2015 Volcanic activity in Alaska—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
James P. Dixon, Cheryl E. Cameron, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Kristi L. Wallace
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5104
The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, and seismic events at 14 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2015. The most notable volcanic activity consisted of continuing intermittent ash eruptions from Cleveland and Shishaldin volcanoes in the Aleutian Islands. Two eruptive episodes, at Veniaminof and...
Phytoforensics—Using trees to find contamination
Jordan L. Wilson
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3076
The water we drink, air we breathe, and soil we come into contact with have the potential to adversely affect our health because of contaminants in the environment. Environmental samples can characterize the extent of potential contamination, but traditional methods for collecting water, air, and soil samples below the ground...
An evaluation of the efficacy of using environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas)
Brian J. Halstead, Dustin A. Wood, Lizabeth Bowen, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, Amy G. Vandergast, Julia S. Ersan, Shannon M. Skalos, Michael L. Casazza
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1123
Detecting populations of rare or cryptic species is essential for their conservation. For species like giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas), conventional survey methods can be expensive and inefficient. These sampling difficulties might be overcome by modern techniques that detect deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) shed by organisms into the environment (eDNA). We evaluated...
Minimizing effects of methodological decisions on interpretation and prediction in species distribution studies: An example with background selection
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Marian Talbert, Jeffrey T. Morisette, Cameron L. Aldridge, Cynthia Brown, Sunil Kumar, Daniel J. Manier, Colin Talbert, Tracy R. Holcombe
2017, Ecological Modelling (363) 48-56
Evaluating the conditions where a species can persist is an important question in ecology both to understand tolerances of organisms and to predict distributions across landscapes. Presence data combined with background or pseudo-absence locations are commonly used with species distribution modeling to develop these relationships. However, there is not a...
Riparian plant composition along hydrologic gradients in a dryland river basin and implications for a warming climate
Lindsay Reynolds, Patrick B. Shafroth
2017, Ecohydrology (10) 1-13
Droughts in dryland regions on all continents are expected to increase in severity and duration under future climate projections. In dryland regions, it is likely that minimum streamflow will decrease with some perennial streams shifting to intermittent flow under climate-driven changes in precipitation and runoff and increases in temperature. Decreasing...
Burrow dusting or oral vaccination prevents plague-associated prairie dog colony collapse
Daniel W. Tripp, Tonie E. Rocke, Jonathan P. Runge, Rachel C. Abbott, Michael W. Miller
2017, EcoHealth (14) 451-462
Plague impacts prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), the endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) and other sensitive wildlife species. We compared efficacy of prophylactic treatments (burrow dusting with deltamethrin or oral vaccination with recombinant “sylvatic plague vaccine” [RCN-F1/V307]) to placebo treatment in black-tailed prairie dog (C. ludovicianus)...
Assessing U.S. coal resources and reserves
Brian N. Shaffer
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3067
The U.S. Coal Resources and Reserves Assessment Project, as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program, conducts systematic, geology-based, regional assessments of significant coal beds in major coal basins in the United States. These assessments detail the quantity, quality, location, and economic potential of the Nation’s remaining...
Geologic assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the Lower Paleogene Midway and Wilcox Groups, and the Carrizo Sand of the Claiborne Group, of the Northern Gulf coast region
Peter D. Warwick
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1111
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently conducted an assessment of the undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas potential of Tertiary strata underlying the onshore areas and State waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico coastal region. The assessment was based on a number of geologic elements including an evaluation of...
Refining the cheatgrass–fire cycle in the Great Basin: Precipitation timing and fine fuel composition predict wildfire trends
David S. Pilliod, Justin L. Welty, Robert Arkle
2017, Ecology and Evolution (7) 8126-8151
Larger, more frequent wildfires in arid and semi-arid ecosystems have been associated with invasion by non-native annual grasses, yet a complete understanding of fine fuel development and subsequent wildfire trends is lacking. We investigated the complex relationships among weather, fine fuels, and fire in the Great Basin, USA. We first...
Groundwater quality in the Yuba River and Bear River Watersheds, Sierra Nevada, California
Miranda S. Fram, Monica Jasper, Kimberly A. Taylor
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1115
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The GAMA Program’s Priority Basin Project assesses the quality of groundwater resources used for drinking water supply and increases public access to...
Contaminants of emerging concern in tributaries to the Laurentian Great Lakes: II. Biological consequences of exposure
Linnea M. Thomas, Zachary G. Jorgenson, Mark E. Brigham, Steven J. Choy, Jeremy N. Moore, Jo A. Banda, D.J. Gefell, Thomas A. Minarik, Heiko L. Schoenfuss
2017, PLoS ONE (12)
The Laurentian Great Lakes contain one fifth of the world’s surface freshwater and have been impacted by human activity since the Industrial Revolution. In addition to legacy contaminants, nitrification and invasive species, this aquatic ecosystem is also the recipient of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) with poorly understood biological consequences....
A review of surface energy balance models for estimating actual evapotranspiration with remote sensing at high spatiotemporal resolution over large extents
Ryan R. McShane, Katelyn P. Driscoll, Roy Sando
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5087
Many approaches have been developed for measuring or estimating actual evapotranspiration (ETa), and research over many years has led to the development of remote sensing methods that are reliably reproducible and effective in estimating ETa. Several remote sensing methods can be used to estimate ETa at the high spatial resolution...
USGS microbiome research
Christina A. Kellogg, M. Camille Hopkins
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3074
Microbiomes are the communities of microorganisms (for example, bacteria, viruses, and fungi) that live on, in, and around people, plants, animals, soil, water, and the atmosphere. Microbiomes are active in the functioning of diverse ecosystems, for instance, by influencing water quality, nutrient acquisition and stress tolerance in plants, and stability...
Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina—Summary of monitoring activities, quality assurance, and data, October 2013–September 2015
C.A. Pfeifle, J.L. Cain, R.B. Rasmussen
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1068
Surface-water supplies are important sources of drinking water for residents in the Triangle area of North Carolina, which is located within the upper Cape Fear and Neuse River Basins. Since 1988, the U.S. Geological Survey and a consortium of local governments have tracked water-quality conditions and trends in several of...
Analysis of seafloor change around Dauphin Island, Alabama, 1987–2015
James G. Flocks, Nancy T. DeWitt, Chelsea A. Stalk
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1112
Dauphin Island is a 26-km-long barrier island located southwest of Mobile Bay, Alabama, in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. The island contains sandy beaches, dunes, maritime forests, freshwater ponds and intertidal wetlands, providing habitat for many endangered and threatened species. Dauphin Island also provides protection for and maintains estuarine conditions...
Bathymetric surveys of the Neosho River, Spring River, and Elk River, northeastern Oklahoma and southwestern Missouri, 2016–17
Shelby L. Hunter, Chad E. Ashworth, S. Jerrod Smith
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5101
In February 2017, the Grand River Dam Authority filed to relicense the Pensacola Hydroelectric Project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The predominant feature of the Pensacola Hydroelectric Project is Pensacola Dam, which impounds Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees (locally called Grand Lake) in northeastern Oklahoma. Identification of information gaps...
Bathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers near St. Louis, Missouri, May 23–27, 2016
Richard J. Huizinga
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5076
Bathymetric and velocimetric data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Transportation, near 13 bridges at 8 highway crossings of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers in the greater St. Louis, Missouri, area from May 23 to 27, 2016. A multibeam echosounder mapping system...
Field manual for identifying and preserving high-water mark data
Toby D. Feaster, Todd A. Koenig
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1105
This field manual provides general guidance for identifying and collecting high-water marks and is meant to be used by field personnel as a quick reference. The field manual describes purposes for collecting and documenting high-water marks along with the most common types of high-water marks. The manual provides a list...
Streamflow of 2016—Water year summary
Xiaodong Jian, David M. Wolock, Harry F. Lins, Steven J. Brady
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3063
The maps and graphs in this summary describe national streamflow conditions for water year 2016 (October 1, 2015, to September 30, 2016) in the context of streamflow ranks relative to the 87-year period of 1930–2016, unless otherwise noted. The illustrations are based on observed data from the U.S. Geological Survey’s...
The influence of soil resources and plant traits on invasion and restoration in a subtropical woodland
Stephanie G. Yelenik, Carla M. D’Antonio, Elizabeth August-Schmidt
2017, Plant Ecology (218) 1149-1161
It has been shown in some cases that nitrogen (N) addition to soil will increase abundance of plant invaders because many invaders have traits that promote rapid growth in response to high resource supply. Similarly, it has been suggested, and sometimes shown, that decreasing soil N via carbon (C) additions...
Introduced American Bullfrog distribution and diets in Grand Teton National Park
Lauren M Flynn, Tess Marie Kreofsky, Adam J. Sepulveda
2017, Northwest Science (3) 244-256
Introduced American Bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) have been present in Grand Teton National Park since approximately the 1950s, but little is known about their distribution and potential impacts. In this study, we surveyed the current bullfrog distribution and spatial overlap with sympatric native amphibians in the park, and characterized post-metamorphic bullfrog...
Coming to terms about describing Golden Eagle reproduction
Karen Steenhof, Michael N. Kochert, Carol L. McIntyre, Jessi L. Brown
2017, Journal of Raptor Research (51) 378-390
Clearly defined terms are essential for reporting and understanding research findings, and inconsistent terminology can complicate efforts to compare findings from different studies. In this article, we reiterate and clarify recommended terms for describing Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) territory occupancy and reproduction. Several authors have provided recommendations for reporting data...
Refining fault slip rates using multiple displaced terrace risers-An example from the Honey Lake fault, NE California, USA
Ryan D. Gold, Richard W. Briggs, Anthony J. Crone, Christopher DuRoss
2017, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (477) 134-146
Faulted terrace risers are semi-planar features commonly used to constrain Quaternary slip rates along strike-slip faults. These landforms are difficult to date directly and therefore their ages are commonly bracketed by age estimates of the adjacent upper and lower terrace surfaces. However, substantial differences in the ages of the upper and lower terrace...
Projecting impacts of climate change on water availability using artificial neural network techniques
Eric D. Swain, Julieta Gomez-Fragoso, Sigfredo Torres-Gonzalez
2017, Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management (143)
Lago Loíza reservoir in east-central Puerto Rico is one of the primary sources of public water supply for the San Juan metropolitan area. To evaluate and predict the Lago Loíza water budget, an artificial neural network (ANN) technique is trained to predict river inflows. A method is...
Semipermanent GPS (SPGPS) as a volcano monitoring tool: Rationale, method, and applications
Daniel Dzurisin, Michael Lisowski, Charles W. Wicks Jr.
2017, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (344) 40-51
Semipermanent GPS (SPGPS) is an alternative to conventional campaign or survey-mode GPS (SGPS) and to continuous GPS (CGPS) that offers several advantages for monitoring ground deformation. Unlike CGPS installations, SPGPS stations can be deployed quickly in response to changing volcanic conditions or earthquake activity such as a swarm or aftershock...
