Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the South Florida basin, 2016
Tina L. Roberts-Ashby, Paul C. Hackley, Celeste D. Lohr, Christopher J. Schenk, Tracey J. Mercier, Katherine J. Whidden, Phuong A. Le, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Cheryl A. Woodall, Michael E. Brownfield, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Kristen R. Marra, Thomas M. Finn
2019, Fact Sheet 2018-3074
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable resources of 49 million barrels of oil and 18 billion cubic feet of gas in the onshore and State waters part of the South Florida basin....
Seasonal distribution of Dall's porpoise in Prince William Sound, Alaska
J.R. Moran, M.B. O’Dell, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Jan M Straley, D.M.S. Dickson
2019, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography (147) 164-172
Dall's porpoise, Phocoenoides dalli, are a conspicuous predator in the Prince William Sound ecosystem, yet there has been little effort directed towards monitoring this species since the 1980s, prior to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. We used vessel-based surveys to examine the seasonal distribution of Dall's porpoise in the waters...
Landscape genetics reveal broad and fine‐scale population structure due to landscape features and climate history in the northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) in North Dakota
Justin M. Waraniak, Justin D. L. Fisher, Kevin Purcell, David M. Mushet, Craig A. Stockwell
2019, Ecology and Evolution (9) 1041-1060
Prehistoric climate and landscape features play large roles structuring wildlife populations. The amphibians of the northern Great Plains of North America present an opportunity to investigate how these factors affect colonization, migration, and current population genetic structure. This study used 11 microsatellite loci to genotype 1,230 northern leopard frogs (Rana...
Allowable take of black vultures in the eastern United States
Guthrie S. Zimmerman, Brian A. Millsap, Michael L. Avery, John R. Sauer, Michael C. Runge, Kenneth D. Richkus
2019, Journal of Wildlife Management (83) 272-282
Black vultures (Coragyps atratus) have been increasing in density and expanding their range in the eastern United States since at least the 1960s. In many areas, their densities have increased to the level where they are causing damage to property and livestock and the number of requests for allowable take...
The 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of Kilauea Volcano
Christina A. Neal, Steven Brantley, Loren Antolik, Janet Babb, Matthew K. Burgess, Michael Cappos, Jefferson Chang, Sarah Conway, Liliana G. Desmither, Peter Dotray, Tamar Elias, Pauline Fukunaga, Steven Fuke, Ingrid A. Johanson, Kevan Kamibayashi, James P. Kauahikaua, R. Lopaka Lee, S. Pekalib, Asta Miklius, Brian Shiro, Don Swanson, Patricia A. Nadeau, Michael H. Zoeller, P. Okubo, Carolyn Parcheta, Matthew R. Patrick, William Tollett, Frank A. Trusdell, Edward F. Younger, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, Kyle R. Anderson, Michael P. Poland, Jessica L. Ball, Joseph A. Bard, Michelle L. Coombs, Hannah R. Dietterich, Christoph Kern, Weston Thelen, Peter Cervelli, Tim R. Orr, Bruce F. Houghton, Cheryl Gansecki, Richard Hazlett, Paul Lundgren, Angela K. Diefenbach, Allan Lerner, Greg Waite, Peter J. Kelly, Laura E. Clor, Cynthia Werner, Katherine Mulliken, Gary B. Fisher, David Damby
2019, Science (363) 367-374
In 2018, Kīlauea Volcano experienced its largest lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption and caldera collapse in at least 200 years. After collapse of the Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent on 30 April, magma propagated downrift. Eruptive fissures opened in the LERZ on 3 May, eventually extending ~6.8 km. A...
Fire legacies in eastern ponderosa pine forests
C. P. Roberts, V. M. Donovan, C. Wonkka, L. Powell, Craig R. Allen, D. G. Angeler, D. Wedin, D. Twidwell
2019, Ecology and Evolution (9) 1869-1879
Disturbance legacies structure communities and ecological memory, but due to increasing changes in disturbance regimes, it is becoming more difficult to characterize disturbance legacies or determine how long they persist. We sought to quantify the characteristics and persistence of material legacies (e.g., biotic residuals of disturbance)...
Distribution of modern salt-marsh Foraminifera from the eastern Mississippi Sound, U.S.A.
Christian Haller, Christopher G. Smith, Pamela Hallock, Albert C. Hine, Lisa Osterman, Terrence McCloskey
2019, Journal of Foraminiferal Research (49) 29-47
This study documented surface distributions of live and dead foraminiferal assemblages in the low-gradient tidal marshes of the barrier island and estuarine complex of the eastern Mississippi Sound (Grand Bay, Pascagoula River, Fowl River, Dauphin Island). A total of 71,833 specimens representing 38 species were identified from a gradient of...
Eruption and fountaining dynamics of selected 1985–1986 high fountaining episodes at Kīlauea volcano, Hawai'i, from quantitative vesicle microtexture analysis
S. J. Holt, R. J. Carey, B. F. Houghton, Tim R. Orr, J. McPhie, S. Feig
2019, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (369) 21-34
Tephra from the early Hawaiian fountaining episodes of the ongoing eruption of Pu'u 'Ō'ō in the East Rift Zone (ERZ) of Kīlauea provides an opportunity to study the vesicle microtextures of pyroclasts erupted from a single vent over a prolonged period of time. We report the results of microtextural analysis of pyroclasts from...
Erratics and other evidence of late Wisconsin Missoula outburst floods in lower Wenatchee and Columbia valleys, Washington
Richard B. Waitt, William Long, Kelsay M. Stanton
2019, Northwest Science (92) 318-337
The Pleistocene Missoula floods through eastern and central Washington are by peak flow rate (discharge) the greatest freshwater cataclysms known on Earth. Newly explored features along the Wenatchee reach of Columbia valley give new evidence and revise earlier interpretations of size, frequency, and routing of megafloods.Crystalline-rock erratics...
Relationships between wildfire burn severity, cavity-nesting bird assemblages and habitat in an eastern ponderosa pine forest
E. C. Keele, V. M. Donovan, C. P. Roberts, S. M. Nodskov, C. L. Wonkka, Craig R. Allen, L. Powell, David A. Wedin, D. G. Angeler, D. Twidwell
2019, American Midland Naturalist (18) 1-17
Historically, eastern ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests were described as sparse patches of old-growth trees maintained by frequent, low-severity fires; however, in recent decades, there have been a number of large mixed-severity wildfires throughout the range of these forests. Wildlife responses to severe fire disturbance in eastern ponderosa pine forests...
Why strategic bird monitoring plan for the Gulf of Mexico?
R. Randy Wilson, Mark S. Woodrey, Auriel M. V. Fournier, Jeff Gleason, James E. Lyons
2019, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Research Bulletin 1228-1
No abstract available....
The planktonic foraminiferal response to the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum on the Atlantic coastal plain
Caitlin M. Livsey, Tali Babila, Marci M. Robinson, Timothy J. Bralower
2019, Marine Micropaleontology (146) 39-50
Planktonic foraminiferal assemblages in two cores from Maryland and New Jersey show evidence for significant changes in surface ocean habitats on the continental shelf during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). At both sites, significant assemblage shifts occur immediately before the onset of the event. These changes include the appearance of abundant triserial/biserial species as...
A preliminary assessment of hyperspectral remote sensing technology for mapping submerged aquatic vegetation in the Upper Delaware River National Parks
E. Terrence Slonecker, Siddiq Kalaly, John A. Young, Mary Ann Furedi, Kelly O. Maloney, Don Hamilton, Richard Evans, Elizabeth Zinecker
2019, Advances in Remote Sensing (7)
Hyperspectral remote sensing of submerged aquatic vegetation is a complex and difficult process that is affected by unique constraints on the energy flow profile near and below the water surface. In addition, shallow, winding, lotic systems, such as the Upper Delaware River, present additional remote sensing problems in the...
Characterization and occurrence of confined and unconfined aquifers in Quaternary sediments in the glaciated conterminous United States
Richard M. Yager, Leon J. Kauffman, David R. Soller, Adel E. Haj, Paul M. Heisig, Cheryl A. Buchwald, Stephen, M. Westenbroek, James E. Reddy
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5091
The glacial aquifer system, which is a collection of aquifers within Quaternary sediments in the glaciated conterminous United States, is a principal aquifer that supplies groundwater that serves about 42 million people and accounts for about 5 percent of the Nation’s drinking water. This aquifer system (the area of maximum...
Optimization of salt marsh management at the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware, through use of structured decision making
Hilary A. Neckles, James E. Lyons, Jessica L. Nagel, Susan C. Adamowicz, Toni Mikula, Susan T. Guiteras, Laura R. Mitchell
2019, Open-File Report 2018-1160
Structured decision making is a systematic, transparent process for improving the quality of complex decisions by identifying measurable management objectives and feasible management actions; predicting the potential consequences of management actions relative to the stated objectives; and selecting a course of action that maximizes the total benefit achieved and balances...
Measuring carbon and nitrogen bioassimilation, burial, and denitrification contributions of oyster reefs in Gulf coast estuaries
P. Westbrook, L. Heffner, Megan K. La Peyre
2019, Marine Biology (166)
The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) and the reefs they create provide significant ecosystem services. This study measured their possible role in nutrient mitigation through bioassimilation, burial, and oyster-mediated sediment denitrification in near-shore shallow water (< 1 m water depth) and deep-water (> 1 m water depth) oyster reefs in Louisiana. Nitrogen (N) and carbon...
Chesapeake Bay impact structure—Development of "brim" sedimentation in a multilayered marine target
Henning Dypvik, Gregory Gohn, Lucy Edwards, J. Wright Horton, Jr., David Powars, Ronald Litwin
2019, Book chapter, Chesapeake Bay impact structure—Development of brim sedimentation in a multilayered marine target
The late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact structure was formed in a multilayered target of seawater underlain sequentially by a sediment layer and a rock layer in a continental-shelf environment. Impact effects in the “brim” (annular trough) surrounding and adjacent to the transient crater, between the transient crater rim and the...
Accuracy of methods for reporting inorganic element concentrations and radioactivity in oil and gas wastewaters from the Appalachian Basin, U.S. based on an inter-laboratory comparison.
Travis L. Tasker, William D Burgos, Moses A Ajemigbitse, Nancy E. Lauer, Alen V Gusa, Maksat Kuatbek, Dustin May, Joshua D. Landis, Daniel S. Alessi, Amanda M Johnsen, James M Kaste, Kurt Headrick, Franziska DH Wilke, Mark McNeal, Mark A. Engle, Aaron M. Jubb, Radisav Vidic, Avner Vengosh, Nathaniel R. Warner
2019, Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts (21) 224-241
Accurate and precise analyses of oil and gas (O&G) wastewaters and solids (e.g., sediments and sludge) are important for the regulatory monitoring of O&G development and tracing potential O&G contamination in the environment. In this study, 15 laboratories participated in an inter-laboratory comparison on the chemical characterization of three O&G...
Decreased atmospheric nitrogen deposition in eastern North America: Predicted responses of forest ecosystems
Frank S. Gilliam, Douglas A. Burns, Charles T. Driscoll, Serita D. Frey, Gary M. Lovett, Shaun A. Watmough
2019, Environmental Pollution (244) 560-574
Historical increases in emissions and atmospheric deposition of oxidized and reduced nitrogen (N) provided the impetus for extensive, global-scale research investigating the effects of excess N in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, with several regions within the Eastern Deciduous Forest of the United States found to be susceptible to negative effects...
Behavior and survival of stocked trout in southern Appalachian Mountain streams
H.J. Flowers, Thomas J. Kwak, J.R. Fischer, W. G. Cope, J.M. Rash, D.A. Besler
2019, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (148) 3-20
Stocking of trout to support recreational fisheries is a common practice among state and federal agencies to meet angling and harvest demands. Success of stocking efforts relies upon fish behavior and survival to maximize the availability of fish to anglers. We quantitatively described the movement behavior...
Earthquake catalogs for the USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps
Charles Mueller
2019, Seismological Research Letters (90) 251-261
We describe a methodology that has been developed at the U.S. Geological Survey for making earthquake catalogs for seismic hazard analysis and review the status of the catalogs for the conterminous United States. A new catalog is assembled from several pre‐existing catalogs. Uniform moment...
Whooping Cranes past and present
John B. French Jr., Sarah J. Converse, Jane E. Austin
2019, Book chapter, Whooping Cranes: Biology and conservation
The Whooping Crane (Grus americana), endemic to North America, is the rarest of all crane species. It is believed that in the early 1800s, the Whooping Crane was widespread in North America, though it was never very abundant. Whooping Crane numbers decreased precipitously as westward migration of Euro-American settlers converted prairie to cropland and...
Evidence for shelf acidification during the onset of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum
Timothy J. Bralower, Lee R. Kump, Marci M. Robinson, Jean Self-Trail, Shelby L. Lyons, Tali Babila, Edward Ballaron, Katherine H. Freeman, Elizabeth A. Hajek, William Rush, James C. Zachos
2019, Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology (33) 1408-1426
A transect of paleoshelf cores from Maryland and New Jersey contains a ~0.19 m to 1.61 m thick interval with reduced percentages of carbonate during the onset of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). Outer paleoshelf cores are barren of nannofossils and correspond to two minor disconformities. Middle paleoshelf...
How hydrologic connectivity regulates water quality in river corridors
Judson Harvey, Jesus Gomez-Velez, Noah Schmadel, Durelle Scott, Elizabeth W. Boyer, Richard Alexander, Ken Eng, Heather E. Golden, Albert Kettner, Christopher Konrad, Richard Moore, Jim Pizzuto, Gregory E. Schwarz, Chris Soulsby, Jay Choi
2019, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (55) 369-381
Downstream flow in rivers is repeatedly delayed by hydrologic exchange with off‐channel storage zones where biogeochemical processing occurs. We present a dimensionless metric that quantifies river connectivity as the balance between downstream flow and the exchange of water with the bed, banks, and floodplains. The degree of connectivity directly influences...
Factors influencing nesting ecology of lesser prairie-chickens
Joseph M. Lautenbach, David A. Haukos, Daniel S. Sullins, Christian A. Hagen, Jonathan D. Lautenbach, James C. Pitman, Reid T. Plumb, Samantha G. Robinson, John D. Kraft
2019, Journal of Wildlife Management (83) 205-215
Lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) populations have declined since the 1980s. Understanding factors influencing nest-site selection and nest survival are important for conservation and management of lesser prairie-chicken populations. However, >75% of the extant population is in the northern extent of the range where data on breeding season ecology are lacking....
