest management strategies that maximize C stocks offer one possible means of mitigating the impacts of increasing anthropogenic CO2 emissions. We studied the effects of thinning, a common management technique in many forest types, on age-related trends in C stocks using...
Determination and uncertainty of moment tensors for microearthquakes at Okmok Volcano, Alaska
J. D. Pesicek, J. Sileny, S. G. Prejean, C.H. Thurber
2012, Geophysical Journal International (190) 1689-1709
Efforts to determine general moment tensors (MTs) for microearthquakes in volcanic areas are often hampered by small seismic networks, which can lead to poorly constrained hypocentres and inadequate modelling of seismic velocity heterogeneity. In addition, noisy seismic signals can make it difficult to identify phase arrivals correctly for small magnitude...
Flood-inundation maps for a nine-mile reach of the Des Plaines River from Riverwoods to Mettawa, Illinois
Elizabeth A. Murphy, David T. Soong, Jennifer B. Sharpe
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5227
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 9-mile reach of the Des Plaines River from Riverwoods to Mettawa, Illinois, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission and the Villages of Lincolnshire and Riverwoods. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the...
