Linking biomarkers to reproductive success of caged fathead minnows in streams with increasing urbanization
J. Crago, Steven R. Corsi, D. Weber, R. Bannerman, R. Klaper
2011, Chemosphere (82) 1669-1674
Reproductive and oxidative stress biomarkers have been recommended as tools to assess the health of aquatic organisms. Though validated in the laboratory, there are few studies that tie a change in gene expression to adverse reproductive or population outcomes in the field. This paper looked at 17 streams with varying...
A distribution-based parameterization for improved tomographic imaging of solute plumes
Adam Pidlisecky, K. Singha, F. D. Day-Lewis
2011, Geophysical Journal International (187) 214-224
Difference geophysical tomography (e.g. radar, resistivity and seismic) is used increasingly for imaging fluid flow and mass transport associated with natural and engineered hydrologic phenomena, including tracer experiments, in situ remediation and aquifer storage and recovery. Tomographic data are collected over time, inverted and differenced against a background image to produce ‘snapshots’...
Distribution and seasonal dynamics of arsenic in a shallow lake in northwestern New Jersey, USA
J. L. Barringer, Z. Szabo, T.P. Wilson, J.L. Bonin, T. Kratzer, K. Cenno, T. Romagna, M. Alebus, B. Hirst
2011, Environmental Geochemistry and Health (33) 1-22
Elevated concentrations of arsenic (As) occurred during warm months in water from the outlet of Lake Mohawk in northwestern New Jersey. The shallow manmade lake is surrounded by residential development and used for recreation. Eutrophic conditions are addressed by alum and copper sulfate applications and aerators operating in the summer....
Century-scale variability in global annual runoff examined using a water balance model
G.J. McCabe, D.M. Wolock
2011, International Journal of Climatology (31) 1739-1748
A monthly water balance model (WB model) is used with CRUTS2.1 monthly temperature and precipitation data to generate time series of monthly runoff for all land areas of the globe for the period 1905 through 2002. Even though annual precipitation accounts for most of the temporal and spatial variability in...
Unusual dominance by desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius) in experimental ponds within the Salton Sea Basin
Michael K. Saiki, Barbara A. Martin, Thomas W. Anderson
2011, Southwestern Naturalist (56) 385-392
In October 2006, months after shallow experimental ponds in the Salton Sea Basin were filled with water from the Alamo River and Salton Sea, fish were observed in several ponds, although inlets had been screened to exclude fish. During October 2007–November 2009, nine surveys were conducted using baited minnow traps...
Fine-scale population structure and riverscape genetics of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) distributed continuously along headwater channel networks
Yoichiro Kanno, Jason C. Vokoun, Benjamin H. Letcher
2011, Molecular Ecology (20) 3711-3729
Linear and heterogeneous habitat makes headwater stream networks an ideal ecosystem in which to test the influence of environmental factors on spatial genetic patterns of obligatory aquatic species. We investigated fine-scale population structure and influence of stream habitat on individual-level genetic differentiation in brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) by...
Algal bioassessment metrics for wadeable streams and rivers of Maine, USA
Thomas J. Danielson, Cynthia S. Loftin, Leonidas Tsomides, Jeanne L. DiFranco, Beth Connors
2011, Freshwater Science (30) 1033-1048
Many state water-quality agencies use biological assessment methods based on lotic fish and macroinvertebrate communities, but relatively few states have incorporated algal multimetric indices into monitoring programs. Algae are good indicators for monitoring water quality because they are sensitive to many environmental stressors. We evaluated benthic algal community attributes along...
Simultaneous speciation of arsenic, selenium, and chromium: Species stability, sample preservation, and analysis of ash and soil leachates
R.E. Wolf, S.A. Morman, P. L. Hageman, T.M. Hoefen, G.S. Plumlee
2011, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry (401) 2733-2745
An analytical method using high-performance liquid chromatography separation with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detection previously developed for the determination of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) has been adapted to allow the determination of As(III), As(V), Se(IV), Se(VI), Cr(III), and Cr(VI) under the same chromatographic conditions. Using this method, all six...
In situ rates of sulfate reduction in response to geochemical perturbations
T.A. Kneeshaw, J.T. McGuire, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, E.W. Smith
2011, Ground Water (49) 903-913
Rates of in situ microbial sulfate reduction in response to geochemical perturbations were determined using Native Organism Geochemical Experimentation Enclosures (NOGEEs), a new in situ technique developed to facilitate evaluation of controls on microbial reaction rates. NOGEEs function by first trapping a native microbial community in situ and then subjecting...
Critical nitrogen deposition loads in high-elevation lakes of the western US inferred from paleolimnological records
J.E. Saros, David W. Clow, T. Blett, A.P. Wolfe
2011, Water, Air, & Soil Pollution (216) 193-202
Critical loads of nitrogen (N) from atmospheric deposition were determined for alpine lake ecosystems in the western US using fossil diatom assemblages in lake sediment cores. Changes in diatom species over the last century were indicative of N enrichment in two areas, the eastern Sierra Nevada, starting between 1960 and...
Growth rates of rainbow smelt in Lake Champlain: Effects of density and diet
Thomson J.L. Stritzel, D.L. Parrish, S. L. Parker-Stetter, L. G. Rudstam, P.J. Sullivan
2011, Ecology of Freshwater Fish (20) 503-512
We estimated the densities of rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) using hydroacoustics and obtained specimens for diet analysis and groundtruthed acoustics data from mid‐water trawl sampling in four areas of Lake Champlain, USA–Canada. Densities of rainbow smelt cohorts alternated during the 2‐year study; age‐0 rainbow smelt were very abundant in 2001...
Diet and gut morphology of male mallards during winter in North Dakota
R.E. Olsen, R. R. Cox Jr., A. D. Afton, C.D. Ankney
2011, Waterbirds (34) 59-69
A free-ranging Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) population was investigated during winter (December-January 1996-1999) below the Garrison Dam, North Dakota, USA, to relate diet to gut morphology variation in males. Four explanatory variables (fish consumption, male age, winter, and body size) were evaluated as to whether they influenced five response variables associated...
Links between type E botulism outbreaks, lake levels, and surface water temperatures in Lake Michigan, 1963-2008
Brenda Moraska Lafrancois, Stephen C. Riley, David S. Blehert, Anne E. Ballmann
2011, Journal of Great Lakes Research (37) 86-91
Relationships between large-scale environmental factors and the incidence of type E avian botulism outbreaks in Lake Michigan were examined from 1963 to 2008. Avian botulism outbreaks most frequently occurred in years with low mean annual water levels, and lake levels were significantly lower in outbreak years than in non-outbreak years....
Watershed morphology of highland and mountain ecoregions in eastern Oklahoma
D. K. Splinter, Daniel C. Dauwalter, R. A. Marston, William Fisher
2011, Professional Geographer (63) 131-143
The fluvial system represents a nested hierarchy that reflects the relationship among different spatial and temporal scales. Within the hierarchy, larger scale variables influence the characteristics of the next lower nested scale. Ecoregions represent one of the largest scales in the fluvial hierarchy and are defined by recurring patterns of...
Predominant bacteria isolated from moribund Fusconaia ebena ebonyshells experiencing die-offs in Pickwick Reservoir, Tennessee River, Alabama
C. E. Starliper, J. Powell, J.T. Garner, W. B. Schill
2011, Journal of Shellfish Research (30) 359-366
Mussel die-offs have been noted in recent years in Pickwick Reservoir, Tennessee River, Alabama. The primary affected species was Fusconaia ebena, but also affected to lesser degrees were Ellipsaria lineolata, Quadrula pustulosa, and Quadrula quadrula. These events were characterized by large numbers of empty shells—fresh-dead and live individuals that were...
Short-term sandbar variability based on video imagery: Comparison between Time-Average and Time-Variance techniques
R.M.C. Guedes, L.J. Calliari, K. T. Holland, N.G. Plant, P.S. Pereira, F.N.A. Alves
2011, Marine Geology (289) 122-134
Time–exposure intensity (averaged) images are commonly used to locate the nearshore sandbar position (xb), based on the cross-shore locations of maximum pixel intensity (xi) of the bright bands in the images. It is not known, however, how the breaking patterns seen in Variance images (i.e. those created through standard deviation of pixel intensity...
Large shift in source of fine sediment in the upper Mississippi River
P. Belmont, K.B. Gran, S.P. Schottler, P.R. Wilcock, S.S. Day, C. Jennings, J.W. Lauer, E. Viparelli, J.K. Willenbring, D.R. Engstrom, G. Parker
2011, Environmental Science & Technology (45) 8804-8810
Although sediment is a natural constituent of rivers, excess loading to rivers and streams is a leading cause of impairment and biodiversity loss. Remedial actions require identification of the sources and mechanisms of sediment supply. This task is complicated by the scale and complexity of large watersheds as well as...
Water- and sediment-quality effects on Pimephales promelas spawning vary along an agriculture-to-urban land-use gradient
S.R. Corsi, R.D. Klaper, D.N. Weber, R.T. Bannerman
2011, Science of the Total Environment (409) 4847-4857
Many streams in the U.S. are “impaired” due to anthropogenic influence. For watershed managers to achieve practical understanding of these impairments, a multitude of factors must be considered, including point and nonpoint-source influence on water quality. A spawning assay was developed in this study to evaluate water- and sediment-quality effects...
Native and European haplotypes of Phragmites Australis (common reed) in the central Platte River, Nebraska
D.L. Larson, S.M. Galatowitsch, J.L. Larson
2011, Great Plains Research (21) 175-180
Phragmites australis (common reed) is known to have occurred along the Platte River historically, but recent rapid increases in both distribution and density have begun to impact habitat for migrating sandhill cranes and nesting piping plovers and least terns. Invasiveness in Phragmites has been associated with the incursion of a...
Source and Delivery of Nutrients to Receiving Waters in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic Regions of the United States
R. B. Moore, C. M. Johnston, R. A. Smith, B. Milstead
2011, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (47) 965-990
This study investigates nutrient sources and transport to receiving waters, in order to provide spatially detailed information to aid water‐resources managers concerned with eutrophication and nutrient management strategies. SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) nutrient models were developed for the Northeastern and Mid‐Atlantic (NE US) regions of the United...
Development of an aquatic pathogen database (AquaPathogen X) and its utilization in tracking emerging fish virus pathogens in North America
E.J. Emmenegger, E. Kentop, T.M. Thompson, S. Pittam, A. Ryan, D. Keon, J.A. Carlino, J. Ranson, R.B. Life, R.M. Troyer, K.A. Garver, Gael Kurath
2011, Journal of Fish Diseases (34) 579-587
The AquaPathogen X database is a template for recording information on individual isolates of aquatic pathogens and is freely available for download (http://wfrc.usgs.gov). This database can accommodate the nucleotide sequence data generated in molecular epidemiological studies along with the myriad of abiotic and biotic traits associated with isolates of various...
Environmental controls of wood entrapment in upper Midwestern streams
Eric C. Merten, Jacques Finlay, Lucinda Johnson, Raymond Newman, Heinz Stefan, Bruce C. Vondracek
2011, Hydrological Processes (25) 593-602
Wood deposited in streams provides a wide variety of ecosystem functions, including enhancing habitat for key species in stream food webs, increasing geomorphic and hydraulic heterogeneity and retaining organic matter. Given the strong role that wood plays in streams, factors that influence wood inputs, retention and transport are critical to...
Fish community and bioassessment responses to stream network position
N.P. Hitt, P. L. Angermeier
2011, Journal of the North American Benthological Society (30) 296-309
If organisms move beyond the boundaries of local sampling units, regional metacommunity dynamics could undermine the ability of bioassessment studies to characterize local environmental quality. We tested the prediction that fish dispersal influences local fish community structure and bioassessment metrics as a function of site position within stream networks. We...
Recent advances in the hydrostratigraphy of paleozoic bedrock in the midwestern united states
K. R. Bradbury, Anthony C. Runkel
2011, Conference Paper, GSA Today
Recent hydrostratigraphic researches have made it possible to acquire knowledge about the relatively undeformed Paleozoic bedrock that forms the most widely used aquifers in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Ongoing evaluation of the Cambrian Eau Claire Formation in southern Wisconsin has caused the formation to be considered a major regional aquitard. Subsurface...
Storage as a Metric of Catchment Comparison
J. P. McNamara, D. Tetzlaff, K. Bishop, C. Soulsby, M. Seyfried, N.E. Peters, Brent T. Aulenbach, R. Hooper
2011, Hydrological Processes (25) 3364-3371
The volume of water stored within a catchment, and its partitioning among groundwater, soil moisture, snowpack, vegetation, and surface water are the variables that ultimately characterize the state of the hydrologic system. Accordingly, storage may provide useful metrics for catchment comparison. Unfortunately, measuring and predicting the amount of water present...
