Regionalizing indicators for marine ecosystems: Bering Sea–Aleutian Island seabirds, climate, and competitors
William J. Sydeman, Sarah Ann Thompson, John F. Piatt, Marisol García-Reyes, Stephani Zador, Jeffrey C. Williams, Marc Romano, Heather Renner
2017, Ecological Indicators (78) 458-469
Seabirds are thought to be reliable, real-time indicators of forage fish availability and the climatic and biotic factors affecting pelagic food webs in marine ecosystems. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that temporal trends and interannual variability in seabird indicators reflect simultaneously occurring bottom-up (climatic) and competitor (pink salmon) forcing of food...
Exploration of diffuse and discrete sources of acid mine drainage to a headwater mountain stream in Colorado, USA
Allison Johnston, Robert L. Runkel, Alexis Navarre-Sitchler, Kamini Singha
2017, Mine Water and the Environment (36) 463-478
We investigated the impact of acid mine drainage (AMD) contamination from the Minnesota Mine, an inactive gold and silver mine, on Lion Creek, a headwater mountain stream near Empire, Colorado. The objective was to map the sources of AMD contamination, including discrete sources visible at the surface and diffuse inputs...
Estimating virus occurrence using Bayesian modeling in multiple drinking water systems of the United States
Eunice A. Varughese, Nichole E Brinkman, Emily M Anneken, Jennifer S Cashdollar, G. Shay Fout, Edward T. Furlong, Dana W. Kolpin, Susan T. Glassmeyer, Scott P Keely
2017, Science of the Total Environment (619-620) 1330-1339
Drinking water treatment plants rely on purification of contaminated source waters to provide communities with potable water. One group of possible contaminants are enteric viruses. Measurement of viral quantities in environmental water systems are often performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or quantitative PCR (qPCR). However, true values may be...
Factors influencing uptake of sylvatic plague vaccine baits by prairie dogs
Rachel C. Abbott, Robin E. Russell, Katherine Richgels, Daniel W. Tripp, Marc R. Matchett, Dean E. Biggins, Tonie E. Rocke
2017, EcoHealth (15) 12-22
Sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) is a virally vectored bait-delivered vaccine expressing Yersinia pestis antigens that can protect prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) from plague and has potential utility as a management tool. In a large-scale 3-year field trial, SPV-laden baits containing the biomarker rhodamine B (used to determine bait consumption) were...
Application of synthetic scenarios to address water resource concerns: A management-guided case study from the Upper Colorado River Basin
Stephanie A. McAfee, Gregory T. Pederson, Connie A. Woodhouse, Gregory J. McCabe
2017, Climate Services (8) 26-35
Water managers are increasingly interested in better understanding and planning for projected resource impacts from climate change. In this management-guided study, we use a very large suite of synthetic climate scenarios in a statistical modeling framework to simultaneously evaluate how (1) average temperature and precipitation changes, (2) initial basin conditions,...
Estimating rupture distances without a rupture
Eric M. Thompson, Charles Worden
2017, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (10) 1-9
Most ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) require distances that are defined relative to a rupture model, such as the distance to the surface projection of the rupture (RJB) or the closest distance to the rupture plane (RRUP). There are a number of situations in which GMPEs are used where it...
The value of information for woodland management: Updating a state–transition model
William K. Morris, Michael C. Runge, Peter A. Vesk
2017, Ecosphere (8) 1-12
Value of information (VOI) analyses reveal the expected benefit of reducing uncertainty to a decision maker. Most ecological VOI analyses have focused on population models rarely addressing more complex community models. We performed a VOI analysis for a complex state–transition model of Box-Ironbark Forest and Woodland management. With three management...
A swath across the great divide: Kelp forests across the Samalga Pass biogeographic break
Brenda H. Konar, Matthew S. Edwards, Aaron Bland, Jacob Metzger, Alexandra Ravelo, Sarah Traiger, Ben P. Weitzman
2017, Continental Shelf Research (143) 78-88
Biogeographic breaks are often described as locations where a large number of species reach their geographic range limits. Samalga Pass, in the eastern Aleutian Archipelago, is a known biogeographic break for the spatial distribution of several species of offshore-pelagic communities, including numerous species of cold-water corals, zooplankton, fish, marine mammals,...
PRISM software—Processing and review interface for strong-motion data
Jeanne M. Jones, Erol Kalkan, Christopher D. Stephens, Peter Ng
2017, Techniques and Methods 12-A2
Rapidly available and accurate ground-motion acceleration time series (seismic recordings) and derived data products are essential to quickly providing scientific and engineering analysis and advice after an earthquake. To meet this need, the U.S. Geological Survey National Strong Motion Project has developed a software package called PRISM (Processing and Review...
Geologic characterization of the hydrocarbon resource potential of the Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa marine shale in Mississippi and Louisiana, U.S.A.
Catherine B. Enomoto, Paul C. Hackley, Brett J. Valentine, William A. Rouse, Frank T. Dulong, Celeste D. Lohr, Javin J. Hatcherian
2017, Conference Paper, Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions
Recent oil production from the Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa marine shale (TMS) has elevated the formation, previously assessed by the USGS in 2011 as part of the Eagle Ford Group, to its own distinct assessment unit for an upcoming assessment. Geologic characterization in preparation for the 2017 assessment has included...
Concepts: Integrating population survey data from different spatial scales, sampling methods, and species
Robert Dorazio, Mohan Delampady, Soumen Dey, Arjun M. Gopalaswamy
K. Ullas Karanth, James D. Nichols, editor(s)
2017, Book chapter, Methods for monitoring tiger and prey populations
Conservationists and managers are continually under pressure from the public, the media, and political policy makers to provide “tiger numbers,” not just for protected reserves, but also for large spatial scales, including landscapes, regions, states, nations, and even globally. Estimating the abundance of tigers within relatively small areas (e.g., protected...
Feral goats and sheep
Steve C. Hess, Dirk H. Van Vuren, Gary W. Witmer
William C. Pitt, James Beasley, Gary W. Witmer, editor(s)
2017, Book chapter, Ecology and management of terrestrial vertebrate invasive species in the United States
No abstract available....
Advancing mangrove macroecology
Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Michael J. Osland, John W. Day, Santanu Ray, Andre S. Rovai, Richard H. Day, Joyita Mukherjee
Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Shing Yip Lee, Erik Kristensen, Robert R. Twilley, editor(s)
2017, Book chapter, Mangrove ecosystems: A global biogeographic perspective
Mangrove forests provide a wide range of ecosystem services to society, yet they are among the most anthropogenically impacted coastal ecosystems in the world. In this chapter, we discuss and provide examples for how macroecology can advance our understanding of mangrove ecosystems. Macroecology is broadly defined as a discipline that...
Discriminating between natural vs induced seismicity from long-term deformation history of intraplate faults
Maria Beatrice Magnani, Michael L. Blanpied, Heather R. DeShon, Matthew Hornbach
2017, Science Advances (3)
To assess whether recent seismicity is induced by human activity or is of natural origin, we analyze fault displacements on high-resolution seismic reflection profiles for two regions in the central United States (CUS): the Fort Worth Basin (FWB) of Texas, and the northern Mississippi embayment (NME). Since 2009 earthquake activity...
Integrated wetland management for waterfowl and shorebirds at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina
Brian G. Tavernia, John D. Stanton, James E. Lyons
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1052
Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) offers a mix of open water, marsh, forest, and cropland habitats on 20,307 hectares in coastal North Carolina. In 1934, Federal legislation (Executive Order 6924) established MNWR to benefit wintering waterfowl and other migratory bird species. On an annual basis, the refuge staff decide how...
Macroinvertebrate communities evaluated prior to and following a channel restoration project in Silver Creek, Blaine County, Idaho, 2001-16
Dorene E. MacCoy, Terry M. Short
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5126
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Blaine County and The Nature Conservancy, evaluated the status of macroinvertebrate communities prior to and following a channel restoration project in Silver Creek, Blaine County, Idaho. The objective of the evaluation was to determine whether 2014 remediation efforts to restore natural channel...
Imaging shear strength along subduction faults
Quentin Bletery, Amanda M. Thomas, Alan W. Rempel, Jeanne L. Hardebeck
2017, Geophysical Research Letters (44) 11329-11339
Subduction faults accumulate stress during long periods of time and release this stress suddenly, during earthquakes, when it reaches a threshold. This threshold, the shear strength, controls the occurrence and magnitude of earthquakes. We consider a 3-D model to derive an analytical expression for how the shear strength depends on...
Wildlife governance in the 21st century—Will sustainable use endure?
Daniel J. Decker, John F. Organ, Ann Forstchen, Cynthia A. Jacobson, William F. Siemer, Christian A. Smith, Patrick E. Lederle, Michael V. Schiavone
2017, Wildlife Society Bulletin (41) 821-826
In light of the trajectory of wildlife governance in the United States, the future of sustainable use of wildlife is a topic of substantial interest in the wildlife conservation community. We examine sustainable-use principles with respect to “good governance” considerations and public trust administration principles to assess how sustainable use...
Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Zyryanka Basin Province, 2008
Timothy R. Klett, Janet K. Pitman
Thomas E. Moore, D. L. Gautier, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1824-X
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently assessed the potential for undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Zyryanka Basin Province as part of the 2008 USGS Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal program. The province is in the Russian Federation and is situated on the Omolon superterrane of the Kolyma block. The one...
Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Lena-Vilyui Basin Province, 2008
Timothy R. Klett, Janet K. Pitman
Thomas E. Moore, D. L. Gautier, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1824-V
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently assessed the potential for undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Lena-Vilyui Basin Province, north of the Arctic Circle, as part of the Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal program. The province is in the Russian Federation and is situated between the Verkhoyansk fold-and-thrust belt and the...
Organic carbon burial in global lakes and reservoirs
Raquel Mendonca, Roger A. Muller, David W. Clow, Charles Verpoorter, Peter Raymond, Lars Tranvik, Sebastian Sobek
2017, Nature Communications (8)
Burial in sediments removes organic carbon (OC) from the short-term biosphere-atmosphere carbon (C) cycle, and therefore prevents greenhouse gas production in natural systems. Although OC burial in lakes and reservoirs is faster than in the ocean, the magnitude of inland water OC burial is not well constrained. Here we generate...
Estimating discharge and nonpoint source nitrate loading to streams from three end‐member pathways using high‐frequency water quality data
Matthew P. Miller, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Krista Hood, Silvia Terziotti, David M. Wolock
2017, Water Resources Research (53) 10201-10216
The myriad hydrologic and biogeochemical processes taking place in watersheds occurring across space and time are integrated and reflected in the quantity and quality of water in streams and rivers. Collection of high‐frequency water quality data with sensors in surface waters provides new opportunities to disentangle these processes and quantify...
Timing of warm water refuge use in Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge by manatees—Results and insights from Global Positioning System telemetry data
Daniel H. Slone, Susan M. Butler, James P. Reid, Catherine G. Haase
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1146
Managers at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge (CRNWR) desire to update their management plan regarding the operation of select springs including Three Sisters Springs. They wish to refine existing parameters used to predict the presence of federally threatened Trichechus manatus latirostris (Florida manatee) in...
Vaccine effects on heterogeneity in susceptibility and implications for population health management
Kate E. Langwig, Andrew R. Wargo, Darbi R. Jones, Jessie R. Viss, Barbara J. Rutan, Nicholas A. Egan, Pedro Sa-Guimaraes, Min Sun Kim, Gael Kurath, M. Gabriela M. Gomes, Marc Lipsitch
Shweta Bansal, Melinda M. Pettigrew, editor(s)
2017, mBio (8) 1-13
Heterogeneity in host susceptibility is a key determinant of infectious disease dynamics but is rarely accounted for in assessment of disease control measures. Understanding how susceptibility is distributed in populations, and how control measures change this distribution, is integral to predicting the course of epidemics with and without interventions. Using...
The U.S. Geological Survey Peak-Flow File Data Verification Project, 2008–16
Karen R. Ryberg, Burl B. Goree, Tara Williams-Sether, Robert R. Mason, Jr.
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5119
Annual peak streamflow (peak flow) at a streamgage is defined as the maximum instantaneous flow in a water year. A water year begins on October 1 and continues through September 30 of the following year; for example, water year 2015 extends from October 1, 2014, through September 30, 2015. The...
