Characterization of post-fire surface cover, soils, and burn severity at the Cerro Grande Fire, New Mexico, using hyperspectral and multispectral remote sensing
R.F. Kokaly, B.W. Rockwell, S.L. Haire, T. V. V. King
2007, Remote Sensing of Environment (106) 305-325
Forest fires leave behind a changed ecosystem with a patchwork of surface cover that includes ash, charred organic matter, soils and soil minerals, and dead, damaged, and living vegetation. The distributions of these materials affect post-fire processes of erosion, nutrient cycling, and vegetation regrowth. We analyzed high spatial resolution (2.4??m...
Analysis of impacts of urban land use and land cover on air quality in the Las Vegas region using remote sensing information and ground observations
G. Xian
2007, International Journal of Remote Sensing (28) 5427-5445
Urban development in the Las Vegas Valley of Nevada (USA) has expanded rapidly over the past 50 years. The air quality in the valley has suffered owing to increases from anthropogenic emissions of carbon monoxide, ozone and criteria pollutants of particular matter. Air quality observations show that pollutant concentrations have...
Survival and tag retention of Pacific lamprey larvae and macrophthalmia marked with coded wire tags
M.H. Meeuwig, A.L. Puls, J.M. Bayer
2007, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (27) 96-102
We examined the survival, tag retention, and growth of Pacific lamprey Lampetra tridentata larvae and macrophthalmia marked with standard-length decimal coded wire tags and exposed to two levels of handling stress. The survival of marked individuals did not differ from that of unmarked individuals at either life stage for the...
Killer whales and marine mammal trends in the North Pacific - A re-examination of evidence for sequential megafauna collapse and the prey-switching hypothesis
P.R. Wade, V.N. Burkanov, M.E. Dahlheim, N.A. Friday, L.W. Fritz, Thomas R. Loughlin, S.A. Mizroch, M.M. Muto, D.W. Rice, L. G. Barrett-Lennard, N.A. Black, A.M. Burdin, J. Calambokidis, S. Cerchio, J.K.B. Ford, J.K. Jacobsen, C.O. Matkin, D.R. Matkin, A.V. Mehta, R.J. Small, J.M. Straley, S.M. McCluskey, G.R. VanBlaricom, P.J. Clapham
2007, Marine Mammal Science (23) 766-802
Springer et al. (2003) contend that sequential declines occurred in North Pacific populations of harbor and fur seals, Steller sea lions, and sea otters. They hypothesize that these were due to increased predation by killer whales, when industrial whaling's removal of large whales as a supposed primary food source precipitated...
Data access and dissemination for emergency response and long-term recovery efforts related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Scott Wilson, Chris Cretini
2007, Circular 1306-4B
The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) responded to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita by providing geospatial support to Federal, State, and local partners. The NWRC used its data and information management systems to deliver aerial photography and maps to emergency responders in a time of critical need....
A method to estimate groundwater depletion from confining layers
Leonard F. Konikow, Christopher E. Neuzil
2007, Water Resources Research (43)
Although depletion of storage in low‐permeability confining layers is the source of much of the groundwater produced from many confined aquifer systems, it is all too frequently overlooked or ignored. This makes effective management of groundwater resources difficult by masking how much water has been derived from storage and, in...
Putting it all together: Exhumation histories from a formal combination of heat flow and a suite of thermochronometers
M. A. d'Alessio, C.F. Williams
2007, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (112)
A suite of new techniques in thermochronometry allow analysis of the thermal history of a sample over a broad range of temperature sensitivities. New analysis tools must be developed that fully and formally integrate these techniques, allowing a single geologic interpretation of the rate and timing of exhumation and burial...
Estimating fishing mortality, natural mortality, and selectivity using recoveries from tagging young fish
H. Jiang, C. Brownie, J.E. Hightower, K. H. Pollock
2007, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (27) 773-781
Current methods for estimation of age- and year-specific instantaneous mortality rates based on multiyear, multiple-age tagging studies assume that it is feasible to tag fish in a wide range of ages. For some species, however, only the youngest one or two age-classes are readily available for tagging. Given the practical...
Petrology and tectonics of Phanerozoic continent formation: From island arcs to accretion and continental arc magmatism
C.-T.A. Lee, D. M. Morton, R. W. Kistler, A. K. Baird
2007, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (263) 370-387
Mesozoic continental arcs in the North American Cordillera were examined here to establish a baseline model for Phanerozoic continent formation. We combine new trace-element data on lower crustal xenoliths from the Mesozoic Sierra Nevada Batholith with an extensive grid-based geochemical map of the Peninsular Ranges Batholith, the southern equivalent of...
The USGS national geothermal resource assessment: An update
C.F. Williams, M.J. Reed, S.P. Galanis Jr., J. DeAngelo
2007, Conference Paper, Transactions - Geothermal Resources Council
The U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) is working with the Department of Energy's (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Program and other geothermal organizations on a three-year effort to produce an updated assessment of available geothermal resources. The new assessment will introduce significant changes in the models for geothermal energy recovery factors, estimates...
Effects of earlier sea ice breakup on survival and population size of polar bears in western Hudson Bay
E.V. Regehr, N.J. Lunn, Steven C. Amstrup, I. Stirling
2007, Journal of Wildlife Management (71) 2673-2683
Some of the most pronounced ecological responses to climatic warming are expected to occur in polar marine regions, where temperature increases have been the greatest and sea ice provides a sensitive mechanism by which climatic conditions affect sympagic (i.e., with ice) species. Population-level effects of climatic change, however, remain difficult...
Investigation of the groundwater system at Masaya Caldera, Nicaragua, using transient electromagnetics and numerical simulation
R.E. MacNeil, W. E. Sanford, C.B. Connor, S.K. Sandberg, M. Diez
2007, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (166) 217-232
The distribution of groundwater beneath Masaya Volcano, in Nicaragua, and its surrounding caldera was characterized using the transient electromagnetic method (TEM). Multiple soundings were conducted at 30 sites. Models of the TEM data consistently indicate a resistive layer that is underlain by one or more conductive layers. These two layers...
In situ time-series measurements of subseafloor sediment properties
R. A. Wheatcroft, A.W. Stevens, R.V. Johnson
2007, IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering (32) 862-871
The capabilities and diversity of subsurface sediment sensors lags significantly from what is available for the water column, thereby limiting progress in understanding time-dependent seabed exchange and high-frequency acoustics. To help redress this imbalance, a new instrument, the autonomous sediment profiler (ASP), is described herein....
Persistent chlordane concentrations in long island sound sediment: Implications from chlordane, 210Pb, and 137Cs profiles
L. Yang, X. Li, John Crusius, U. Jans, M.E. Melcer, P. Zhang
2007, Environmental Science & Technology (41) 7723-7729
Concentrations of chlordane, a banned termiticide and pesticide, were examined in recently collected surficial sediment (10 sites) and sediment cores (4 sites) in Long Island Sound (LIS).The highest chlordane concentrations were observed in western LIS, near highly urbanized areas. Chlordane concentrations did not decrease significantly in the past decade when...
Stability and uncertainty of finite-fault slip inversions: Application to the 2004 Parkfield, California, earthquake
S. Hartzell, P. Liu, C. Mendoza, C. Ji, K.M. Larson
2007, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (97) 1911-1934
The 2004 Parkfield, California, earthquake is used to investigate stability and uncertainty aspects of the finite-fault slip inversion problem with different a priori model assumptions. We utilize records from 54 strong ground motion stations and 13 continuous, 1-Hz sampled, geodetic instruments. Two inversion procedures are compared: a linear least-squares subfault-based...
Evaluation of a small beach nourishment project to enhance habitat suitability for horseshoe crabs
N.L. Jackson, D. R. Smith, R. Tiyarattanachai, K.F. Nordstrom
2007, Geomorphology (89) 172-185
This field study evaluates the effect of nourishing an estuarine beach with gravel to enhance spawning rates by horseshoe crabs. A total of 564??m3 of coarse sand and gravel were emplaced in two 90??m-long treatment segments at Bowers Beach, Delaware, USA from 9 to 11 April 2002. Field data were...
Distinguishing wild vs. stocked lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Ontario: Evidence from carbon and oxygen stable isotope values of otoliths
T. Schaner, W.P. Patterson, B.F. Lantry, R. O'Gorman
2007, Journal of Great Lakes Research (33) 912-916
We investigated the potential for using carbon and oxygen isotope values of otolith carbonate as a method to distinguish naturally produced (wild) lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from hatchery-reared lake trout in Lake Ontario. We determined δ 13C(CaCO3) and δ 18O(CaCO3) values of otoliths from juvenile fish taken from two hatcheries, and of otoliths from...
Topography-based analysis of Hurricane Katrina inundation of New Orleans
Dean Gesch
2007, Circular 1306-3G
The ready availability of high-resolution, high-accuracy elevation data proved valuable for development of topographybased products to determine rough estimates of the inundation of New Orleans, La., from Hurricane Katrina. Because of its high level of spatial detail and vertical accuracy of elevation measurements, light detection and ranging (lidar) remote sensing...
Sexual selection in the squirrel treefrog Hyla squirella: the role of multimodal cue assessment in female choice
Ryan C. Taylor, Bryant W. Buchanan, Jessie L. Doherty
2007, Animal Behaviour (74) 1753-1763
Anuran amphibians have provided an excellent system for the study of animal communication and sexual selection. Studies of female mate choice in anurans, however, have focused almost exclusively on the role of auditory signals. In this study, we examined the effect of both auditory and visual cues on female choice...
Highstand fans in the California borderland: The overlooked deep-water depositional systems
Jacob A. Covault, William R. Normark, Brian W. Romans, Stephan A. Graham
2007, Geology (35) 783-786
Contrary to widely used sequence-stratigraphic models, lowstand fans are only part of the turbidite depositional record; our analysis reveals that a comparable volume of coarse-grained sediment has been deposited in California borderland deep-water basins regardless of sea level. Sedimentation rates and periods of...
Estimating trend precision and power to detect trends across grouped count data
B. R. Gray, M.M. Burlew
2007, Ecology (88) 2364-2372
Ecologists commonly use grouped or clustered count data to estimate temporal trends in counts, abundance indices, or abundance. For example, the U.S. Breeding Bird Survey data represent multiple counts of birds from within each of multiple, spatially defined routes. Despite a reliance on grouped counts, analytical methods for prospectively estimating...
A comparison of conventional capture versus PIT reader techniques for estimating survival and capture probabilities of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus)
L.E. Ellison, T. J. O'Shea, D.J. Neubaum, M.A. Neubaum, R.D. Pearce, R. A. Bowen
2007, Acta Chiropterologica (9) 149-160
We compared conventional capture (primarily mist nets and harp traps) and passive integrated transponder (PIT) tagging techniques for estimating capture and survival probabilities of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) roosting in buildings in Fort Collins, Colorado. A total of 987 female adult and juvenile bats were captured and marked by...
Comparison of the dust distributions in the innermost comae of comets-1P/Halley and 19P/Borrelly spacecraft observations
T.-M. Ho, N. Thomas, D. C. Boice, M. Combi, L.A. Soderblom, V. Tenishev
2007, Planetary and Space Science (55) 974-985
We present a comparative study of the inner comae of comets 1P/Halley and 19P/Borrelly using data from the Halley Multicolour Camera (HMC) onboard Giotto and the Miniature Integrated Camera and Spectrometer onboard Deep Space 1 (DS1). We show that the dust brightness dependence as a function of radial distance is...
Recent climate trends and implications for water resources in the Catskill Mountain region, New York, USA
Douglas A. Burns, Julian Klaus, Michael R. McHale
2007, Journal of Hydrology (336) 155-170
Climate scientists have concluded that the earth’s surface air temperature warmed by 0.6 °C during the 20th century, and that warming induced by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases is likely to continue in the 21st century, accompanied by changes in the hydrologic cycle. Climate change has important implications in the Catskill...
Differentiating the Bishop ash bed and related tephra layers by elemental-based similarity coefficients of volcanic glass shards using solution inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (S-ICP-MS)
J.R. Knott, A.M. Sarna-Wojcicki, I.P. Montanez, E. Wan
2007, Quaternary International (166) 79-86
Volcanic glass samples from the same volcanic center (intra-source) often have a similar major-element composition. Thus, it can be difficult to distinguish between individual tephra layers, particularly when using similarity coefficients calculated from electron microprobe major-element measurements. Minor/trace element concentrations in glass...
