Carbon dioxide and methane emissions from the Yukon River system
Robert G. Striegl, Mark M. Dornblaser, Cory P. McDonald, Jennifer R. Rover, Edward G. Stets
2012, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (26)
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions are important, but poorly quantified, components of riverine carbon (C) budgets. This is largely because the data needed for gas flux calculations are sparse and are spatially and temporally variable. Additionally, the importance of C gas emissions relative to lateral C exports is...
Molecular detection of hematozoa infections in tundra swans relative to migration patterns and ecological conditions at breeding grounds
Andrew M. Ramey, Craig R. Ely, Joel A. Schmutz, John M. Pearce, Darryl J. Heard
2012, PLoS ONE (7)
Tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus) are broadly distributed in North America, use a wide variety of habitats, and exhibit diverse migration strategies. We investigated patterns of hematozoa infection in three populations of tundra swans that breed in Alaska using satellite tracking to infer host movement and molecular techniques to assess the...
Moderating Argos location errors in animal tracking data
David C. Douglas, Rolf Weinziert, Sarah C. Davidson, Roland Kays, Martin Wikelski, Gil Bohrer
2012, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (3) 999-1007
1. The Argos System is used worldwide to satellite-track free-ranging animals, but location errors can range from tens of metres to hundreds of kilometres. Low-quality locations (Argos classes A, 0, B and Z) dominate animal tracking data. Standard-quality animal tracking locations (Argos classes 3, 2 and 1) have larger errors...
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...
Puget Lowland Ecoregion: Chapter 2 in Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000
Daniel G. Sorenson
2012, Professional Paper 1794-A-2
The Puget Lowland Ecoregion covers an area of approximately 18,009 km² (6,953 mi²) within northwestern Washington (fig. 1) (Omernik, 1987; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1997). The ecoregion is located between the Coast Range Ecoregion to the west, which includes the Olympic Mountains, and the North Cascades and the Cascades Ecoregions...
Application of Wind Fetch and Wave Models for Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Projects
Jason J. Rohweder, James T. Rogala, Barry L. Johnson, Dennis Anderson, Steve Clark, Ferris Chamberlin
2012, Conference Paper, Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society
Models based upon coastal engineering equations have been developed to quantify wind fetch length and several physical wave characteristics including significant height, length, peak period, maximum orbital velocity, and shear stress. These models were used to quantify differences in proposed island construction designs for three Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Projects...
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...
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...
Influences on Bythotrephes longimanus life-history characteristics in the Great Lakes
Steven A. Pothoven, Henry A. Vanderploeg, David M. Warner, Jeffrey S. Schaeffer, Stuart A. Ludsin, Randall M. Claramunt, Thomas F. Nalepa
2012, Journal of Great Lakes Research (38) 134-141
We compared Bythotrephes population demographics and dynamics to predator (planktivorous fish) and prey (small-bodied crustacean zooplankton) densities at a site sampled through the growing season in Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie. Although seasonal average densities of Bythotrephes were similar across lakes (222/m2 Erie, 247/m2 Huron, 162/m2 Michigan), temporal trends in...
Local-area-enhanced, 2.5-meter resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of the North Takhar mineral district in Afghanistan: Chapter D in Local-area-enhanced, high-resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of mineral districts in Afghanistan
Philip A. Davis, Laura E. Cagney
2012, Data Series 709-D
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, prepared databases for mineral-resource target areas in Afghanistan. The purpose of the databases is to (1) provide useful data to ground-survey crews for use in performing detailed assessments of the...
The impact of antecedent fire area on burned area in southern California coastal ecosystems
Owen F. Price, Ross A. Bradstock, Jon E. Keeley, Alexandra D. Syphard
2012, Journal of Environmental Management (113) 301-307
Frequent wildfire disasters in southern California highlight the need for risk reduction strategies for the region, of which fuel reduction via prescribed burning is one option. However, there is no consensus about the effectiveness of prescribed fire in reducing the area of wildfire. Here, we use 29 years of historical...
A multi-sensor lidar, multi-spectral and multi-angular approach for mapping canopy height in boreal forest regions
David J. Selkowitz, Gordon Green, Birgit E. Peterson, Bruce Wylie
2012, Remote Sensing of Environment (121) 458-471
Spatially explicit representations of vegetation canopy height over large regions are necessary for a wide variety of inventory, monitoring, and modeling activities. Although airborne lidar data has been successfully used to develop vegetation canopy height maps in many regions, for vast, sparsely populated regions such as the boreal forest biome,...
Bioenergetics model for estimating food requirements of female Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)
S.R. Noren, Mark S. Udevitz, C.V. Jay
2012, Marine Ecology Progress Series (460) 261-275
Pacific walruses Odobenus rosmarus divergens use sea ice as a platform for resting, nursing, and accessing extensive benthic foraging grounds. The extent of summer sea ice in the Chukchi Sea has decreased substantially in recent decades, causing walruses to alter habitat use and activity patterns which could affect their energy...
Linking physical monitoring to coho and Chinook salmon populations in the Redwood Creek Watershed, California—Summary of May 3–4, 2012 Workshop
Mary Ann Madej, Alicia A. Torregrosa, Andrea Woodward
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1245
On Thursday, May 3, 2012, a science workshop was held at the Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) office in Arcata, California, with researchers and resource managers working in RNSP to share data and expert opinions concerning salmon populations and habitat in the Redwood Creek watershed. The focus of the...
Hydrostratigraphic interpretation of test-hole and surface geophysical data, Elkhorn and Loup River Basins, Nebraska, 2008 to 2011
Christopher M. Hobza, Paul A. Bedrosian, Benjamin R. Bloss
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1227
The Elkhorn-Loup Model (ELM) was begun in 2006 to understand the effect of various groundwater-management scenarios on surface-water resources. During phase one of the ELM study, a lack of subsurface geological information was identified as a data gap. Test holes drilled to the base of the aquifer in the ELM...
Predicted eelgrass response to sea level rise and its availability to foraging Black Brant in Pacific coast estuaries
Frank J. Shaughnessy, Whelan Gilkerson, Jeffrey M. Black, David H. Ward, Mark Petrie
2012, Ecological Applications (22) 1743-1761
Managers need to predict how animals will respond to habitat redistributions caused by climate change. Our objective was to model the effects of sea level rise on total eelgrass (Zostera marina) habitat area and on the amount of that area that is accessible to Brant geese (Branta bernicla), specialist grazers...
Slope-Area Computation Program Graphical User Interface 1.0—A Preprocessing and Postprocessing Tool for Estimating Peak Flood Discharge Using the Slope-Area Method
D. Nathan Bradley
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3112
The slope-area method is a technique for estimating the peak discharge of a flood after the water has receded (Dalrymple and Benson, 1967). This type of discharge estimate is called an “indirect measurement” because it relies on evidence left behind by the flood, such as high-water marks (HWMs) on trees...
Application of empirical predictive modeling using conventional and alternative fecal indicator bacteria in eastern North Carolina waters
Raul Gonzalez, Kathleen E. Conn, Joey Crosswell, Rachel Noble
2012, Water Research (46) 5871-5882
Coastal and estuarine waters are the site of intense anthropogenic influence with concomitant use for recreation and seafood harvesting. Therefore, coastal and estuarine water quality has a direct impact on human health. In eastern North Carolina (NC) there are over 240 recreational and 1025 shellfish harvesting water quality monitoring sites...
A novel antibody-based biomarker for chronic algal toxin exposure and sub-acute neurotoxicity
Kathi A. Lefebvre, Elizabeth R. Frame, Frances Gulland, John D. Hansen, Preston S. Kendrick, Richard P. Beyer, Theo K. Bammler, Frederico M. Farin, Emma M. Hiolski, Donald R. Smith, David J. Marcinek
2012, PLoS ONE (7) e36213
The neurotoxic amino acid, domoic acid (DA), is naturally produced by marine phytoplankton and presents a significant threat to the health of marine mammals, seabirds and humans via transfer of the toxin through the foodweb. In humans, acute exposure causes a neurotoxic illness known as amnesic shellfish poisoning characterized by...
Proceedings of the workshop on alternative futures: Accounting for growth in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Peter R. Claggett, Renee L. Thompson, editor(s)
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1216
This workshop provided a forum for identifying and discussing policies and assumptions for use in creating regionally consistent alternative future land-use scenarios. The alternative scenarios will help to inform how planning can potentially be used as a primary Best Management Practice by identifying land-use policies and other planning actions that...
Geomorphic and hydrologic study of peak-flow management on the Cedar River, Washington
Christopher S. Magirl, Andrew S. Gendaszek, Christiana R. Czuba, Christopher P. Konrad, Mathieu D. Marineau
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1240
Assessing the linkages between high-flow events, geomorphic response, and effects on stream ecology is critical to river management. High flows on the gravel-bedded Cedar River in Washington are important to the geomorphic function of the river; however, high flows can deleteriously affect salmon embryos incubating in streambed gravels. A geomorphic...
Salinity adaptation of the invasive New Zealand mud snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in the Columbia River estuary (Pacific Northwest, USA): Physiological and molecular studies
Marshal Hoy, Bruce L. Boese, Louise Taylor, Deborah Reusser, Rusty Rodriguez
2012, Aquatic Ecology (46) 249-260
In this study, we examine salinity stress tolerances of two populations of the invasive species New Zealand mud snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum, one population from a high salinity environment in the Columbia River estuary and the other from a fresh water lake. In 1996, New Zealand mud snails were discovered in...
Alluvial diamond resource potential and production capacity assessment of Guinea
Peter G. Chirico, Katherine C. Malpeli, Mark Van Bockstael, Mamadou Diaby, Kabinet Cisse, Thierno Amadou Diallo, Mahmoud Sano
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5256
In May of 2000, a meeting was convened in Kimberley, South Africa, by representatives of the diamond industry and leaders of African governments to develop a certification process intended to assure that export shipments of rough diamonds were free of conflict concerns. Outcomes of the meeting were formally supported later...
Bathymetry of the Hong and Luoc River Junction, Red River Delta, Vietnam, 2010
Paul J. Kinzel, Jonathan M. Nelson, Duong Duc Toan, Mung Dinh Thanh, Yasuyuki Shimizu
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3235
The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Water Resources University in Hanoi, Vietnam, conducted a bathymetric survey of the junction of the Hong and Luoc Rivers. The survey was done to characterize the channel morphology of this delta distributary network and provide input for hydrodynamic and sediment transport models....
