Degradation of 100‐m‐scale rocky ejecta craters at the InSight Landing Site on Mars and implications for surface processes and erosion rates in the hesperian and amazonian
J. Sweeney, N. H Warner, V. Ganti, Matthew P. Golombek, M. P. Lamb, Robin L. Fergason, Randolph L. Kirk
2018, Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets (123) 2732-2759
Rocky ejecta craters (RECs) at the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) landing site on Elysium Planitia, Mars, provide constraints on crater modification and rates for the Hesperian and Amazonian. The RECs are between 10 m and 1.2 km in diameter and exhibit five classes...
Inhibition of grain boundary sliding creep in fine-grained ice by inter-granular particles: Implications for planetary ice masses
Chao Qi, Laura A. Stern, Asmin Pathare, William B. Durham, David L. Goldsby
2018, Geophysical Research Letters (45) 12757-12765
Ice in both terrestrial and planetary settings often contains rock particles. Here we present an experimental investigation of the influence of intergranular particles on the rheological behavior of ice. Experiments were performed on samples fabricated from 10‐μm ice powders +1‐μm graphite or 0.8‐μm alumina particles and subjected...
Calibration of regional hydraulic and transport properties of an arid-region aquifer under modern and paleorecharge conditions using water levels and environmental tracers
Thomas Muller, Ward E. Sanford
2018, Hydrogeology Journal (27) 685-701
A two-dimensional numerical groundwater flow model was established and calibrated for the hyperarid Najd region in southern Oman. The results indicate that recent recharge rates are required to sustain the observed groundwater heads in the Najd. The model was also used to estimate possible ranges of...
Do we know how much fluvial sediment reaches the sea? Decreased river monitoring of U.S. coastal rivers
Jonathan A. Warrick, John D. Milliman
2018, Hydrological Processes (32) 3561-3567
Given the present and future changing climate and human changes to land use and river control, river sediment fluxes to coastal systems are changing and will continue to change in the future. To delineate these changes and their effects, it is increasingly important to document the fluxes of river-borne...
Effect of heat and singeing on stable hydrogen isotope ratios of bird feathers and implications for their use in determining geographic origin
Hannah B. Vander Zanden, Abigail Reid, Todd E. Katzner, David M. Nelson
2018, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry (32) 1859-1866
RationaleStable hydrogen isotope (δ2H) ratios of animal tissues are useful for assessing movement and geographic origin of mobile organisms. However, it is uncertain whether heat and singeing affects feather δ2H values and thus subsequent geographic assignments. This is relevant for birds of conservation interest that are burned...
Unmanned aerial systems capabilities of the U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Sandra Brosnahan, Christopher R. Sherwood
2018, Fact Sheet 2018-3061
Unmanned aerial system (UAS) technology provides a rapid and low-cost solution for mapping coastal environments and assessing short- and long-term changes. The interdisciplinary nature of the data collected and the breadth of applications make UAS technology applicable to multiple scientific investigations. The Aerial Imaging and Mapping (AIM) group at the...
Flood frequency of rural streams in Mississippi, 2013
Brandon T. Anderson
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5148
To improve flood-frequency estimates at rural streams in Mississippi, annual exceedance probability flows at gaged streams and regional regression equations used to estimate annual exceedance probability flows for ungaged streams were developed by using current geospatial data, new analytical methods, and annual peak-flow data through the 2013 water year. The...
Filtering of periodic infiltration in a layered vadose zone: 2. Applications and a freeware screening tool
Jesse E. Dickinson, T. P. A Ferre
2018, Vadose Zone Journal (17) 1-12
We have developed a screening tool to visualize and conceptualize the filtering properties of a layered vadose zone. Climate projections indicate that rainfall timing and magnitude may change and impact groundwater resources. This increases the importance of understanding how the vadose zone filters infiltration variability and ultimately affects recharge and...
Filtering of cyclic period infiltration in a layered vadose zone: 1. Approximation of damping and time lags
Jesse E. Dickinson, T. P. A Ferre
2018, Vadose Zone Journal (17) 1-16
Core IdeasWe describe an approximation for filtering of periodic infiltration in layered soil.Transitions in soil‐water properties between soil layers affect the filtering.Errors are smaller in soils where changes in soil‐water properties are small.Infiltration and downward percolation of water in the vadose zone are important processes...
New England and northern New York forest ecosystem vulnerability assessment and synthesis: A report from the New England Climate Change Response Framework project
M.K. Janowiak, A D’Amato, C.W. Swanston, Louis R. Iverson, Frank R. Thompson, William D. Dijak, Stephen Matthews, Matthew P. Peters, Anantha Prasad, Jacob S. Fraser, Leslie A. Brandt, Patricia R. Butler-Leopold, Stephen D. Handler, P. Danielle Shannon, Diane Burbank, John Campbell, Charles Cogbill, Matthew J. Duveneck, Marla R. Emery, Nicholas Fisichelli, Jane Foster, Jennifer Hushaw, Laura Kenefic, Amanda Mahaffey, Toni Lyn Morelli, Nicholas Reo, Paul G. Schaberg, K. Rogers Simmons, Aaron Weiskittel, Sandy Wilmot, David Hollinger, Erin Lane, Lindsey Rustad, Pamela H. Templar
2018, General Technical Report NRS-173
Forest ecosystems will face direct and indirect impacts from a changing climate over the 21st century. This assessment evaluates the vulnerability of forest ecosystems across the New England region (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, northern New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont) under a range of future climates. We synthesized and...
Shared habitat use by juveniles of three sea turtle species
Margaret M. Lamont, Autumn R. Iverson
2018, Marine Ecology Progress Series (606) 187-200
The first step in understanding how sympatric species share habitat is defining spatial boundaries. While home range data for juvenile sea turtles exists, few studies have examined spatial overlap of multiple species in foraging habitat. Using satellite tracking technology, we define home ranges for juveniles of 3 sea turtle species...
Fire and tree death: Understanding and improving modeling of fire-induced tree mortality
Sharon M. Hood, J. Morgan Varner, Phillip J. van Mantgem, C. Alina Cansler
2018, Environmental Research Letters (13)
Each year wildland fires kill and injure trees on millions of forested hectares globally, affecting plant and animal biodiversity, carbon storage, hydrologic processes, and ecosystem services. The underlying mechanisms of fire-caused tree mortality remain poorly understood, however, limiting the ability to accurately predict mortality and develop robust...
Overview and progress of the pallid sturgeon assessment framework redesign process
Michael E. Colvin, Sara Reynolds, Robert B. Jacobson, Landon L. Pierce, Kirk D. Steffensen, Timothy L. Welker
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1166
The Pallid Sturgeon Population Assessment Program (PSPAP) was initiated in 2003, and full implementation began in 2006, to monitor the trend of Scaphirhynchus albus (pallid sturgeon) and native fish communities in the Upper and Lower Missouri River Basins. The original PSPAP (v. 1.0) was a catch-effort based monitoring program where...
Two-event lode-ore deposition at Butte, USA: 40Ar/39Ar and U-Pb documentation of Ag-Au-polymetallic lodes overprinted by younger stockwork Cu-Mo ores and penecontemporaneous Cu lodes
Karen Lund, Ryan J. McAleer, John N. Aleinikoff, Michael A. Cosca, Michael J. Kunk
2018, Ore Geology Reviews (102) 666-700
The ore-genesis model for world-class deposits of the Butte mining district, Montana, USA, is deep pre-Main Stage porphyry Cu-Mo and overlying Main Stage Ag-Zn-Cu zoned-lode deposits, both of which formed from hydrothermal fluids driven by minor volumes of rhyolitic magma. The lode-specific model is that hydrothermal processes diminished in...
Multi-scale effects of land cover and urbanization on the habitat suitability of an endangered toad
Michael L. Treglia, Adam C Landon, Robert N. Fisher, Gerard Kyle, Lee A. Fitzgerald
2018, Biological Conservation (228) 310-318
Habitat degradation, entwined with land cover change, is a major driver of biodiversity loss. Effects of land cover change on species can be direct (when habitat is converted to alternative land cover types) or indirect (when land outside of the species habitat is altered). Hydrologic and ecological connections between terrestrial and aquatic...
Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) activity areas are little changed after wind turbine-induced fires in California
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Mickey Agha, Joshua R. Ennen, Terence R. Arundel, Meaghan Austin
2018, International Journal of Wildland Fire (27) 851-856
Wind turbine-induced fires at a wind energy facility in California, USA, provided an opportunity to study the before and after effects of fire on a population of protected Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) in the Sonoran Desert, a species and ecosystem poorly adapted to fire. We compared annual activity areas...
Monitoring framework for evaluating hydrogeomorphic and vegetation responses to environmental flows in the Middle Fork Willamette, McKenzie, and Santiam River Basins, Oregon
J. Rose Wallick, Leslie B. Bach, Mackenzie K. Keith, Melissa Olson, Joseph F. Mangano, Krista L. Jones
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1157
This report summarizes a framework for monitoring hydrogeomorphic and vegetation responses to environmental flows in support of the Willamette Sustainable Rivers Program (SRP). The SRP is a partnership between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to provide ecologically sustainable flows downstream of dams while still...
Hearing capabilities and behavioural response of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) to low frequency sounds
Megan Mickle, Scott M. Miehls, Nicholas S. Johnson, Dennis M. Higgs
2018, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (76)
Hearing ability is well studied across teleost fishes in general, and vertebrates more broadly, but little is known about sound detection abilities of lampreys (Petromyzontiformes), a basal extant vertebrate group. The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is a destructive invader of the Laurentian Great Lakes, while numerous lamprey species (including the...
Deep aquifer recharge in the Columbia River Basalt Group, upper Umatilla River Basin, northeastern Oregon
Esther M. Pischel, Henry M. Johnson, Stephen B. Gingerich
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5110
Groundwater is an important component of the water resources of the upper Umatilla River Basin of northeastern Oregon. As such, understanding the capacity of the resource is vital. Past studies have estimated recharge in the study area. One recent study of the upper Umatilla River Basin indicated that about...
Integrated population modeling provides the first empirical estimates of vital rates and abundance for polar bears in the Chukchi Sea
Eric V. Regehr, Nathan J. Hostetter, Ryan H. Wilson, Karyn D. Rode, Michelle St. Martin, Sarah J. Converse
2018, Scientific Reports (8)
Large carnivores are imperiled globally, and characteristics making them vulnerable to extinction (e.g., low densities and expansive ranges) also make it difficult to estimate demographic parameters needed for management. Here we develop an integrated population model to analyze capture-recapture, radiotelemetry, and count data for the Chukchi Sea subpopulation of polar...
Uncertainty in United States coastal wetland greenhouse gas inventorying
James Holmquist, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Blanca Bernal, Kristin B. Byrd, Steve Crooks, Meagan Gonneea Eagle, Nathan Herold, Sara Knox, Kevin D. Kroeger, John McCombs, J. Patrick Megonigal, Lu Meng, James Morris, Ariana Sutton-Grier, Tiffany Troxler, Donald Weller
2018, Environmental Research Letters (13)
Coastal wetlands store carbon dioxide (CO2) and emit CO2 and methane (CH4) making them an important part of greenhouse gas (GHG) inventorying. In the contiguous United States (CONUS), a coastal wetland inventory was recently calculated by combining maps of wetland type and change with soil, biomass, and CH4 flux data from a...
The role of a non-native tree in riparian vegetation expansion and channel narrowing along a dryland river
Michael L. Scott, Lindsay V. Reynolds, Patrick B. Shafroth, John R. Spencer
2018, Ecohydrology (11) e1988
Along rivers, native and invasive species may establish and persist on active channel bedforms as part of channel narrowing. Using historical aerial photography and dendrochronology, we quantified spatial and temporal patterns of narrowing and vegetation expansion, including native Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii) and non‐native Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), along the largely unregulated Escalante River in...
Evaluation of chronic toxicity of sodium chloride or potassium chloride to a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) in water exposures using standard and refined toxicity testing methods
Ning Wang, James L. Kunz, Rebecca A. Dorman, Christopher G. Ingersoll, Jeffery A. Steevens, Edward J. Hammer, Candice R. Bauer
2018, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (37) 3050-3062
Freshwater mussels are generally underrepresented in toxicity databases used to derive water quality criteria, especially for long‐term exposures. Multiple tests were conducted to determine the chronic toxicity of sodium chloride (NaCl) or potassium chloride (KCl) to a unionid mussel (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea). Initially, a 4‐wk NaCl test...
Land-cover changes associated with oil and natural-gas production and concentrations of selected constituents in surface-water and streambed-sediment samples collected upstream from and within an area of oil and natural-gas production, south Texas, 2008–17
Cassi L. Crow, Stephen P. Opsahl, Diana E. Pedraza, Emily C. Pease, Ross K. Kushnereit
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5119
The extensive development of oil and natural-gas resources in south Texas during the past 10 years has led to questions regarding possible environmental effects of processes associated with oil and natural-gas production, in particular the process of hydraulic fracturing, on water and other natural resources. Part of the lower San...
Assessing cropland area in west Africa for agricultural yield analysis
K. Samasse, N.P. Hanan, G. Gray Tappan, Y. Diallo
2018, Remote Sensing (10)
Accurate estimates of cultivated area and crop yield are critical to our understanding of agricultural production and food security, particularly for semi-arid regions like the Sahel of West Africa, where crop production is mainly rain-fed and food security is closely correlated with the inter-annual variations in rainfall. Several global...
