Effects of large-scale wildfire on ground foraging ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in southern California
Tritia Matsuda, Greta Turschak, Cheryl Brehme, Carlton Rochester, Milan Mitrovich, Robert Fisher
2011, Environmental Entomology (40) 204-216
We investigated the effect of broad-scale wildfire on ground foraging ants within southern California. In October and November of 2003, two wildfires burned large portions of the wildlands within San Diego County. Between January 2005 and September 2006, we surveyed 63 plots across four sites to measure the effect of...
Ecological influence and pathways of land use in sagebrush
Steven T. Knick, Steven E. Hanser, Richard F. Miller, David A. Pyke, Michael J. Wisdom, Sean P. Finn, E. Thomas Rinkes, Charles J. Henny
Steven T. Knick, John W. Connelly, editor(s)
2011, Book chapter, Greater sage-grouse: Ecology and conservation of a landscape species and its habitats
Land use in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) landscapes influences all sage-grouse (Centrocer-cus spp.) populations in western North America. Croplands and the network of irrigation canals cover 230,000 km2 and indirectly influence up to 77% of the Sage-Grouse Conservation Area and 73% of sagebrush land cover by subsidizing synanthropic predators on sage-grouse....
Formation dynamics of subsurface hydrocarbon intrusions following the Deepwater Horizon blowout
Scott A. Socolofsky, E. Eric Adams, Christopher R. Sherwood
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
Hydrocarbons released following the Deepwater Horizon (DH) blowout were found in deep, subsurface horizontal intrusions, yet there has been little discussion about how these intrusions formed. We have combined measured (or estimated) observations from the DH release with empirical relationships developed from previous lab experiments to identify the mechanisms responsible...
Field evaluation of the error arising from inadequate time averaging in the standard use of depth-integrating suspended-sediment samplers
David J. Topping, David M. Rubin, Scott Wright, Theodore S. Melis
2011, Professional Paper 1774
Several common methods for measuring suspended-sediment concentration in rivers in the United States use depth-integrating samplers to collect a velocity-weighted suspended-sediment sample in a subsample of a river cross section. Because depth-integrating samplers are always moving through the water column as they collect a sample, and can collect only a...
Improved electron probe microanalysis of trace elements in quartz
John J. Donovan, Heather Lowers, Brian G. Rusk
2011, American Mineralogist (96) 274-282
Quartz occurs in a wide range of geologic environments throughout the Earth's crust. The concentration and distribution of trace elements in quartz provide information such as temperature and other physical conditions of formation. Trace element analyses with modern electron-probe microanalysis (EPMA) instruments can achieve 99% confidence detection of ~100 ppm...
Effects of fire on spotted owl site occupancy in a late-successional forest
Susan L. Roberts, Jan W. van Wagtendonk, A. Keith Miles, Douglas A. Kelt
2011, Biological Conservation (144) 610-619
The spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) is a late-successional forest dependent species that is sensitive to forest management practices throughout its range. An increase in the frequency and spatial extent of stand-replacing fires in western North America has prompted concern for the persistence of spotted owls and other sensitive late-successional forest...
Probability and volume of potential postwildfire debris flows in the 2011 Horseshoe II burn area, southeastern Arizona
Barbara C. Ruddy
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1197
This report presents a preliminary emergency assessment of the debris-flow hazards from drainage basins burned in 2011 by the Horseshoe II wildfire in southeastern Arizona. Empirical models derived from statistical evaluation of data collected from recently burned drainage basins throughout the intermountain western United States were used to estimate the...
Identifying structural elements needed for development of a predictive life-history model for pallid and shovelnose sturgeons
Mark L. Wildhaber, A. J. DeLonay, D. M. Papoulias, D.L. Galat, R. B. Jacobson, D.G. Simpkins, P.J. Braaten, C. E. Korschgen, M. J. Mac
2011, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (27) 462-469
Intensive management of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers has resulted in dramatic changes to the river systems and their biota. These changes have been implicated in the decline of the pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus), which has been listed as a United States federal endangered species. The sympatric shovelnose sturgeon (S. platorynchus)...
Updated one-dimensional hydraulic model of the Kootenai River, Idaho: A supplement to Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5110
Christiana R. Czuba, Gary J. Barton
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5128
The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, in cooperation with local, State, Federal, and Canadian agency co-managers and scientists, is assessing the feasibility of a Kootenai River habitat restoration project in Boundary County, Idaho. The restoration project is focused on recovery of the endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) population, and...
Estimating age from recapture data: Integrating incremental growth measures with ancillary data to infer age-at-length
Mitchell J. Eaton, William A. Link
2011, Ecological Applications (21) 2487-2497
Estimating the age of individuals in wild populations can be of fundamental importance for answering ecological questions, modeling population demographics, and managing exploited or threatened species. Significant effort has been devoted to determining age through the use of growth annuli, secondary physical characteristics related to age, and growth models. Many...
Structured decision making as a proactive approach to dealing with sea level rise in Florida
J. Martin, P.L. Fackler, James D. Nichols, B. C. Lubow, Mitchell J. Eaton, Michael C. Runge, Bradley Stith, Catherine A. Langtimm
2011, Climatic Change (107) 185-202
Sea level rise (SLR) projections along the coast of Florida present an enormous challenge for management and conservation over the long term. Decision makers need to recognize and adopt strategies to adapt to the potentially detrimental effects of SLR. Structured decision making (SDM) provides a rigorous framework for the management...
Multispecies modeling for adaptive management of horseshoe crabs and red knots in the Delaware Bay
Conor P. McGowan, David R. Smith, J. A. Sweka, Julien Martin, James D. Nichols, R. Wong, J. E. Lyons, L. J. Niles, K. Kalasz, J. Brust, M. Klopfer, B. Spear
2011, Natural Resource Modeling (24) 117-156
Adaptive management requires that predictive models be explicit and transparent to improve decisions by comparing management actions, directing further research and monitoring, and facilitating learning. The rufa subspecies of red knots (Calidris canutus rufa), which has recently exhibited steep population declines, relies on horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) eggs as their...
Analysis of the North American Breeding Bird Survey using hierarchical models
John R. Sauer, William Link
2011, The Auk (128) 87-98
We analyzed population change for 420 bird species from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) using a hierarchical log-linear model and compared the results with those obtained through route-regression analysis. Survey-wide trend estimates based on the hierarchical model were generally more precise than estimates from the earlier analysis. No...
Natural resource mitigation, adaptation and research needs related to climate change in the Great Basin and Mojave Desert
Debra L. Hughson, David E. Busch, Scott Davis, Sean P. Finn, Steve Caicco, Paul S.J. Verburg
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5103
This report synthesizes the knowledge, opinions, and concerns of many Federal and State land managers, scientists, stakeholders, and partners from a workshop, held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on April 20-22, 2010. Land managers, research scientists, and resource specialists identified common concerns regarding the potential effects of climate...
Topographic and hydrographic GIS dataset for the Afghanistan Geological Survey and U.S. Geological Survey 2010 Minerals Project
P. G. Chirico, T.W. Moran
2011, Data Series 624
This dataset contains a collection of 24 folders, each representing a specific U.S. Geological Survey area of interest (AOI; fig. 1), as well as datasets for AOI subsets. Each folder includes the extent, contours, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and hydrography of the corresponding AOI, which are organized into feature vector...
Groundwater quality in the Lake Champlain Basin, New York, 2009
Elizabeth A. Nystrom
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1180
Water was sampled from 20 production and domestic wells from August through November 2009 to characterize groundwater quality in the Lake Champlain Basin in New York. Of the 20 wells sampled, 8 were completed in sand and gravel, and 12 were completed in bedrock. The samples were collected and processed...
Field Reconnaissance Geologic Mapping of the Columbia Hills, Mars: Results from MER Spirit and MRO HiRISE Observations
L.S. Crumpler, R. E. Arvidson, S. W. Squyres, T. McCoy, A. Yingst, S. Ruff, W. Farrand, Y. McSween, M. Powell, D. W. Ming, R.V. Morris, J.F. Bell III, J. Grant, R. Greeley, D. DesMarais, M. Schmidt, N.A. Cabrol, A. Haldemann, Kevin W. Lewis, A.E. Wang, C. Schroder, D. Blaney, B. Cohen, A. Yen, J. Farmer, Ralf Gellert, E.A. Guinness, K. E. Herkenhoff, J. R. Johnson, G. Klingelhofer, A. McEwen, J. W. Rice Jr., M. Rice, P. deSouza, J. Hurowitz
2011, Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets (116) E00F24-E00F24
Chemical, mineralogic, and lithologic ground truth was acquired for the first time on Mars in terrain units mapped using orbital Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (MRO HiRISE) image data. Examination of several dozen outcrops shows that Mars is geologically complex at meter length scales, the record of...
Fire and vegetation shifts in the Americas at the vanguard of Paleoindian migration
N. Pinter, S. Fiedel, Jon E. Keeley
2011, Quaternary Science Reviews (30) 269-272
Across North and South America, the final millennia of the Pleistocene saw dramatic changes in climate, vegetation, fauna, fire regime, and other local and regional paleo-environmental characteristics. Rapid climate shifts following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) exerted a first-order influence, but abrupt postglacial shifts in vegetation composition, vegetation structure, and...
Rotational motions for teleseismic surface waves
Chin-Jen Lin, H. Huang, Nguyen Dinh Pham, Chun-Chi Liu, Wu-Cheng Chi, W.H.K. Lee
2011, Geophysical Research Letters (38)
[1] We report the findings for the first teleseismic six degree‐of‐freedom (6‐DOF) measurements including three components of rotational motions recorded by a sensitive rotation‐rate sensor (model R‐1, made by eentec) and three components of translational motions recorded by a traditional seismometer (STS‐2) at the NACB station in...
Proceedings of the Klamath Basin Science Conference, Medford, Oregon, February 1-5, 2010
Lyman K. Thorsteinson, Scott P. Vanderkooi, Walter G. Duffy, editor(s)
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1196
This report presents the proceedings of the Klamath Basin Science Conference (February 2010). A primary purpose of the meeting was to inform and update Klamath Basin stakeholders about areas of scientific progress and accomplishment during the last 5 years. Secondary conference objectives focused on the identification of outstanding information needs...
Construction of shipping channels in the Detroit River: History and environmental consequences
David H. Bennion, Bruce A. Manny
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5122
The Detroit River is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the Great Lakes basin. It has been an important international shipping route since the 1820s and is one of the busiest navigation centers in the United States. Historically, it supported one of the most profitable Lake Whitefish (Coregonus...
Human casualties in earthquakes: Modelling and mitigation
R.J.S. Spence, E.K.M. So
2011, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the Ninth Pacific Conference on Earthquake Engineering: Building an earthquake resilient society
Earthquake risk modelling is needed for the planning of post-event emergency operations, for the development of insurance schemes, for the planning of mitigation measures in the existing building stock, and for the development of appropriate building regulations; in all of these applications estimates of casualty numbers are essential. But there...
Audiomagnetotelluric data to characterize the Revett-type copper-silver deposits at Rock Creek in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, Montana
Jay A. Sampson, Brian D. Rodriguez
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1174
The Revett-type deposits at Rock Creek are part of the concealed stratabound copper-silver deposits located in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness of Montana. The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting a series of multidisciplinary studies as part of the Assessment Techniques for Concealed Mineral Resources project. Geologic, geochemical, geophysical, and mineral resources data...
Deglaciation and postglacial treeline fluctuation in the northern San Juan Mountains, Colorado
Paul E. Carrara
2011, Professional Paper 1782
The San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado contain numerous lakes and bogs at and above treeline. In June 1978, Lake Emma, a tarn above present-day treeline, was suddenly drained by the collapse of underground mine workings. This study was initiated because the draining exposed a well-preserved archive of subfossil coniferous...
Gas, oil, and water production from Wattenberg Field in the Denver Basin, Colorado
Philip H. Nelson, Stephen L. Santus
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1175
Gas, oil, and water production data were compiled from selected wells in two tight gas reservoirs-the Codell-Niobrara interval, comprised of the Codell Sandstone Member of the Carlile Shale and the Niobrara Formation; and the Dakota J interval, comprised mostly of the Muddy (J) Sandstone of the Dakota Group; both intervals...
