Modeling rainfall conditions for shallow landsliding in Seattle, Washington
Jonathan W. Godt, William H. Schulz, Rex L. Baum, William Z. Savage
2008, Reviews in Engineering Geology (20) 137-152
We describe the results from an application of a distributed, transient infiltration–slope-stability model for an 18 km2 area of southwestern Seattle, Washington, USA. The model (TRIGRS) combines an infinite slope-stability calculation and an analytic, one-dimensional solution for pore-pressure diffusion in a soil layer of finite depth in response to time-varying rainfall. The...
Reevaluation of the macroseismic effects of the 1887 Sonora, Mexico earthquake and its magnitude estimation
Gerardo Suarez, Susan E. Hough
2008, Geo-UNAM : boletín informativo del área de ciencias de la tierra 1-15
The Sonora, Mexico, earthquake of 3 May 1887 occurred a few years before the start of the instrumental era in seismology. We revisit all available accounts of the earthquake and assign Modified Mercalli Intensities (MMI), interpreting and analyzing macroseismic information using the best available modern methods. We find that earlier...
Opaline silica in young deposits on Mars
Ralph E. Milliken, Gregg A. Swayze, Raymond E. Arvidson, Janice L Bishop, Roger N. Clark, Bethany L. Ehlmann, Robert O. Green, John P. Grotzinger, R.V. Morris, Scott L. Murchie, John F. Mustard, C. Weitz
2008, Geology (36) 847-850
High spatial and spectral resolution reflectance data acquired by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instrument reveal the presence of H2O- and SiOH-bearing phases on the Martian surface. The spectra are most consistent with opaline silica and glass altered to various degrees, confirming predictions based...
Probabilistic seismic hazard in the San Francisco Bay area based on a simplified viscoelastic cycle model of fault interactions
F. F. Pollitz, David P. Schwartz
2008, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (113)
We construct a viscoelastic cycle model of plate boundary deformation that includes the effect of time-dependent interseismic strain accumulation, coseismic strain release, and viscoelastic relaxation of the substrate beneath the seismogenic crust. For a given fault system, time-averaged stress changes at any point (not on a fault) are constrained to...
Levee evaluation using MASW: Preliminary findings from the Citrus Lakefront Levee, New Orleans, Louisiana
John W. Lane Jr., Julian M. Ivanov, Frederick D. Day-Lewis, Drew Clemens, Robert Patev, Richard D. Miller
2008, Conference Paper
The utility of the multi‐channel analysis of surface waves (MASW) seismic method for non‐invasive assessment of earthen levees was evaluated for a section of the Citrus Lakefront Levee, New Orleans, Louisiana. This test was conducted after the New Orleans' area levee system had been stressed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005....
Upper conduit structure and explosion dynamics at Stromboli
Bernard A. Chouet, Phillip B. Dawson, Marcello Martini
Sonia Calvari, Salvatore Inguaggiato, Giuseppe Puglisi, Maurizio Ripepe, Mauro Rosi, editor(s)
2008, Book chapter, The Stromboli volcano: An integrated study of the 2002-2003 eruption
Modeling of very long period seismic data recorded during explosive activity at Stromboli in 1997 provides an image of the uppermost 1 km of its volcanic plumbing system. Two distinct dike-like conduit structures are identified, each representative of explosive eruptions from two different vents located near the northern and southern...
M-log A observations for recent large earthquakes
Thomas C. Hanks, W. H. Bakun
2008, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (98) 490-494
Using a magnitude (M)-log area (A) dataset augmented with seven large (M > 7.0) earthquakes occurring since Wells and Coppersmith (1994), this short note assesses the current validity of the bilinear M-log A relations for continental, strike-slip earthquakes proposed by Hanks and Bakun (2002), in particular the L-model scaling at...
Modest genetic differentiation among North American populations of Sarcocystic neurona may reflect expansion in its geographic range
N. Sundar, I.M. Asmundsson, N. J. Thomas, M.D. Samuel, J. P. Dubey, B.M. Rosenthal
2008, Veterinary Parasitology (152) 8-15
Sarcocystis neurona is an important cause of neurological disease in horses (equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, EPM) and sea otters in the United States. In addition, EPM-like disease has been diagnosed in several other land and marine mammals. Opossums are its only definitive hosts. Little genetic diversity among isolates of S. neurona...
Development and Application of a Decision Support System for Water Management Investigations in the Upper Yakima River, Washington
Ken D. Bovee, Terry J. Waddle, Colin Talbert, James R. Hatten, Thomas R. Batt
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1251
The Yakima River Decision Support System (YRDSS) was designed to quantify and display the consequences of different water management scenarios for a variety of state variables in the upper Yakima River Basin, located in central Washington. The impetus for the YRDSS was the Yakima River Basin Water Storage Feasibility Study,...
Wide-area estimates of stand structure and water use of tamarix spp. on the lower colorado river: Implications for restoration and water management projects
P.L. Nagler, E. P. Glenn, K. Didan, J. Osterberg, F. Jordan, J. Cunningham
2008, Restoration Ecology (16) 136-145
Tamarix spp. removal has been proposed to salvage water and allow native vegetation to recolonize western U.S. riparian corridors. We conducted wide-area studies on the Lower Colorado River to answer some of the scientific questions about Tamarix water use and the consequences of removal, combining ground surveys with remote sensing...
Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect and continental evolution involving subduction underplating and synchronous foreland thrusting
Gary S. Fuis, Thomas E. Moore, George Plafker, T.M. Brocher, M. A. Fisher, Walter D. Mooney, W. J. Nokleberg, R.A. Page, B. C. Beaudoin, N.I. Christensen, A. R. Levander, W. J. Lutter, R. W. Saltus, N.A. Ruppert
2008, Geology (36) 267-270
We investigate the crustal structure and tectonic evolution of the North American continent in Alaska, where the continent has grown through magmatism, accretion, and tectonic underplating. In the 1980s and early 1990s, we conducted a geological and geophysical investigation, known as the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect (TACT), along a 1350-km-long corridor...
Categorizing natural disaster damage assessment using satellite-based geospatial techniques
S.W. Myint, M. Yuan, R.S. Cerveny, S. Giri
2008, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (8) 707-719
Remote sensing of a natural disaster's damage offers an exciting backup and/or alternative to traditional means of on-site damage assessment. Although necessary for complete assessment of damage areas, ground-based damage surveys conducted in the aftermath of natural hazard passage can sometimes be potentially complicated due to on-site difficulties (e.g., interaction...
Radiometric cross-calibration of the Terra MODIS and Landsat 7 ETM+ using an invariant desert site
T. Choi, A. Angal, G. Chander, X. Xiong
2008, Conference Paper, Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
A methodology for long-term radiometric cross-calibration between the Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Landsat 7 (L7) Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensors was developed. The approach involves calibration of near-simultaneous surface observations between 2000 and 2007. Fifty-seven cloud-free image pairs were carefully selected over the Libyan desert for...
Increasing shallow groundwater CO2 and limestone weathering, Konza Prairie, USA
G.L. Macpherson, J.A. Roberts, J.M. Blair, M.A. Townsend, D.A. Fowle, K. R. Beisner
2008, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (72) 5581-5599
In a mid-continental North American grassland, solute concentrations in shallow, limestone-hosted groundwater and adjacent surface water cycle annually and have increased steadily over the 15-year study period, 1991-2005, inclusive. Modeled groundwater CO2, verified by measurements of recent samples, increased from 10-2.05 atm to 10-1.94 atm, about a 20% increase, from...
Biotechnology and DNA vaccines for aquatic animals
Gael Kurath
2008, OIE Revue Scientifique et Technique (27) 175-196
Biotechnology has been used extensively in the development of vaccines for aquaculture. Modern molecular methods such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), cloning and microarray analysis have facilitated antigen discovery, construction of novel candidate vaccines, and assessments of vaccine efficacy, mode of action, and host response. This review focuses on DNA...
Evaluation of Landsat-7 SLC-off image products for forest change detection
Michael A. Wulder, Stephanie M. Ortlepp, Joanne C. White, Susan Maxwell
2008, Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing (34) 93-99
Since July 2003, Landsat-7 ETM+ has been operating without the scan line corrector (SLC), which compensates for the forward motion of the satellite in the imagery acquired. Data collected in SLC-off mode have gaps in a systematic wedge-shaped pattern outside of the central 22 km swath of the imagery; however,...
NOAA/West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center Pacific Ocean response criteria
P. Whitmore, H. Benz, M. Bolton, G. Crawford, L. Dengler, G. Fryer, J. Goltz, R. Hansen, K. Kryzanowski, S. Malone, D. Oppenheimer, E. Petty, G. Rogers, Jim Wilson
2008, Science of Tsunami Hazards (27) 1-19
New West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (WCATWC) response criteria for earthquakes occurring in the Pacific basin are presented. Initial warning decisions are based on earthquake location, magnitude, depth, and - dependent on magnitude - either distance from source or precomputed threat estimates generated from tsunami models. The new criteria will...
Toward production from gas hydrates: Current status, assessment of resources, and simulation-based evaluation of technology and potential
G. J. Moridis, T. S. Collett, R. Boswell, M. Kurihara, M. T. Reagan, C. Koh, E. D. Sloan
2008, Conference Paper, Society of Petroleum Engineers - Unconventional Reservoirs Conference 2008
Gas hydrates are a vast energy resource with global distribution in the permafrost and in the oceans. Even if conservative estimates are considered and only a small fraction is recoverable, the sheer size of the resource is so large that it demands evaluation as a potential energy source. In this...
Aspen height, stem-girth and survivorship in an area of high ungulate use
R.B. Keigley, M.R. Frisina
2008, Northwest Science (82) 199-210
An increase in ungulate population size potentially exposes aspen suckers, saplings, and trees to increased use. This study examined how stem height and girth influenced the selection of stems by ungulates for browsing, rubbing, and gnawing, and reconstructed the history of ungulate use for the study area. Transects were run...
Using open hole and cased-hole resistivity logs to monitor gas hydrate dissociation during a thermal test in the mallik 5L-38 research well, Mackenzie Delta, Canada
B.I. Anderson, T. S. Collett, R.E. Lewis, I. Dubourg
2008, Conference Paper, Petrophysics
Gas hydrates, which are naturally occurring ice-like combinations of gas and water, have the potential to provide vast amounts of natural gas from the world's oceans and polar regions. However, producing gas economically from hydrates entails major technical challenges. Proposed recovery methods such as dissociating or melting gas hydrates by...
Radiometric calibration stability and inter-calibration of solar-band instruments in orbit using the moon
T.C. Stone
2008, Conference Paper, Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
With the increased emphasis on monitoring the Earth's climate from space, more stringent calibration requirements are being placed on the data products from remote sensing satellite instruments. Among these are stability over decade-length time scales and consistency across sensors and platforms. For radiometer instruments in the solar reflectance wavelength range...
Fate and transport of pesticides in the ground water systems of southwest Georgia, 1993-2005
M.S. Dalton, E. A. Frick
2008, Conference Paper, Journal of Environmental Quality
Modern agricultural practices in the United States have resulted in nearly unrivaled efficiency and productivity. Unfortunately, there is also the potential for release of these compounds to the environment and consequent adverse affects on wildlife and human populations. Since 1993, the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program of the U.S. Geological...
Revisiting classic water erosion models in drylands: The strong impact of biological soil crusts
M. A. Bowker, J. Belnap, Bala V. Chaudhary, N.C. Johnson
2008, Soil Biology and Biochemistry (40) 2309-2316
Soil erosion and subsequent degradation has been a contributor to societal collapse in the past and is one of the major expressions of desertification in arid regions. The revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) models soil lost to water erosion as a function of climate erosivity (the degree to which...
Seismic hazard in the Istanbul metropolitan area: A preliminary re-evaluation
E. Kalkan, Polat Gulkan, N.Y. Ozturk, M. Çelebi
2008, Journal of Earthquake Engineering (12) 151-164
In 1999, two destructive earthquakes (M7.4 Kocaeli and M7.2 Duzce) occurred in the north west of Turkey and resulted in major stress-drops on the western segment of the North Anatolian Fault system where it continues under the Marmara Sea. These undersea fault segments were recently explored using bathymetric and reflection...
Deformation and stress-change modeling at Sierra Negra volcano, Galapagos, from ENVISAT INSAR and GPS observations
Sigurjon Jonsson, W.W. Chadwick, Michael Poland, D. Geist
2008, Conference Paper, European Space Agency, (Special Publication) ESA SP
We use radar interferograms and GPS observations to constrain models of magma accumulation and faulting at Sierra Negra volcano, Galápagos, during the years before its 2005 eruption. The data have shown ~5 m of pre-eruption uplift and multiple trapdoor faulting events on an intra-caldera fault system. We find the...
