Quantifying sub-pixel urban impervious surface through fusion of optical and inSAR imagery
L. Yang, L. Jiang, H. Lin, M. Liao
2009, GIScience and Remote Sensing (46) 161-171
In this study, we explored the potential to improve urban impervious surface modeling and mapping with the synergistic use of optical and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) imagery. We used a Classification and Regression Tree (CART)-based approach to test the feasibility and accuracy of quantifying Impervious Surface Percentage (ISP) using...
Effect of species rarity on the accuracy of species distribution models for reptiles and amphibians in southern California
J. Franklin, K.E. Wejnert, S.A. Hathaway, C.J. Rochester, Robert N. Fisher
2009, Diversity and Distributions (15) 167-177
Aim: Several studies have found that more accurate predictive models of species' occurrences can be developed for rarer species; however, one recent study found the relationship between range size and model performance to be an artefact of sample prevalence, that is, the proportion of presence versus absence observations in the...
Using U.S. Geological Survey data in material flow analysis: An introduction
S.F. Sibley
2009, Journal of Industrial Ecology (13) 670-673
A few sources of basic data on worldwide raw materials production and consumption exist that are independently developed and freely available to the public. This column is an introduction to the types of information available from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and explains how the data are assembled. The kind...
Migration patterns and wintering range of common loons breeding in the Northeastern United States
K.P. Kenow, D. Adams, N. Schoch, D.C. Evers, W. Hanson, D. Yates, L. Savoy, T.J. Fox, A. Major, R. Kratt, J. Ozard
2009, Waterbirds (32) 234-247
A study, using satellite telemetry, was conducted to determine the precise migration patterns and wintering locations of Common Loons (Gavia immer) breeding in the northeastern United States. Transmitters were implanted in 17 loons (16 adults and one juvenile) that were captured on breeding lakes in New York, New Hampshire, and...
Territoriality of feral pigs in a highly persecuted population on Fort Benning, Georgia
B.D. Sparklin, M.S. Mitchell, L.B. Hanson, D.B. Jolley, S.S. Ditchkoff
2009, Journal of Wildlife Management (73) 497-502
We examined home range behavior of female feral pigs (Sus scrofa) in a heavily hunted population on Fort Benning Military Reservation in west-central Georgia, USA. We used Global Positioning System location data from 24 individuals representing 18 sounders (i.e., F social groups) combined with markrecapture and camera-trap data to evaluate...
Hierarchical demographic approaches for assessing invasion dynamics of non-indigenous species: An example using northern snakehead (Channa argus)
Y. Jiao, N.W.R. Lapointe, P. L. Angermeier, B.R. Murphy
2009, Ecological Modelling (220) 1681-1689
Models of species' demographic features are commonly used to understand population dynamics and inform management tactics. Hierarchical demographic models are ideal for the assessment of non-indigenous species because our knowledge of non-indigenous populations is usually limited, data on demographic traits often come from a species' native range, these traits vary...
Scrub-shrub bird habitat associations at multiple spatial scales in beaver meadows in Massachusetts
R.B. Chandler, D.I. King, S. DeStefano
2009, The Auk (126) 186-197
Most scrub-shrub bird species are declining in the northeastern United States, and these declines are largely attributed to regional declines in habitat availability. American Beaver (Castor canadensis; hereafter “beaver”) populations have been increasing in the Northeast in recent decades, and beavers create scrub-shrub habitat through their dam-building and foraging activities....
Habitat-specific breeder survival of Florida Scrub-Jays: Inferences from multistate models
D.R. Breininger, J.D. Nichols, G.M. Carter, D.M. Oddy
2009, Ecology (90) 3180-3189
Quantifying habitat-specific survival and changes in habitat quality within disturbance-prone habitats is critical for understanding population dynamics and variation in fitness, and for managing degraded ecosystems. We used 18 years of color-banding data and multistate capture-recapture models to test whether habitat quality within territories influences survival and detection probability of...
Analysis of dynamic thresholds for the normalized difference water index
Lei Ji, Li Zhang, Bruce K. Wylie
2009, Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (75) 1307-1317
The normalized difference water index (NDWI) has been successfully used to delineate surface water features. However, two major problems have been often encountered: (a) NDWIs calculated from different band combinations [visible, nearinfrared, or shortwave-infrared (SWIR)] can generate different results, and (b) NDWI thresholds vary depending on the proportions of subpixel...
Cataloging the 1811-1812 New Madrid, central U.S., earthquake sequence
S. E. Hough
2009, Seismological Research Letters (80) 1045-1053
The three principal New Madrid, central U.S., mainshocks of 1811-1812 were followed by extensive aftershock sequences that included numerous felt events. Although no instrumental data are available for the sequence, historical accounts provide information that can be used to estimate magnitudes and locations for the large aftershocks as well as...
A combined telemetry - tag return approach to estimate fishing and natural mortality rates of an estuarine fish
N.M. Bacheler, J.A. Buckel, J.E. Hightower, L.M. Paramore, K. H. Pollock
2009, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (66) 1230-1244
A joint analysis of tag return and telemetry data should improve estimates of mortality rates for exploited fishes; however, the combined approach has thus far only been tested in terrestrial systems. We tagged subadult red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) with conventional tags and ultrasonic transmitters over 3 years in coastal North...
Unraveling the stratigraphy of the Oriskany Sandstone: A necessity in assessing its site-specific carbon sequestration potential
J. Kostelnik, K.M. Carter
2009, Environmental Geosciences (16) 187-200
The widespread distribution, favorable reservoir characteristics, and depth make the Lower Devonian Oriskany Sandstone a viable sequestration target in the Appalachian Basin. The Oriskany Sandstone is thickest in the structurally complex Ridge and Valley Province, thins toward the northern and western basin margins, and is even absent in other parts...
Integration of MODIS-derived metrics to assess interannual variability in snowpack, lake ice, and NDVI in southwest Alaska
Bradley C. Reed, Michael E. Budde, Page Spencer, Amy E. Miller
2009, Remote Sensing of Environment (113) 1443-1452
Impacts of global climate change are expected to result in greater variation in the seasonality of snowpack, lake ice, and vegetation dynamics in southwest Alaska. All have wide-reaching physical and biological ecosystem effects in the region. We used Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) calibrated radiance, snow cover extent, and vegetation...
Regional variations in water quality and relationships to soil and bedrock weathering in the southern Sacramento Valley, California, USA
R. B. Wanty, M. B. Goldhaber, J.M. Morrison, L. Lee
2009, Applied Geochemistry (24) 1512-1523
Regional patterns in ground- and surface-water chemistry of the southern Sacramento Valley in California were evaluated using publicly available geochemical data from the US Geological Survey's National Water Information System (NWIS). Within the boundaries of the study area, more than 2300 ground-water analyses and more than 20,000 surface-water analyses were...
Database for earthquake strong motion studies in Italy
G. Scasserra, J.P. Stewart, R. E. Kayen, G. Lanzo
2009, Journal of Earthquake Engineering (13) 852-881
We describe an Italian database of strong ground motion recordings and databanks delineating conditions at the instrument sites and characteristics of the seismic sources. The strong motion database consists of 247 corrected recordings from 89 earthquakes and 101 recording stations. Uncorrected recordings were drawn from public web sites and processed...
The postseismic response to the 2002 M 7.9 Denali Fault earthquake: Constraints from InSAR 2003-2005
J. Biggs, R. Burgmann, J.T. Freymueller, Z. Lu, B. Parsons, I. Ryder, G. Schmalzle, Tim Wright
2009, Geophysical Journal International (176) 353-367
InSAR is particularly sensitive to vertical displacements, which can be important in distinguishing between mechanisms responsible for the postseismic response to large earthquakes (afterslip, viscoelastic relaxation). We produce maps of the surface displacements resulting from the postseismic response to the 2002 Denali Fault earthquake, using data from the Canadian Radarsat-1...
A simplified water temperature model for the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam
S.A. Wright, C.R. Anderson, N. Voichick
2009, River Research and Applications (25) 675-686
Glen Canyon Dam, located on the Colorado River in northern Arizona, has affected the physical, biological and cultural resources of the river downstream in Grand Canyon. One of the impacts to the downstream physical environment that has important implications for the aquatic ecosystem is the transformation of the thermal regime...
Geomorphology, stability and mobility of the Currituck slide
J. Locat, H. Lee, Uri S. ten Brink, D. Twichell, E. Geist, M. Sansoucy
2009, Marine Geology (264) 28-40
Over the last 100,000??years, the U.S. Atlantic continental margin has experienced various types of mass movements some of which are believed to have taken place at times of low sea level. At one of these times of low sea level a significant trigger caused a major submarine mass movement off...
Revised Dst and the epicycles of magnetic disturbance: 1958-2007
J.J. Love, J.L. Gannon
2009, Annales Geophysicae (27) 3101-3131
A revised version of the storm-time disturbance index Dst is calculated using hourly-mean magnetic-observatory data from four standard observatories and collected over the years 1958-2007. The calculation algorithm is a revision of that established by Sugiura et al., and which is now used by the Kyoto World Data Center for...
A serological survey of infectious disease in Yellowstone National Park's canid community
E.S. Almberg, L.D. Mech, D.W. Smith, J.W. Sheldon, R.L. Crabtree
2009, PLoS ONE (4)
Background: Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park (YNP) after a >70 year absence, and as part of recovery efforts, the population has been closely monitored. In 1999 and 2005, pup survival was significantly reduced, suggestive of disease outbreaks. Methodology/Principal Findings: We analyzed sympatric wolf, coyote (Canis...
Seasonal shifts in shelter and microhabitat use of drymarchon couperi (eastern indigo snake) in Georgia
N.L. Hyslop, R.J. Cooper, J.M. Meyers
2009, Copeia (2009) 458-464
Drymarchon couperi (Eastern Indigo Snake), a threatened species of the southeastern Coastal Plain of the United States, has experienced population declines because of extensive habitat loss and degradation across its range. In Georgia and northern Florida, the species is associated with longleaf pine habitats that support Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise)...
Red-throated loons (Gavia stellata) breeding in Alaska, USA, are exposed to PCBs while on their Asian wintering grounds
Joel A. Schmutz, K.A. Trust, A.C. Matz
2009, Environmental Pollution (157) 2386-2393
Red-throated loons (Gavia stellata) breeding in Alaska declined 53% during 1977-1993. We compare concentrations of environmental contaminants in red-throated loons among four nesting areas in Alaska and discuss potential ramifications of exposure on reproductive success and population trends. Eggs from the four areas had similar total polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations,...
Constraining earthquake source inversions with GPS data: 2. A two-step approach to combine seismic and geodetic data sets
S. Custodio, M.T. Page, R.J. Archuleta
2009, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (114)
We present a new method to combine static and wavefield data to image earthquake ruptures. Our combined inversion is a two-step procedure, following the work of Hernandez et al. (1999), and takes into account the differences between the resolutions of the two data sets. The first step consists of an...
Historical fire and multidecadal drought as context for piñon - Juniper woodland restoration in western Colorado
Douglas J. Shinneman, William L. Baker
2009, Ecological Applications (19) 1231-1245
Fire is known to structure tree populations, but the role of broad-scale climate variability is less clear. For example, the influence of climatic “teleconnections” (the relationship between oceanic–atmospheric fluctuations and anomalous weather patterns across broad scales) on forest age structure is relatively unexplored. We sampled semiarid piñon–juniper (Pinus edulis–Juniperus osteosperma)...
Recognizing former flood-tide deltas in the Holocene stratigraphic record from the Outer Banks, North Carolina, USA
Christopher G. Smith, S.J. Culver, D. J. Mallinson, S.R. Riggs, D.R. Corbett
2009, Stratigraphy (6) 61-78
Foraminiferal and sedimentologic data were collected by vibracoring a small, relict, short-lived, migrating inlet (New Inlet) and its flood-tide delta on the Outer Banks, North Carolina. These data, placed in the context of geospatial data derived from ground penetrating radar, were developed into a stratigraphic model for this sedimentary environment....
