Water-table and potentiometric-surface altitudes in the upper glacial, Magothy, and Lloyd aquifers of Long Island, New York, April–May 2016
Michael D. Como, Jason S. Finkelstein, Simonette L. Rivera, Jack Monti Jr., Ronald Busciolano
2018, Scientific Investigations Map 3398
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with State and local agencies, systematically collects groundwater data at varying measurement frequencies to monitor the hydrologic conditions on Long Island, New York. Each year during April and May, the U.S. Geological Survey completes a synoptic survey of water levels to define the spatial...
Direct channel precipitation and storm type influence short-term fallout radionuclide assessment of sediment source
Diana Karwan, James Pizzuto, Rolf Aalto, Julia Marquard, Adrian Harpold, Katherine Skalak, Adam J. Benthem, Delphia Levia, Courtney Siegert, Anthony K. Aufdenkampe
2018, Water Resources Research (54) 4579-4594
Fallout radionuclides (FRNs) and their ratios, such as Beryllium‐7 (7Be) and excess Lead‐210 (210Pbxs), have been used to determine suspended sediment source and age in catchments. These models are based on numerous assumptions, for example, that channel deposition of FRNs from precipitation is negligible in comparison to their delivery to...
Toxicity assessment of sediments collected upstream and downstream from the White Dam in Clarke County, Georgia
Peter J. Lasier
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1036
The White Dam in Clarke County, Georgia, has been proposed for breaching. Efforts to determine potential risks to downstream biota included assessments of sediment collected in the vicinity of the dam. Sediments collected from sites upstream and downstream from the dam were evaluated for toxicity in 42-day exposures using the...
Understanding the influence of nutrients on stream ecosystems in agricultural landscapes
Mark D. Munn, Jeffrey W. Frey, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Robert W. Black, John H. Duff, Kathy Lee, Terry R. Maret, Christopher A. Mebane, Ian R. Waite, Ronald B. Zelt
2018, Circular 1437
Sustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead...
Fish-habitat relationships along the estuarine gradient of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California: Implications for habitat restoration
Matthew J. Young, Frederick V. Feyrer, Denise D. Colombano, J. Louise Conrad, Andrew Sih
2018, Estuaries and Coasts (41) 2389-2409
Estuaries are highly variable environments where fish are subjected to a diverse suite of habitat features (e.g., water quality gradients, physical structure) that filter local assemblages from a broader, regional species pool. Tidal, climatological, and oceanographic phenomena drive water quality gradients and, ultimately, expose individuals to other habitat features (e.g.,...
Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen release from boreal Holocene permafrost and seasonally frozen soils of Alaska
Kimberly P. Wickland, Mark P. Waldrop, George R. Aiken, Joshua C. Koch, M. Torre Jorgenson, Robert G. Striegl
2018, Environmental Research Letters (13) 1-11
Permafrost (perennially frozen) soils store vast amounts of organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) that are vulnerable to mobilization as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic and inorganic nitrogen (DON, DIN) upon thaw. Such releases will affect the biogeochemistry of permafrost regions, yet little is known about the chemical...
Warm water temperatures and shifts in seasonality increase trout recruitment but only moderately decrease adult size in western North American tailwaters
Kimberly L. Dibble, Charles B. Yackulic, Theodore A. Kennedy
2018, Environmental Biology of Fishes (101) 1269-1283
Dams throughout western North America have altered thermal regimes in rivers, creating cold, clear “tailwaters” in which trout populations thrive. Ongoing drought in the region has led to highly publicized reductions in reservoir storage and raised concerns about potential reductions in downstream flows. Large changes in riverine thermal regimes may...
Faunal and stable isotopic analyses of benthic foraminifera from the Southeast Seep on Kimki Ridge offshore southern California, USA
Mary McGann, James E. Conrad
2018, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography (150) 92-117
We investigated the benthic foraminiferal faunal and stable carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of a 15-cm push core (NA075-092b) obtained on a Telepresence-Enabled cruise to the Southeast Seep on Kimki Ridge offshore southern California. The seep core was taken at a depth of 973 m in the vicinity of a...
Minimum energy requirements for desalination of brackish groundwater in the United States with comparison to international datasets
Yvana D. Ahdab, Gregory P. Thiel, J.K. Bohlke, Jennifer S. Stanton, John H. Lienhard
2018, Water Research (141) 387-404
This paper uses chemical and physical data from a large 2017 U.S. Geological Surveygroundwater dataset with wells in the U.S. and three smaller international groundwater datasets with wells primarily in Australia and Spain to carry out a comprehensive investigation of brackish groundwater composition in...
Agriculture — A river runs through it — The connections between agriculture and water quality
Paul D. Capel, Kathleen A. McCarthy, Richard H. Coupe, Katia M. Grey, Sheila E. Amenumey, Nancy T. Baker, Richard L. Johnson
2018, Circular 1433
Sustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead...
Storm impacts on hydrodynamics and suspended-sediment fluxes in a microtidal back-barrier estuary
Daniel J. Nowacki, Neil K. Ganju
2018, Marine Geology (404) 1-14
Recent major storms have piqued interest in understanding the responses of estuarine hydrodynamics and sediment transport to these events. To that end, flow velocity, wave characteristics, and suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) were measured for 11 months at eight locations in Chincoteague Bay, MD/VA, USA, a shallow back-barrier estuary. Daily breezes and...
Full-range, solar-reflected hyperspectral microscopy to support earth remote sensing research
E. Terrence Slonecker, David W. Allen, Ronald G. Resmini, Robert S. Rand, Emily Paine
2018, Journal of Applied Remote Sensing (12)
Over the past 20 years, hyperspectral microscopy has grown into a robust field of analysis for a number of applications. The visible to near-infrared (VNIR; 400 to 1000 nm) region of the spectrum has demonstrated utility for the characterization of healthy and diseased tissue and of biomolecular indicators at the cellular...
Columbia River Basin dreissenid mussel monitoring forum workshop
Lisa DeBruyckere, Timothy D. Counihan, Stephen Phillips
2018, Conference Paper
To address actions identified in the Department of Interior’s “Safeguarding the West” strategy, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) and US Geological Survey (USGS) convened 43 invasive species coordinators and scientific experts June 5-6, 2018 in Portland, Oregon to assess the status of dreissenid monitoring efforts in the Columbia...
Contemporary fluvial geomorphology and suspended sediment budget of the partly confined, mixed bedrock-alluvial South River, Virginia, USA
James E. Pizzuto, Michael A. O’Neal, Pramenath Narinesingh, Katherine Skalak, Dajana Jurk, Suzann Collins, Jacquelyn Calder
2018, GSA Bulletin (130) 1859-1874
We developed a conceptual model and suspended sediment budget for a 38 km reach of the fifth-order South River, Virginia, for the past 75 yr. Bedrock, terraces, and alluvial fans confine 64% of the channel’s lateral boundaries, while bedrock exposures impose vertical confinement along 37% of the channel. Bedrock exposures...
Potential impacts of projected climate change on vegetation-management strategies in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
Richard J. Camp, S. Paul Berkowitz, Kevin W. Brink, James D. Jacobi, Rhonda Loh, Jonathan Price, Lucas B. Fortini
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5012
Climate change is expected to alter the seasonal and annual patterns of rainfall and temperature in the Hawaiian Islands. Land managers and other responsible agencies will need to know how plant-species habitats will change over the next century in order to manage these resources effectively. This issue is a major...
Small values in big data: The continuing need for appropriate metadata
Craig A. Stow, Katherine E. Webster, Tyler Wagner, Noah R. Lottig, Patricia A. Soranno, YoonKyung Cha
2018, Ecological Informatics (45) 26-30
Compiling data from disparate sources to address pressing ecological issues is increasingly common. Many ecological datasets contain left-censored data – observations below an analytical detection limit. Studies from single and typically small datasets show that common approaches for handling censored data — e.g., deletion or substituting fixed values — result...
Groundwater flux estimation in streams: A thermal equilibrium approach
Yan Zhou, Garey A. Fox, Ron B. Miller, Robert Mollenhauer, Shannon K. Brewer
2018, Journal of Hydrology (561) 822-832
Stream and groundwater interactions play an essential role in regulating flow, temperature, and water quality for stream ecosystems. Temperature gradients have been used to quantify vertical water movement in the streambed since the 1960s, but advancements in thermal methods are still possible. Seepage runs are a method commonly used to...
Monitoring riparian-vegetation composition and cover along the Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona
Emily C. Palmquist, Barbara E. Ralston, Daniel A. Sarr, Taylor C. Johnson
2018, Techniques and Methods 2-A14
Vegetation in the riparian zone (the area immediately adjacent to streams, such as stream banks) along the Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona, supports many ecosystem and societal functions. In both Glen Canyon and Grand Canyon, this ecosystem has changed over time in response to flow alterations, invasive...
Extreme drought alters frequency and reproductive success of floaters in Willow Flycatchers
Tad Theimer, Mark K. Sogge, Suzanne N. Cardinal, Scott L. Durst, Eben H. Paxton
2018, The Auk (135) 647-656
Changes in habitat quality, including those caused by extreme events like droughts and floods, could alter costs and benefits of territoriality and thereby the prevalence and reproductive consequences for individuals capable of breeding that do not do so (floaters). We studied floating behavior in a population of Southwestern Willow Flycatchers...
Limited hatchery introgression into wild brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) populations despite reoccurring stocking
Shannon L. White, William L. Miller, Stephanie A. Dowell, Meredith L. Bartron, Tyler Wagner
2018, Evolutionary Applications (11) 1567-1581
Due to increased anthropogenic pressures on many fish populations, supplementing wild populations with captive‐raised individuals has become an increasingly common management practice. Stocking programs can be controversial due to uncertainty about the long‐term fitness effects of genetic introgression on wild populations. In particular, introgression between hatchery and wild individuals can...
Chasing a changing climate: Reproductive and dispersal traits predict how sessile species respond to global warming
Jennifer M. Archambault, W. Gregory Cope, Thomas J. Kwak
2018, Diversity and Distributions (24) 880-891
AimStudies of species' range shifts have become increasingly relevant for understanding ecology and biogeography in the face of accelerated global change. The combination of limited mobility and imperilled status places some species at a potentially greater risk of range loss, extirpation or extinction due to climate...
Avian response to shade‐layer restoration in coffee plantations in Puerto Rico
Amarilys D. Irizarry, Jaime A. Collazo, Krishna Pacifici, Brian J. Reich, Kathryn E. Battle
2018, Restoration Ecology (26) 1212-1220
Documenting the evolving processes associated with habitat restoration and how long it takes to detect avian demographic responses is crucial to evaluate the success of restoration initiatives and to identify ways to improve their effectiveness. The importance of this endeavor prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the USDA...
Genetic population structure of Shoal Bass within their native range
Andrew T. Taylor, Michael D. Tringali, Steven M. Sammons, Travis R. Ingram, Patrick M. O’Rouke, Douglas L. Peterson, James M. Long
2018, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (38) 549-564
Endemic to the Apalachicola River basin of the southeastern USA, the Shoal Bass Micropterus cataractae is a fluvial‐specialist sport fish that is imperiled because of anthropogenic habitat alteration. To counter population declines, restorative stocking efforts are becoming an increasingly relevant management strategy. However, population genetic structure within the species is currently unknown,...
Spatial variability and macro‐scale drivers of growth for native and introduced Flathead Catfish populations
Danielle L. Massie, Geoffrey Smith, Timothy F. Bonvechio, Aaron J. Bunch, David O. Lucchesi, Tyler Wagner
2018, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (147) 554-565
Quantifying spatial variability in fish growth and identifying large‐scale drivers of growth are fundamental to many conservation and management decisions. Although fish growth studies often focus on a single population, it is becoming increasingly clear that large‐scale studies are likely needed for addressing transboundary management needs. This is particularly true...
Neonicotinoid insecticides negatively affect performance measures of non‐target terrestrial arthropods: a meta‐analysis
Anson Main, Elisabeth B. Webb, Keith W. Goyne, Doreen C. Mengel
2018, Ecological Applications (28) 1232-1244
Neonicotinoid insecticides are currently the fastest‐growing and most widely used insecticide class worldwide. Valued for their versatility in application, these insecticides may cause deleterious effects in a range of non‐target (beneficial) arthropods. However, it remains unclear whether strong patterns exist in terms of their major effects, if broad measures of...
