Predicting sea-level rise vulnerability of terrestrial habitat and wildlife of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Michelle H. Reynolds, Paul Berkowitz, Karen N. Courtot, Crystal M. Krause
Michelle H. Reynolds, Paul Berkowitz, Karen N. Courtot, Crystal M. Krause, editor(s)
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1182
If current climate change trends continue, rising sea levels may inundate low-lying islands across the globe, placing island biodiversity at risk. Recent models predict a rise of approximately one meter (1 m) in global sea level by 2100, with larger increases possible in areas of the Pacific Ocean. Pacific Islands...
The United States National Climate Assessment - Alaska Technical Regional Report
Carl J. Markon, Sarah F. Trainor, F. Stuart Chapin III
Carl J. Markon, Sarah F. Trainor, F. Stuart Chapin III, editor(s)
2012, Circular 1379
The Alaskan landscape is changing, both in terms of effects of human activities as a consequence of increased population, social and economic development and their effects on the local and broad landscape; and those effects that accompany naturally occurring hazards such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Some of the...
Construction of estimated flow- and load-duration curves for Kentucky using the Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER)
Michael D. Unthank, Jeremy K. Newson, Tanja N. Williamson, Hugh L. Nelson
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5168
Flow- and load-duration curves were constructed from the model outputs of the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER) application for streams in Kentucky. The WATER application was designed to access multiple geospatial datasets to generate more than 60 years of statistically based streamflow data for Kentucky....
Hydrology of the unsaturated zone, Yucca Mountain, Nevada
Gary D. LeCain, John S. Stuckless
2012, Book chapter, Hydrology and geochemistry of Yucca Mountain and vicinity, Southern Nevada and California
The unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain was investigated as a possible site for the nation's first high-level nuclear waste repository. Scientific investigations included infiltration studies, matrix properties testing, borehole testing and monitoring, underground excavation and testing, and the development of conceptual and numerical models of the hydrologic processes at Yucca...
Computing daily mean streamflow at ungaged locations in Iowa by using the Flow Anywhere and Flow Duration Curve Transfer statistical methods
S. Mike Linhart, Jon F. Nania, Curtis L. Sanders Jr., Stacey A. Archfield
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5232
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintains approximately 148 real-time streamgages in Iowa for which daily mean streamflow information is available, but daily mean streamflow data commonly are needed at locations where no streamgages are present. Therefore, the USGS conducted a study as part of a larger project in cooperation with...
Stratiform chromite deposit model
Ruth F. Schulte, Ryan D. Taylor, Nadine M. Piatak, Robert R. Seal II
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5070-E
A new descriptive stratiform chromite deposit model was prepared which will provide a framework for understanding the characteristics of stratiform chromite deposits worldwide. Previous stratiform chromite deposit models developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have been referred to as Bushveld chromium, because the Bushveld Complex in South Africa is...
Streamflow depletion by wells--Understanding and managing the effects of groundwater pumping on streamflow
Paul M. Barlow, Stanley A. Leake
2012, Circular 1376
Groundwater is an important source of water for many human needs, including public supply, agriculture, and industry. With the development of any natural resource, however, adverse consequences may be associated with its use. One of the primary concerns related to the development of groundwater resources is the effect of groundwater...
Critique on the use of the standardized avian acute oral toxicity test for first generation anticoagulant rodenticides
Nimish B. Vyas, Barnett A. Rattner
2012, Human and Ecological Risk Assessment (18) 1069-1077
Avian risk assessments for rodenticides are often driven by the results of standardized acute oral toxicity tests without regards to a toxicant's mode of action and time course of adverse effects. First generation anticoagulant rodenticides (FGARs) generally require multiple feedings over several days to achieve a threshold concentration in tissue...
Local-area-enhanced, high-resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of mineral districts in Afghanistan
Philip A. Davis
2012, Data Series 709
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...
Occupancy in continuous habitat
Murray G. Efford, Deanna K. Dawson
2012, Ecosphere (3) 1-15
The probability that a site has at least one individual of a species ('occupancy') has come to be widely used as a state variable for animal population monitoring. The available statistical theory for estimation when detection is imperfect applies particularly to habitat patches or islands, although it is also used...
Hybridization among Arctic white-headed gulls (Larus spp.) obscures the genetic legacy of the Pleistocene
Sarah A. Sonsthagen, R. Terry Chesser, Douglas A. Bell, Carla J. Dove
2012, Ecology and Evolution (2) 1278-1295
We studied the influence of glacial oscillations on the genetic structure of seven species of white-headed gull that breed at high latitudes (Larus argentatus, L. canus, L. glaucescens, L. glaucoides, L. hyperboreus, L. schistisagus, and L. thayeri). We evaluated localities hypothesized as ice-free areas or glacial refugia in other Arctic...
Economic filters for evaluating porphyry copper deposit resource assessments using grade-tonnage deposit models, with examples from the U.S. Geological Survey global mineral resource assessment: Chapter H in Global mineral resource assessment
Gilpin R. Robinson Jr., W. David Menzie
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5090-H
An analysis of the amount and location of undiscovered mineral resources that are likely to be economically recoverable is important for assessing the long-term adequacy and availability of mineral supplies. This requires an economic evaluation of estimates of undiscovered resources generated by traditional resource assessments (Singer and Menzie, 2010). In...
Population ecology of breeding Pacific common eiders on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
Heather M. Wilson, Paul L. Flint, Abby N. Powell, J. Barry Grand, Christine L. Moral
2012, Wildlife Monographs (182)
Populations of Pacific common eiders (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) in western Alaska declined by 50–90% from 1957 to 1992 and then stabilized at reduced numbers from the early 1990s to the present. We investigated the underlying processes affecting their population dynamics by collection and analysis of...
Free tropospheric transport of microorganisms from Asia to North America
D. Smith, Dan Jaffe, Michele Birmele, Dale W. Griffin, Andrew Schuerger, J. Hee, Michael Roberts
2012, Microbial Ecology (64) 973-985
Microorganisms are abundant in the troposphere and can be transported vast distances on prevailing winds. This study measures the abundance and diversity of airborne bacteria and fungi sampled at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory (located 2.7 km above sea level in North America) where incoming free tropospheric air routinely arrives from...
Incorporating movement patterns to improve survival estimates for juvenile bull trout
Tracy Bowerman, Phaedra Budy
2012, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (32) 1123-1136
Populations of many fish species are sensitive to changes in vital rates during early life stages, but our understanding of the factors affecting growth, survival, and movement patterns is often extremely limited for juvenile fish. These critical information gaps are particularly evident for bull trout Salvelinus confluentus, a threatened Pacific...
Modeling the mesozoic-cenozoic structural evolution of east texas
Ofori N. Pearson, Elisabeth L. Rowan, John J. Miller
2012, Gulf Coast Assoc of Geological Societies Journal (1) 118-128
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently assessed the undiscovered technically recoverable oil and gas resources within Jurassic and Cretaceous strata of the onshore coastal plain and State waters of the U.S. Gulf Coast. Regional 2D seismic lines for key parts of the Gulf Coast basin were interpreted in order to...
Simulating potential structural and operational changes for Detroit Dam on the North Santiam River, Oregon, for downstream temperature management
Norman L. Buccola, Stewart A. Rounds, Annett B. Sullivan, John C. Risley
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5231
Detroit Dam was constructed in 1953 on the North Santiam River in western Oregon and resulted in the formation of Detroit Lake. With a full-pool storage volume of 455,100 acre-feet and a dam height of 463 feet, Detroit Lake is one of the largest and most important reservoirs in the...
Demonstration optimization analyses of pumping from selected Arapahoe aquifer municipal wells in the west-central Denver Basin, Colorado, 2010–2109
Edward R. Banta, Suzanne S. Paschke
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5140
Declining water levels caused by withdrawals of water from wells in the west-central part of the Denver Basin bedrock-aquifer system have raised concerns with respect to the ability of the aquifer system to sustain production. The Arapahoe aquifer in particular is heavily used in this area. Two optimization analyses were...
Space-time models for a panzootic in bats, with a focus on the endangered Indiana bat
Wayne E. Thogmartin, R. Andrew King, Jennifer A. Szymanski, Lori Pruitt
2012, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (48) 876-887
Knowledge of current trends of quickly spreading infectious wildlife diseases is vital to efficient and effective management. We developed space-time mixed-effects logistic regressions to characterize a disease, white-nose syndrome (WNS), quickly spreading among endangered Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis) in eastern North America. Our goal was to calculate and map the...
The effect of nonylphenol on gene expression in Atlantic salmon smolts
Laura S. Robertson, Stephen D. McCormick
2012, Aquatic Toxicology (122-123) 36-43
The parr–smolt transformation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is a complex developmental process that culminates in the ability to migrate to and live in seawater. Exposure to environmental contaminants like nonylphenol can disrupt smolt development and may be a contributing factor in salmon population declines. We used GRASP 16K cDNA...
Effect of Feeding-Fasting Cycles on Oxygen Consumption and Bioenergetics of Yellow Perch
Steven R. Chipps, Travis W. Schaeffer, Daniel E. Spengler, Casey W. Schoenebeck, Michael L. Brown
2012, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (141) 1480-1491
We measured growth and oxygen consumption of age-1 yellow perch Perca flavescenssubjected to ad libitum (control) or variable feeding cycles of 2 (i.e., 2 d of feed, 2 d of deprivation), 6, or 12 d for a 72-d period. Individual, female yellow perch (initial weight = 51.9 ± 0.9 g [mean...
Morphological and chemical evidence of stromatolitic deposits in the 2.75 Ga Carajás banded iron formation, Brazil
Beatriz Ribeiro da Luz, James K. Crowley
2012, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (355-356) 60-72
We describe evidence of biogenicity in the morphology and carbon content of well-preserved, Neoarchean samples of banded iron formation (BIF) from Carajás, Brazil. Silica-rich BIF layers contain translucent ellipsoidal or trapezoidal structures (∼5–10 μm diameter) composed of silica, hematite, and kerogen, which are arranged in larger ring-like forms (rosettes). Stable...
Difference infiltrometer: a method to measure temporally variable infiltration rates during rainstorms
John A. Moody, Brian A. Ebel
2012, Hydrological Processes (26) 3312-3318
We developed a difference infiltrometer to measure time series of non-steady infiltration rates during rainstorms at the point scale. The infiltrometer uses two, tipping bucket rain gages. One gage measures rainfall onto, and the other measures runoff from, a small circular plot about 0.5-m in diameter. The small size allows...
Regional regression models of watershed suspended-sediment discharge for the eastern United States
David C. Roman, Richard M. Vogel, Gregory E. Schwarz
2012, Journal of Hydrologic Engineering (472-4723) 53-62
Estimates of mean annual watershed sediment discharge, derived from long-term measurements of suspended-sediment concentration and streamflow, often are not available at locations of interest. The goal of this study was to develop multivariate regression models to enable prediction of mean annual suspended-sediment discharge from available basin characteristics useful for most...
Uncertainty quantification for environmental models
Mary C. Hill, Dan Lu, Dmitri Kavetski, Martyn P. Clark, Ming Ye
2012, SIAM News (45)
Environmental models are used to evaluate the fate of fertilizers in agricultural settings (including soil denitrification), the degradation of hydrocarbons at spill sites, and water supply for people and ecosystems in small to large basins and cities—to mention but a few applications of these models. They also play a role...
