Seasonal variability in the surface sediments of Mobile Bay, Alabama, recorded by geochemistry and foraminifera, 2009–2010
D.K. Umberger, L.E. Osterman, C.G. Smith, J. Frazier, K.A. Richwine
2012, Data Series 733
A study was undertaken in order to document and quantify recent environmental change in Mobile Bay, Alabama. The study was part of the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) Ecosystem Change and Hazard Susceptibility project, a regional project funded by the Coastal and Marine Geology Program to understand how natural forcings...
3-D reconstructions of subsurface Pleistocene basalt flows from paleomagnetic inclination data and 40Ar/39Ar ages in the southern part of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho (USA)
Mary K. V. Hodges, Duane E. Champion, B. D. Turrin, C. C. Swisher III
2012, Conference Paper
The U. S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, is mapping the distribution of basalt flows and sedimentary interbeds at the Idaho National Laboratory in three dimensions to provide data for refining numerical models of groundwater flow and contaminant transport in the eastern Snake River Plain...
Mechanics of Old Faithful Geyser, Calistoga, CA
M.L. Rudolph, M. Manga, Shaul Hurwitz, Malcolm J. S. Johnston, L. Karlstrom, Chun-Yong Wang
2012, Geophysical Research Letters (39)
In order to probe the subsurface dynamics associated with geyser eruptions, we measured ground deformation at Old Faithful Geyser of Calistoga, CA. We present a physical model in which recharge during the period preceding an eruption is driven by pressure differences relative to the aquifer supplying the geyser. The model...
IOOS modeling subsystem: vision and implementation strategy
Leslie Rosenfeld, Yi Chao, Richard P. Signell
2012, Book
Numerical modeling is vital to achieving the U.S. IOOS® goals of predicting, understanding and adapting to change in the ocean and Great Lakes. In the next decade IOOS should cultivate a holistic approach to coastal ocean prediction, and encourage more balanced investment among the observing, modeling and information management subsystems....
Priorities for IOOS® Data Management and Communications (DMAC)
Corrine Alexander, Joan Thomas, K. Benedict, W. Johnson, R. Morrison, J. Andrechik, E. Stabenau, M. Gierach, K. Casey, Richard P. Signell, H. Norris, R. Proctor, K. Kirby, D. Snowden, J. de La Beaujardière, E. Howlett, S. Uczekaj, K. Narasimhan, E. Key, M. Trice, J. Fredericks
2012, Book
Dramatic increases in the volume of online data and rapid advances in information technology have transformed many aspects of our society. In the coastal ocean, the amount of data is also growing dramatically due to new sensor and modeling technologies. Lagging behind this deluge of ocean data, however, is an...
Dynamic stresses, coulomb failure, and remote triggering: corrected
David P. Hill
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 2313-2336
Dynamic stresses associated with crustal surface waves with 15–30 s periods and peak amplitudes <1 MPa are capable of triggering seismicity at sites remote from the generating mainshock under appropriate conditions. Coulomb failure models based on a frictional strength threshold offer one explanation for instances of rapid‐onset triggered seismicity that develop...
Surface-wave potential for triggering tectonic (nonvolcanic) tremor-corrected
David P. Hill
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 2337-2355
Source processes commonly posed to explain instances of remote dynamic triggering of tectonic (nonvolcanic) tremor by surface waves include frictional failure and various modes of fluid activation. The relative potential for Love- and Rayleigh-wave dynamic stresses to trigger tectonic tremor through failure on critically stressed thrust and vertical strike-slip faults...
Fish assemblages at engineered and natural channel structures in the lower Missouri river: implications for modified dike structures
J.T. Schloesser, Craig P. Paukert, W.J. Doyle, T. Hill, K.D. Steffensen, Vincent H. Travnichek
2012, River Research and Applications (28) 1695-1707
Large rivers throughout the world have been modified by using dike structures to divert water flows to deepwater habitats to maintain navigation channels. These modifications have been implicated in the decline in habitat diversity and native fishes. However, dike structures have been modified in the Missouri River USA to increase...
Assessment of boreal forest historical C dynamics in the Yukon River Basin: relative roles of warming and fire regime change
F.M. Yuan, S.H. Yi, A. D. McGuire, K.D. Johnson, J. Liang, J.W. Harden, E.S. Kasischke, W.A. Kurz
2012, Ecological Applications (22) 2091-2109
Carbon (C) dynamics of boreal forest ecosystems have substantial implications for efforts to mitigate the rise of atmospheric CO2 and may be substantially influenced by warming and changing wildfire regimes. In this study we applied a large-scale ecosystem model that included dynamics of organic soil horizons and soil organic matter...
Sixty thousand years of magmatic volatile history before the caldera-forming eruption of Mount Mazama, Crater Lake, Oregon
Heather M. Wright, Charles R. Bacon, Jorge A. Vazquez, Thomas W. Sisson
2012, Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology (164) 1027-1052
The well-documented eruptive history of Mount Mazama, Oregon, provides an excellent opportunity to use pre-eruptive volatile concentrations to study the growth of an explosive silicic magmatic system. Melt inclusions (MI) hosted in pyroxene and plagioclase crystals from eight dacitic–rhyodacitic eruptive deposits (71–7.7 ka) were analyzed to determine variations in volatile-element...
Identifying potential habitat for the endangered Aleutian shield fern using topographical characteristics
Adam Duarte, Daniel M. Wolcott, T. Edwin Ricca Chow Ricca, Mark A.
2012, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (3) 303-310
The Aleutian shield fern Polystichum aleuticum is endemic to the Aleutian archipelago of Alaska and is listed as endangered pursuant to the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Despite numerous efforts to discover new populations of this species, only four known populations are documented to date, and information is needed to prioritize...
Evaluation of stream flow effects on smolt survival in the Yakima River basin, Washington
Courter Ian, Garrison Tommy, Tobias J. Kock, Russell W. Perry
2012, Report
Study Summary The influence of stream flow on salmon smolt emigration survival is a topic of widespread management interest. We collected smolt survival data to inform flow management decisions in the Yakima Basin. The Yakima River watershed drains the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountain Range in central Washington State. The...
Southern California Mountains Ecoregion: Chapter 18 in Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000
Christopher E. Soulard, Christian G. Raumann, Tamara S. Wilson
2012, Professional Paper 1794-A-18
This chapter has been modified from original material published in Soulard and others (2007), entitled “Land-cover trends of the Southern California Mountains ecoregion” (U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5235). The Southern California Mountains Ecoregion (Omernik, 1987; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1997) encompasses approximately 17,871 km² (6,900 mi²) of land...
Central Basin and Range Ecoregion: Chapter 20 in Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000
Christopher E. Soulard
2012, Professional Paper 1794-A-20
This chapter has been modified from original material published in Soulard (2006), entitled “Land-cover trends of the Central Basin and Range Ecoregion” (U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5288). The Central Basin and Range Ecoregion (Omernik, 1987; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1997) encompasses approximately 343,169 km² (132,498 mi2) of land...
Individual condition and stream temperature influence early maturation of rainbow and steelhead trout, ncorhynchus mykiss
John R. McMillan, Jason B. Dunham, Gordon H. Reeves, Justin S. Mills, Chris E. Jordan
2012, Environmental Biology of Fishes (93) 343-355
Alternative male phenotypes in salmonine fishes arise from individuals that mature as larger and older anadromous marine-migrants or as smaller and younger freshwater residents. To better understand the processes influencing the expression of these phenotypes we examined the influences of growth in length (fork length) and whole body lipid content...
The past as prelude to the future for understanding 21st-century climate effects on Rocky Mountain Trout
Daniel J. Isaak, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Andrew S. Todd, Robert Al-chokhachy, James Roberts, Jeffrey L. Kershner, Kurt D. Fausch, Steven W. Hostetler
2012, Fisheries (37) 542-556
Bioclimatic models predict large reductions in native trout across the Rocky Mountains in the 21st century but lack details about how changes will occur. Through five case histories across the region, we explore how a changing climate has been affecting streams and the potential consequences for trout. Monitoring records show...
A Bayesian spawning habitat suitability model for American shad in southeastern United States rivers
Joseph E. Hightower, Julianne E. Harris, Joshua K. Raabe, Prescott Brownell, C. Ashton Drew
2012, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (3) 184-198
Habitat suitability index models for American shad Alosa sapidissima were developed by Stier and Crance in 1985. These models, which were based on a combination of published information and expert opinion, are often used to make decisions about hydropower dam operations and fish passage. The purpose of this study was to develop...
Evaluating the negative effect of benthic egg predators on bloater recruitment in northern Lake Michigan
David B. Bunnell, Justin G. Mychek-Londer, James S. Diana, Wendylee Stott, Charles P. Madenjian
2012, Report
As the only extant deepwater cisco in Lake Michigan, bloater is currently at record low levels of abundance. Several mechanisms to regulate their recruitment have been proposed, including skewed sex ratios, predation on their larvae by adult alewife, and climatic factors during early life history stages, but none has...
Vegetation shifts observed in arctic tundra 17 years after fire
Kirsten Barrett, Adrian V. Rocha, Martine Janet van de Weg, Gaius Shaver
2012, Remote Sensing Letters (3) 729-736
With anticipated climate change, tundra fires are expected to occur more frequently in the future, but data on the long-term effects of fire on tundra vegetation composition are scarce. This study addresses changes in vegetation structure that have persisted for 17 years after a tundra fire on the North Slope...
Interactions between methylmercury and selenomethionine injected into mallard eggs
J.D. Klimstra, J.L. Yee, G. H. Heinz, D. J. Hoffman, K.R. Stebbins
2012, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (31) 579-584
Methylmercury chloride and seleno-L-methionine were injected separately or in combinations into mallard eggs (Anas platyrhynchos), and embryo mortality and teratogenic effects (deformities) were modeled using a logistic regression model. Methylmercury was injected at doses that resulted in concentrations of 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 µg/g Hg in the...
Spawning salmon and the fitness of stream-dwelling fishes: Marine-derived nutrients show saturating effects on growth and energy storage in juvenile salmonids
D.J. Rinella, M.S. Wipfli, C. A. Stricker, R. Heintz
2012, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (69) 73-84
We examined how marine-derived nutrients (MDN), in the form of spawning Pacific salmon, influenced the nutritional status and d15N of stream-dwelling fishes. We sampled juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) during spring and fall from 11 south-central Alaskan streams that ranged widely in spawning salmon biomass...
Population status and habitat associations of the King Rail in the midwestern United States
Jason R. Bolenbaugh, Tom Cooper, Ryan S. Brady, Karen L. Willard, David G. Krementz
2012, Waterbirds (35) 535-545
The migratory population of the King Rail (Rallus elegans) has declined dramatically during the past 50 years, emphasizing the need to document the distribution and status of this species to help guide conservation efforts. In an effort to guide King Rail breeding habitat protection and restoration, a landscape suitability index...
Groundwater depletion and sustainability of irrigation in the US High Plains and Central Valley
Bridget R. Scanlon, Claudia C. Faunt, Laurent Longuevergne, Robert C. Reedy, William M. Alley, Virginia L. McGuire, Peter B. McMahon
2012, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (109) 9320-9325
Aquifer overexploitation could significantly impact crop production in the United States because 60% of irrigation relies on groundwater. Groundwater depletion in the irrigated High Plains and California Central Valley accounts for ∼50% of groundwater depletion in the United States since 1900. A newly developed High Plains recharge map shows that...
Estimating landscape carrying capacity through maximum clique analysis
Therese Donovan, Greg Warrington, W. Scott Schwenk, Jeffrey H. Dinitz
2012, Ecological Applications (22) 2265-2276
Habitat suitability (HS) maps are widely used tools in wildlife science and establish a link between wildlife populations and landscape pattern. Although HS maps spatially depict the distribution of optimal resources for a species, they do not reveal the population size a landscape is capable of supporting--information that is often...
Mojave Basin and Range Ecoregion: Chapter 29 in Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000
Benjamin M. Sleeter, Christian G. Raumann
2012, Professional Paper 1794-A-29
This chapter has been modified from original material published in Sleeter and Raumann (2006), entitled “Land-cover trends in the Mojave Basin and Range Ecoregion” (U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5098). The Mojave Basin and Range Ecoregion (Omernik, 1987; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1997) covers approximately 130,922 km2 (50,549 mi2)...
