Inference of lithologic distributions in an alluvial aquifer using airborne transient electromagnetic surveys
Jesse E. Dickinson, D. R. Pool, R.W. Groom, L.J. Davis
2010, Geophysics (75) WA149-WA161
An airborne transient electromagnetic (TEM) survey was completed in the Upper San Pedro Basin in southeastern Arizona to map resistivity distributions within the alluvial aquifer. This investigation evaluated the utility of 1D vertical resistivity models of the TEM data to infer lithologic distributions in an alluvial aquifer. Comparisons of the...
Summer stream water temperature models for Great Lakes streams: New York
James E. McKenna, Ryan S. Butryn, Richard P. McDonald
2010, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (139) 1399-1414
Temperature is one of the most important environmental influences on aquatic organisms. It is a primary driver of physiological rates and many abiotic processes. However, despite extensive research and measurements, synoptic estimates of water temperature are not available for most regions, limiting our ability to make systemwide and large-scale assessments...
Archiving strategy for USGS EROS center and our future direction
John Faundeen
2010, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 2010 Roadmap for Digital Preservation Interoperability Framework Workshop
The U. S. Geological Survey's Earth Resources Observation and Science Center has the responsibility to acquire, manage, and preserve our Nation's land observations. These records are obtained primarily from airplanes and satellites dating back to the 1930s. The ability to compare landscapes from the past with current information enables change...
Influence of hummocks and emergent vegetation on hydraulic performance in a surface flow wastewater treatment wetland
Steffanie H. Keefe, Joan S. Daniels, Robert L. Runkel, Roland D. Wass, Eric A. Stiles, Larry B. Barber
2010, Water Resources Research (46)
A series of tracer experiments were conducted biannually at the start and end of the vegetation growing season in a surface flow wastewater treatment wetland located near Phoenix, AZ. Tracer experiments were conducted prior to and following reconfiguration and replanting of a 1.2 ha treatment wetland from its original design...
Exploration review
D.R. Wilburn, M.R. Bourget
2010, Mining Engineering (62) 39-52
This summary of international mineral exploration activities for the year 2009 draws upon information from industry sources, published literature and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) specialists. The summary provides data on industry exploration budgets by region and mineral commodity, identifies significant mineral discoveries and areas of mineral exploration, discusses government programs...
A self-trained classification technique for producing 30 m percent-water maps from Landsat data
Jennifer R. Rover, Bruce K. Wylie, Lei Ji
2010, International Journal of Remote Sensing (31) 2197-2203
Small bodies of water can be mapped with moderate-resolution satellite data using methods where water is mapped as subpixel fractions using field measurements or high-resolution images as training datasets. A new method, developed from a regression-tree technique, uses a 30 m Landsat image for training the regression tree that, in...
Functional linear models to test for differences in prairie wetland hydraulic gradients
Mark C. Greenwood, Richard S. Sojda, Todd M. Preston
David A. Swayne, Wanhong Yang, A.A. Voinov, A. Rizzoli, T. Filatova, editor(s)
2010, Conference Paper, 2010 International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software; Modelling for Environment's Sake, Fifth Biennial Meeting, Ottawa, Canada
Functional data analysis provides a framework for analyzing multiple time series measured frequently in time, treating each series as a continuous function of time. Functional linear models are used to test for effects on hydraulic gradient functional responses collected from three types of land use in Northeastern Montana at fourteen...
New software methods in radar ornithology using WSR-88D weather data and potential application to monitoring effects of climate change on bird migration
Reginald Mead, John Paxton, Richard S. Sojda
David A. Swayne, Wanhong Yang, A.A. Voinov, A. Rizzoli, T. Filatova, editor(s)
2010, Conference Paper, 2010 International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software; Modelling for Environment's Sake, Fifth Biennial Meeting, Ottawa, Canada
Radar ornithology has provided tools for studying the movement of birds, especially related to migration. Researchers have presented qualitative evidence suggesting that birds, or at least migration events, can be identified using large broad scale radars such as the WSR-88D used in the NEXRAD weather surveillance system. This is potentially...
Use of geochemical, isotopic, and age tracer data to develop models of groundwater flow for the purpose of water management, northern High Plains aquifer, USA
Peter B. McMahon, C. P. Carney, E. P. Poeter, Steven M. Peterson
2010, PNAS (25) 910-922
A prolonged drought in the High Plains of Nebraska prompted the use of groundwater for cooling at the largest coal-fired power plant in the State. Prior to the drought, groundwater was used primarily for irrigation and the power plant relied exclusively on surface water stored in a nearby reservoir for...
Diet of lake trout and burbot in northern Lake Michigan during spring: Evidence of ecological interaction
Gregory R. Jacobs, Charles P. Madenjian, David B. Bunnell, Jeffrey D. Holuszko
2010, Journal of Great Lakes Research (36) 312-317
We used analyses of burbot (Lota lota) and lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) diets taken during spring gill-net surveys in northern Lake Michigan in 2006-2008 to investigate the potential for competition and predator-prey interactions between these two species. We also compared our results to historical data from 1932. During 2006-2008, lake...
Fault zone structure from topography: signatures of en echelon fault slip at Mustang Ridge on the San Andreas Fault, Monterey County, California
Stephen B. DeLong, George E. Hilley, Michael J. Rymer, Carol Prentice
2010, Tectonics (29)
We used high-resolution topography to quantify the spatial distribution of scarps, linear valleys, topographic sinks, and oversteepened stream channels formed along an extensional step over on the San Andreas Fault (SAF) at Mustang Ridge, California. This location provides detail of both creeping fault landform development and complex fault zone kinematics....
Mechanisms for chemostatic behavior in catchments: implications for CO2 consumption by mineral weathering
David W. Clow, M. Alisa Mast
2010, Chemical Geology (269) 40-51
Concentrations of weathering products in streams often show relatively little variation compared to changes in discharge, both at event and annual scales. In this study, several hypothesized mechanisms for this “chemostatic behavior” were evaluated, and the potential for those mechanisms to influence relations between climate, weathering fluxes, and CO2 consumption...
Method for calculating self-noise spectra and operating ranges for seismographic inertial sensors and recorders
John R. Evans, F. Followill, Charles R. Hutt, R.P. Kromer, R.L. Nigbor, A. T. Ringler, J.M. Steim, E. Wielandt
2010, Seismological Research Letters (81) 640-646
Understanding the performance of sensors and recorders is prerequisite to making appropriate use of them in seismology and earthquake engineering. This paper explores a critical aspect of instrument performance, the “self” noise level of the device and the amplitude range it can usefully record. Self noise limits the smallest signals,...
Long-term trends in habitat use of offshore demersal fishes in western Lake Huron suggest large-scale ecosystem change
Stephen C. Riley, Jean V. Adams
2010, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (139) 1322-1334
We estimated mean depths of capture for offshore demersal fish species, grouped into three habitat-based guilds (shallow benthic, pelagic, and deep benthic), using fall bottom trawl data (27–73 m) in the western main basin of Lake Huron from 1976 to 2007. The mean depth of capture of the shallow and...
Georeferencing the Large-Scale Aerial Photographs of a Great Lakes Coastal Wetland: A Modified Photogrammetric Method
Kurt P. Kowalski, Joel L. Grapentine
2010, Wetlands (30) 369-374
The geocontrol template method was developed to georeference multiple, overlapping analog aerial photographs without reliance upon conventionally obtained horizontal ground control. The method was tested as part of a long-term wetland habitat restoration project at a Lake Erie coastal wetland complex in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ottawa National...
Factors associated with hunter success for ducks on state-owned lands in Illinois, USA
Joshua D. Stafford, Aaron T. Pearse, Christopher S. Hine, Aaron P. Yetter, Michelle M. Horath
2010, Wildlife Biology (16) 113-122
Factors that influence hunter success for waterfowl are subject to varying levels of control by managers. The relative influence of these factors is poorly understood, but such information may be valuable to guide management actions intended to promote successful hunting and communicate management decisions to constituents. We used bag-check data...
Molecular phylogeny of the spoonbills (Aves: Threskiornithidae) based on mitochondrial DNA
R. Terry Chesser, Carol K.L. Yeung, Cheng-Te Yao, Xiu-Hua Tian, Shou-Hsien Li
2010, Zootaxa (2603) 53-60
Spoonbills (genus Platalea) are a small group of wading birds, generally considered to constitute the subfamily Plataleinae (Aves: Threskiornithidae). We reconstructed phylogenetic relationships among the six species of spoonbills using variation in sequences of the mitochondrial genes ND2 and cytochrome b (total 1796 bp). Topologies of phylogenetic trees reconstructed using...
Models for inference in dynamic metacommunity systems
Robert M. Dorazio, Marc Kery, J. Andrew Royle, Matthias Plattner
2010, Ecology (91) 2466-2475
A variety of processes are thought to be involved in the formation and dynamics of species assemblages. For example, various metacommunity theories are based on differences in the relative contributions of dispersal of species among local communities and interactions of species within local communities. Interestingly, metacommunity theories continue to be...
Streamflow of 2009--Water year summary
Jian Xiaodong, David M. Wolock, Harry F. Lins, Steve Brady
2010, Fact Sheet 2010-3058
The maps and graph in this summary describe streamflow conditions for water-year 2009 (October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009) in the context of the 80-year period 1930-2009, unless otherwise noted. The illustrations are based on observed data from the U.S. Geological Survey's National Streamflow Information Program. The period 1930-2009...
Estimating migratory game-bird productivity by integrating age ratio and banding data
G.S. Zimmerman, W.A. Link, M.J. Conroy, J.R. Sauer, K.D. Richkus, G. Scott Boomer
2010, Wildlife Research (37) 612-622
Context: Reproduction is a critical component of fitness, and understanding factors that influence temporal and spatial dynamics in reproductive output is important for effective management and conservation. Although several indices of reproductive output for wide-ranging species, such as migratory birds, exist, there has been no theoretical justification for their estimators...
Old data, new problems
Beth Middleton
2010, SWS Research Brief (2010-0002)
Old data are a gold standard in climate change research, and much more use should be made of these data sets to document changes in wetlands in recent decades. Key data sets for the study of climate or land use change effects on wetlands may include historical field studies. Old...
Bayesian change point analysis of abundance trends for pelagic fishes in the upper San Francisco Estuary
James R. Thompson, Wim J. Kimmerer, Larry R. Brown, Ken B. Newman, Ralph Mac Nally, William A. Bennett, Frederick Feyrer, Erica Fleishman
2010, Ecological Applications (20) 1431-1448
We examined trends in abundance of four pelagic fish species (delta smelt, longfin smelt, striped bass, and threadfin shad) in the upper San Francisco Estuary, California, USA, over 40 years using Bayesian change point models. Change point models identify times of abrupt or unusual changes in absolute abundance (step changes)...
Analysis of pelagic species decline in the upper San Francisco Estuary using multivariate autoregressive modeling (MAR)
Ralph Mac Nally, James R. Thomson, Wim J. Kimmerer, Frederick Feyrer, Ken B. Newman, Andy Sih, William A. Bennett, Larry R. Brown, Erica Fleishman, Steven D. Culberson, Gonzalo Castillo
2010, Ecological Applications (20) 1417-1430
Four species of pelagic fish of particular management concern in the upper San Francisco Estuary, California, USA, have declined precipitously since ca. 2002: delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus), longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys), striped bass (Morone saxatilis), and threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense). The estuary has been monitored since the late 1960s with...
Detecting temporal trends in species assemblages with bootstrapping procedures and hierarchical models
Nicholas J. Gotelli, Robert M. Dorazio, Aaron M. Ellison, Gary D. Grossman
2010, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (365) 3621-3631
Quantifying patterns of temporal trends in species assemblages is an important analytical challenge in community ecology. We describe methods of analysis that can be applied to a matrix of counts of individuals that is organized by species (rows) and time-ordered sampling periods (columns). We first developed a bootstrapping procedure to...
Surficial geologic map of the Amboy 30' x 60' quadrangle, San Bernardino County, California
David R. Bedford, David M. Miller, Geoffrey A. Phelps
2010, Scientific Investigations Map 3109
The surficial geologic map of the Amboy 30' x 60' quadrangle presents characteristics of surficial materials for an area of approximately 5,000 km2 in the eastern Mojave Desert of southern California. This map consists of new surficial mapping conducted between 2000 and 2007, as well as compilations from previous surficial...
