Water resources science of the U.S. Geological Survey in New York
Anna N. Glover
2018, General Information Product 185
The U.S. Geological Survey studies the effects of weather, climate, and man-made influences on groundwater levels, streamflow, and reservoir and lake levels, as well as on the ecological health of rivers, lakes, reservoirs, watersheds, estuaries, aquifers, soils, beaches, and wildlife. From these studies, the USGS produces high-quality, timely, and unbiased...
Effects of groundwater withdrawals from the Hurricane Fault zone on discharge of saline water from Pah Tempe Springs, Washington County, Utah
Philip M. Gardner
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5040
Pah Tempe Springs, located in Washington County, Utah, contribute about 95,000 tons of dissolved solids annually along a 1,500-foot gaining reach of the Virgin River. The river gains more than 10 cubic feet per second along the reach as thermal, saline springwater discharges from dozens of orifices located along the...
New geologic mapping of the northwestern Willamette Valley, Oregon, and its American Viticultural Areas (AVAs)—A foundation for understanding their terroir
Ray E. Wells, Ralph A. Haugerud, Alan Niem, Wendy Niem, Lina Ma, Ian Madin, Russell C. Evarts
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1044
A geologic map of the greater Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area is planned that will document the region’s complex geology (currently in review: “Geologic map of the greater Portland metropolitan area and surrounding region, Oregon and Washington,” by Wells, R.E., Haugerud, R.A., Niem, A., Niem, W., Ma, L., Evarts, R., Madin,...
Lava lake activity at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano in 2016
Matthew R. Patrick, Tim R. Orr, Donald A. Swanson, Tamar Elias, Brian Shiro
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5008
The ongoing summit eruption at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, began in March 2008 with the formation of the Overlook crater, within Halema‘uma‘u Crater. As of late 2016, the Overlook crater contained a large, persistently active lava lake (250 × 190 meters). The accessibility of the lake allows frequent direct observations, and...
Methane in groundwater from a leaking gas well, Piceance Basin, Colorado, USA
Peter B. McMahon, Judith C. Thomas, John T. Crawford, Mark M. Dornblaser, Andrew G. Hunt
2018, Science of the Total Environment (634) 791-801
Site-specific and regional analysis of time-series hydrologic and geochemical data collected from 15 monitoring wells in the Piceance Basin indicated that a leaking gas well contaminated shallow groundwater with thermogenic methane. The gas well was drilled in 1956 and plugged and abandoned in 1990. Chemical and isotopic data showed the...
Simulating selenium and nitrogen fate and transport in coupled stream-aquifer systems of irrigated regions
Christopher D. Shultz, Ryan T. Bailey, Timothy K. Gates, Brent E. Heesemann, Eric D. Morway
2018, Journal of Hydrology (560) 512-529
Elevated levels of selenium (Se) in aqueous environments can harm aquatic life and endanger livestock and human health. Although Se occurs naturally in the rocks and soils of many alluvial aquifers, mining and agricultural activities can increase its rate of mobilization and transport...
Effects of hillslope gully stabilization on erosion and sediment production in the Torreon Wash watershed, New Mexico, 2009–12
Anne Marie Matherne, Anne C. Tillery, Kyle R. Douglas-Mankin
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5026
Sediment erosion and deposition in two sets of paired (treated and untreated) upland drainages in the Torreon Wash watershed, upper Rio Puerco Basin, New Mexico, were examined over a 3 1/2-year period from spring 2009 through fall 2012. The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of shallow, loose-stone check dams,...
Postwildfire measurement of soil physical and hydraulic properties at selected sampling sites in the 2011 Las Conchas wildfire burn scar, Jemez Mountains, north-central New Mexico
Orlando C. Romero, Brian A. Ebel, Deborah A. Martin, Katie W. Buchan, Alanna D. Jornigan
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5028
The generation of runoff and the resultant flash flooding can be substantially larger following wildfire than for similar rainstorms that precede wildfire disturbance. Flash flooding after the 2011 Las Conchas Fire in New Mexico provided the motivation for this investigation to assess postwildfire effects on soil-hydraulic properties (SHPs) and soil-physical...
Chlamydia psittaci in feral Rosy-faced Lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) and other backyard birds in Maricopa County, Arizona
Robert J. Dusek, Anne Justice-Allen, Barbara L. Bodenstein, Susan Knowles, Daniel A. Grear, Laura Adams, Craig Levy, Haley D. Yaglom, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Paula Ciembor, Christopher R. Gregory, Denise Pesti, Branson W. Ritchie
2018, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (54) 248-260
In 2013, a mortality event of nonnative, feral Rosy-faced Lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) in residential backyards in Maricopa County, Arizona, US was attributed to infection with Chlamydia psittaci. In June 2014, additional mortality occurred in the same region. Accordingly, in August 2014 we sampled live lovebirds and sympatric bird species visiting backyard...
Native peoples’ relationship to the California chaparral
M. Kat Anderson, Jon E. Keeley
Emma C. Underwood, Hugh D. Safford, Nicole A. Molinari, Jon E. Keeley, editor(s)
2018, Book chapter, Valuing chaparral: Ecological, socio-economic, and management perspectives
Ethnographic interviews and historical literature reviews provide evidence that for many tribes of California, chaparral plant communities were a rich source of food, medicines, and technologies and that they supplemented natural fires with deliberate burning of chaparral to maximize its ability to produce useful products. Many of the most important...
Geologic map of the Weldona 7.5' quadrangle, Morgan County, Colorado
Margaret E. Berry, Emily M. Taylor, Janet L. Slate, James B. Paces, Paul R. Hanson, Theodore R. Brandt
2018, Scientific Investigations Map 3396
The Weldona 7.5′ quadrangle is located on the semiarid plains of northeastern Colorado, along the South Platte River corridor where the river has incised into Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale. The Pierre Shale is largely covered by surficial deposits that formed from alluvial, eolian, and hillslope processes operating in concert with...
Influence of baffles on upstream passage of brook trout and brown trout in an experimental box culvert
Jason M. Duguay, R.W. Jay Lacey, Theodore R. Castro-Santos
2018, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (76) 28-41
There is much to learn about improving baffle designs to increase successful fish passage through culverts. A fish’s motivation to attempt entry into the culvert is essential. Upon entry, successful passage will largely depend on the physiological ability of the fish to navigate the entire culvert length. In this study,...
Remote sensing of tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda carinulata) impacts along 412 km of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA
Ashton Bedford, Temuulen T. Sankey, Joel B. Sankey, Laura E. Durning, Barbara Ralston
2018, Ecological Indicators (89) 365-375
Tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) is an invasive plant species that is rapidly expanding along arid and semi-arid rivers in the western United States. A biocontrol agent, tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda carinulata), was released in 2001 in California, Colorado, Utah, and Texas. In 2009, the tamarisk beetle was found further south than anticipated in...
A science products inventory for citizen-science planning and evaluation
Andrea Wiggins, Rick Bonney, Gretchen LeBuhn, Julia K. Parrish, Jake Weltzin
2018, BioScience (68) 436-444
Citizen science involves a range of practices involving public participation in scientific knowledge production, but outcomes evaluation is complicated by the diversity of the goals and forms of citizen science. Publications and citations are not adequate metrics to describe citizen-science productivity. We address this gap by contributing a science products...
Early growth interactions between a mangrove and an herbaceous salt marsh species are not affected by elevated CO2 or drought
Rebecca J. Howard, Camille L. Stagg, Herry S. Utomo
2018, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (207) 74-81
Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations are likely to influence future distributions of plants and plant community structure in many regions of the world through effects on photosynthetic rates. In recent decades the encroachment of woody mangrove species into herbaceous marshes has been documented along the U.S. northern Gulf of...
Wetlands in a changing climate: Science, policy and management
William R. Moomaw, G.L. Chmura, Gillian T. Davies, Max Finlayson, Beth A. Middleton, Sue M. Natali, James Perry, Nigel Roulet, Ariana Sutton-Grier
2018, Wetlands (38) 183-205
Part 1 of this review synthesizes recent research on status and climate vulnerability of freshwater and saltwater wetlands, and their contribution to addressing climate change (carbon cycle, adaptation, resilience). Peatlands and vegetated coastal wetlands are among the most carbon rich sinks on the planet sequestering approximately as much carbon as...
Quantifying climate-related interactions in shallow and deep storage and evapotranspiration in a forested, seasonally water-limited watershed in the Southeastern United States
Brent T. Aulenbach, Norman E. Peters
2018, Water Resources Research (54) 3037-3061
The Southeastern United States experiences recurring hydrological droughts, which can reduce water availability and can result in water-limiting conditions. Long-term monitoring at Panola Mountain Research Watershed, a small, forested, seasonally water-limited watershed near Atlanta, Georgia, was used to quantify the interactions of climatic variability with shallow and deep storage and...
Rainfall over the African continent from the 19th through the 21st century
Sharon E. Nicholson, Chris Funk, Andreas H. Fink
2018, Global and Planetary Change (165) 114-127
Most of the African continent is semi-arid and hence prone to extreme variations in rainfall from year to year. The extreme droughts that have plagued the Sahel and eastern Africa are particularly well known. This article uses a markedly expanded and updated rainfall data set to examine rainfall variability...
Legacy K/Ar and 40Ar/39Ar geochronologic data from the Alaska-Aleutian Range batholith of south-central Alaska
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1033
Sample descriptions and analytical data for more than 200 K/Ar and 40Ar/39Ar analyses from rocks of the Alaska-Aleutian Range batholith of south-central Alaska are reported here. Samples were collected over a period of 20 years by Bruce R. Reed and Marvin A. Lanphere (both U.S. Geological Survey)...
Movements and habitat use locations of manatees within Kings Bay Florida during the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge winter season (November 15–March 31)
Daniel H. Slone, Susan M. Butler, James P. Reid
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1051
Kings Bay, Florida, is one of the most important natural winter habitat locations for the federally threatened Trichechus manatus latirostris (Florida manatee). Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1983 specifically to provide protection for manatees and their critical habitat. To aid managers at the refuge and other agencies...
Documentation of particle-size analyzer time series, and discrete suspended-sediment and bed-sediment sample data collection, Niobrara River near Spencer, Nebraska, October 2014
Nathaniel J. Schaepe, Anthony M. Coleman, Ronald B. Zelt
2018, Data Series 1079
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, monitored a sediment release by Nebraska Public Power District from Spencer Dam located on the Niobrara River near Spencer, Nebraska, during the fall of 2014. The accumulated sediment behind Spencer Dam ordinarily is released semiannually; however,...
Carnivore hotspots in Peninsular Malaysia and their landscape attributes
Shyamala Ratnayeke, Frank T. van Manen, Gopalasamy Reuben Clements, Noor Azleen Mohd Kulaimi, Stuart P. Sharp
2018, PLoS ONE (13) 1-18
Mammalian carnivores play a vital role in ecosystem functioning. However, they are prone to extinction because of low population densities and growth rates, and high levels of persecution or exploitation. In tropical biodiversity hotspots such as Peninsular Malaysia, rapid conversion of natural habitats threatens the persistence of this vulnerable group...
The future of fish passage science, engineering, and practice
Ana T. Silva, Martyn C. Lucas, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Christos Katopodis, Lee J. Baumgartner, Jason D. Thiem, Kim Aarestrup, Paulo S. Pompeu, Gordon C. O’Brien, Douglas C. Braun, Nicholas J. Burnett, David Z. Zhu, Hans-Petter Fjeldstad, Torbjorn Forseth, Nallamuthu Rajarathnam, John G. Williams, Steven J. Cooke
2018, Fish and Fisheries (19) 340-362
Much effort has been devoted to developing, constructing and refining fish passage facilities to enable target species to pass barriers on fluvial systems, and yet, fishway science, engineering and practice remain imperfect. In this review, 17 experts from different fish passage research fields (i.e., biology, ecology, physiology, ecohydraulics, engineering) and...
Model structure of the stream salmonid simulator (S3)—A dynamic model for simulating growth, movement, and survival of juvenile salmonids
Russell W. Perry, John M. Plumb, Edward C. Jones, Nicholas A. Som, Nicholas J. Hetrick, Thomas B. Hardy
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1056
Fisheries and water managers often use population models to aid in understanding the effect of alternative water management or restoration actions on anadromous fish populations. We developed the Stream Salmonid Simulator (S3) to help resource managers evaluate the effect of management alternatives on juvenile salmonid populations. S3 is a...
Geochemistry and mineralogy of late Quaternary loess in the upper Mississippi River valley, USA: Provenance and correlation with Laurentide Ice Sheet history
Daniel R. Muhs, E. Arthur Bettis III, Gary L. Skipp
2018, Quaternary Science Reviews (187) 235-269
The midcontinent of North America contains some of the thickest and most extensive last-glacial loess deposits in the world, known as Peoria Loess. Peoria Loess of the upper Mississippi River valley region is thought to have had temporally varying glaciogenic sources resulting from inputs of sediment to the Mississippi River...
