“Asian carp” is societally and scientifically problematic. Let's replace it
Patrick Kocovsky, Duane Chapman, Song S. Qian
2018, Fisheries (43) 311-316
Bighead Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, Black Carp Mylopharyngodon piceus, Grass Carp Ctenopharyngodon idella, and Silver Carp H. molitrix are considered invasive species in North America and Europe. In North America, they are typically referred to collectively as “Asian carp”, a reference to their native range. The category “Asian carp” fails to acknowledge the cultural value and...
Procedures for using the Horiba Scientific Aqualog® fluorometer to measure absorbance and fluorescence from dissolved organic matter
Angela M. Hansen, Jacob Fleck, Tamara E. C. Kraus, Bryan D. Downing, Travis von Dessonneck, Brian A. Bergamaschi
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1096
Advances in spectroscopic techniques have led to an increase in the use of optical measurements (absorbance and fluorescence) to assess dissolved organic matter composition and infer sources and processing. Although optical measurements are easy to make, they can be affected by many variables rendering them less comparable, including by inconsistencies...
Modeling the distributions of tegu lizards in native and potential invasive ranges
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Mark Hayes, Lee A. Fitzgerald, Amy Yackel, Bryan Falk, Michelle Collier, Lea Bonewell, Page Klug, Sergio Naretto, Robert Reed
2018, Scientific Reports (8)
Invasive reptilian predators can have substantial impacts on native species and ecosystems. Tegu lizards are widely distributed in South America east of the Andes, and are popular in the international live animal trade. Two species are established in Florida (U.S.A.) - Salvator merianae (Argentine black and white tegu) and Tupinambis...
Transient coastal landscapes: Rising sea level threatens salt marshes
Ivan Valiela, Javier Lloret, Tynan Bowyer, Simon Miner, David P. Remsen, Elizabeth Elmstrom, Charlotte Cogswell, E. Robert Thieler
2018, Science of the Total Environment (640-641) 1148-1156
Salt marshes are important coastal environments that provide key ecological services. As sea level rise has accelerated globally, concerns about the ability of salt marshes to survive submergence are increasing. Previous estimates of likely survival of salt marshes were based on ratios of sea level rise to marsh platform accretion....
Defining the risk landscape in the context of pathogen pollution: Toxoplasma gondii in sea otters along the Pacific Rim
Tristan L. Burgess, M. Tim Tinker, Melissa A. Miller, James L. Bodkin, Michael J. Murray, Justin A. Saarinen, Linda M. Nichol, Shawn E. Larson, Patricia A. Conrad, Christine K. Johnson
2018, Royal Society Open Science (5)
Pathogens entering the marine environment as pollutants exhibit a spatial signature driven by their transport mechanisms. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris), a marine animal which lives much of its life within sight of land, presents a unique opportunity to understand land–sea pathogen transmission. Using a dataset on Toxoplasma gondii prevalence across sea...
Discussion of “Shallow water hydro-sediment-morphodynamic equations for fluvial processes” by Zhixian Cao, Chunchen Xia, Gareth Pender, and Qingquan Liu
Richard M. Iverson
2018, Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
The original paper concerns the formulation and use of depth-integrated equations of motion to model the dynamics of shallow flows that entrain or deposit bed material. A recurring theme of the original paper is the authors’ criticism of related theoretical results published by Iverson and Ouyang (<a class="ref...
Survival and cause-specific mortality of translocated female mule deer in southern New Mexico, USA
James W. Cain III, Jana B. Ashling, Stewart Liley
2018, Wildlife Research (45) 325-335
Context: Many mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) populations in New Mexico have failed to recover from previous population declines, while some populations near urban areas have increased, resulting in more frequent human–wildlife conflicts. Translocations were used in an effort to simultaneously reduce an urban mule deer population and augment two low-density populations...
Distinguishing Southern Africa precipitation response by strength of El Niño events and implications for decision-making
Catherine Pomposi, Chris Funk, Shraddhanand Shukla, Tamuka Magadzire
2018, Environmental Research Letters (13)
December–February precipitation in southern Africa during recent El Niño events is studied by distinguishing circulation and precipitation responses during strong and moderate-to-weak events. We find that while both strong and moderate-to-weak El Niño events tend to dry southern Africa, the pattern and magnitude of precipitation anomalies in...
To catch a quake
Elizabeth S. Cochran
2018, Nature Communications (9)
A revolution in seismic detection technology is underway, capturing unprecedented observations of earthquakes and their impacts. These sensor innovations provide real-time ground shaking observations that could improve emergency response following damaging earthquakes and may advance our understanding of the physics of earthquake ruptures....
Coastal National Elevation Database
Jeffrey J. Danielson, Sandra K. Poppenga, Dean J. Tyler, Monica Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Dean B. Gesch
2018, Fact Sheet 2018-3037
The Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project develops enhanced topographic (land elevation) and bathymetric (water depth) datasets that serve as valuable resources for coastal hazards research (Danielson and others, 2016; Thatcher and others, 2016). These datasets are used widely for mapping inundation zones from riverine flood events, hurricanes, and...
Groundwater-quality and select quality-control data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, January through December 2015, and previously unpublished data from 2013 to 2014
Terri Arnold, Laura M. Bexfield, MaryLynn Musgrove, Paul E. Stackelberg, Bruce D. Lindsey, James A. Kingsbury, Justin T. Kulongoski, Kenneth Belitz
2018, Data Series 1087
Groundwater-quality data were collected from 502 wells as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Program and are included in this report. Most of the wells (500) were sampled from January through December 2015, and 2 of them were sampled in 2013. The...
U.S. Geological Survey Community for Data Integration 2017 Workshop Proceedings
Leslie Hsu, Vivian B. Hutchison, Madison L. Langseth, Benjamin Wheeler
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1081
Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Community for Data Integration (CDI) Workshop was held May 16–19, 2017 at the Denver Federal Center. There were 183 in-person attendees and 35 virtual attendees over four days. The theme of the workshop was “Enabling Integrated Science,” with the purpose of bringing together the...
Real-time nowcasting of microbiological water quality at recreational beaches: A wavelet and artificial neural network-based hybrid modeling approach
Juan Zhang, Han Qiu, Xiaoyu Li, Jie Niu, Meredith B. Nevers, Xiaonong Hu, Mantha S. Phanikumar
2018, Environmental Science & Technology (52) 8446-8455
The number of beach closings caused by bacterial contamination has continued to rise in recent years, putting beachgoers at risk of exposure to contaminated water. Current approaches predict levels of indicator bacteria using regression models containing a number of explanatory variables. Data-based modeling approaches can supplement routine monitoring data and...
The foraminifera of Chincoteague Bay, Assateague Island, and the surrounding areas: A regional distribution study
Alisha M. Ellis, Jaimie E. Shaw, Lisa E. Osterman, Christopher G. Smith
2018, Journal of Foraminiferal Research (48) 223-240
Foraminiferal census data from Chincoteague Bay, Newport Bay, the salt marshes of Assateague Island, adjacent mainland salt marshes, and the inner-shelf, were assessed to determine the current assemblages in Chincoteague Bay, and how the different environments surrounding the bay, and the gradients within the bay, influence the microfossil distribution. Determining...
On the robustness of N‐mixture models
William A. Link, Matthew R. Schofield, Richard J. Barker, John R. Sauer
2018, Ecology (99) 1547-1551
N‐mixture models provide an appealing alternative to mark–recapture models, in that they allow for estimation of detection probability and population size from count data, without requiring that individual animals be identified. There is, however, a cost to using the N‐mixture models: inference is very sensitive to the model's assumptions. We consider...
Inferring presence of the western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) species complex using environmental DNA
Thomas W. Franklin, Joseph C. Dysthe, Michael Golden, Kevin S. McKelvey, Blake R. Hossack, Kellie J. Carim, Cynthia Tait, Michael K. Young, Michael K. Schwartz
2018, Global Ecology and Conservation (15) 1-9
Western toads (species complex comprised of Anaxyrus boreas, A. canorus, A. exsul, and A. nelsoni) are widely distributed in the western United States but are declining, particularly in the southeastern extent of their range. The subspecies A. b. boreas is listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Reliable and sensitive methods...
Duck nest depredation, predator behavior, and female response using video
Rebecca Croston, Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, Jeffrey D. Kohl, C. Alex Hartman, Sarah H. Peterson, Cory T. Overton, Cliff L. Feldheim, Michael L. Casazza
2018, Journal of Wildlife Management (82) 1014-1025
Depredation plays an important role in determining duck nest success and predator and female duck behavior during nest depredation can influence nest fate. We examined depredation of mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and gadwall (A. strepera) nests in Suisun Marsh, California, USA, in 2015–2016 with continuous infrared video monitoring to identify nest...
Alaska Volcano Observatory alert and forecasting timeliness: 1989–2017
Cheryl Cameron, Stephanie Prejean, Michelle L. Coombs, Kristi L. Wallace, John Power, Diana C. Roman
2018, Frontiers in Earth Science - Volcanology (6)
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) monitors volcanoes in Alaska and issues notifications and warnings of volcanic unrest and eruption. We evaluate the timeliness and accuracy of eruption forecasts for 53 eruptions at 20 volcanoes, beginning with Mount Redoubt's 1989–1990 eruption. Successful forecasts are defined as those where AVO issued...
Methylmercury dynamics in Upper Sacramento Valley rice fields with low background soil mercury levels
K. Christy Tanner, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Jacob Fleck, Kenneth W. Tate, Bruce A. Linquist
2018, Journal of Environmental Quality (47) 830-838
Few studies have considered how methylmercury (MeHg, a toxic form of Hg produced in anaerobic soils) production in rice (Oryza sativa L.) fields can affect water quality, and little is known about MeHg dynamics in rice fields. Surface water MeHg and total Hg (THg) imports, exports, and storage were studied in...
Projected 21st century coastal flooding in the Southern California Bight. Part 2: Tools for assessing climate change-driven coastal hazards and socio-economic impacts
Li H. Erikson, Patrick L. Barnard, Andrea C. O'Neill, Nathan J. Wood, Jeanne M. Jones, Juliette Finzi Hart, Sean Vitousek, Patrick W. Limber, Maya Hayden, Michael Fitzgibbon, Jessica Lovering, Amy C. Foxgrover
2018, Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (6) 1-19
This paper is the second of two that describes the Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) approach for quantifying physical hazards and socio-economic hazard exposure in coastal zones affected by sea-level rise and changing coastal storms. The modelling approach, presented in Part 1, downscales atmospheric global-scale projections to local scale coastal...
Female hatchling American kestrels have a larger hippocampus than males: A link with sexual size dimorphism?
Melanie F. Guigueno, Natalie Karouna-Renier, Paula F. P. Henry, Jessica A. Head, Lisa E. Peters, Vince P. Palace, Robert J. Letcher, Kimberly J. Fernie
2018, Behavioural Brain Research (349) 98-101
The brain and underlying cognition may vary adaptively according to an organism’s ecology. As with all raptor species, adult American kestrels (Falco sparverius) are sexually dimorphic with females being larger than males. Related to this sexual dimorphism, kestrels display sex differences in hunting and migration, with females ranging more widely...
Characterization of peak streamflows and flood inundation of selected areas in southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana from the August and September 2017 flood resulting from Hurricane Harvey
Kara M. Watson, Glenn R. Harwell, David S. Wallace, Toby L. Welborn, Victoria G. Stengel, Jeremy S. McDowell
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5070
Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Rockport, Texas, on August 25, 2017, as a Category 4 hurricane with wind gusts exceeding 150 miles per hour. As Harvey moved inland, the forward motion of the storm slowed down and produced tremendous rainfall amounts over southeastern Texas, with 8-day rainfall amounts exceeding 60...
Managing conflicts in the River of Grass
Stephanie S. Romanach, James M. Beerens, Larry Perez, Saira Haider, Leonard G. Pearlstine
2018, Solutions Journal (9)
Chances are, you would not pack up and move to a new home without first researching the neighborhood, reviewing your finances, and maybe investigating schools nearby. Similarly, you would not buy the first car you find on a magazine cover without first reviewing the technical specifications, exploring your options, and...
Wildlife management is science based: Myth or reality?
Daniel J. Decker, John F. Organ, Ann Forstchen, Michael V. Schiavone, Angela K. Fuller
2018, The Wildlife Professional 30-32
In the January/February issue of The Wildlife Professional, a group of wildlife leaders discussed what they considered "myths" in wildlife management and invited other wildlife professionals to contribute their favorites. Here, five wildlife professionals take up that theme with their discussions of the scientific basis of...
Turning on the faucet to a healthy coast
Beth Middleton, Paul A. Montagna
2018, Solutions Journal (9)
Coastal re-engineering and freshwater extraction have reduced water flow into the estuaries of the world. Because of these activities, stressed coastal vegetation is especially vulnerable to die-off during droughts, contributing to a loss of human services related to storm protection, fisheries and water quality. The subsequent collapse of vegetation is...
