3-D simulations of M9 earthquakes on the Cascadia Megathrust: Key parameters and uncertainty
Erin Wirth, Arthur D. Frankel, John Vidale, Nasser A. Marafi, William J. Stephenson
2017, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 11th National Conference in Earthquake Engineering
Geologic and historical records indicate that the Cascadia subduction zone is capable of generating large, megathrust earthquakes up to magnitude 9. The last great Cascadia earthquake occurred in 1700, and thus there is no direct measure on the intensity of ground shaking or specific rupture parameters from seismic recordings. We...
Development of a foraging model framework to reliably estimate daily food consumption by young fishes
David Deslauriers, Alex J. Rosburg, Steven R. Chipps
2017, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (74) 1668-1681
We developed a foraging model for young fishes that incorporates handling and digestion rate to estimate daily food consumption. Feeding trials were used to quantify functional feeding response, satiation, and gut evacuation rate. Once parameterized, the foraging model was then applied to evaluate effects of prey type, prey density, water...
CWDPRNP: A tool for cervid prion sequence analysis in program R
William L. Miller, W. David Walter
2017, Bioinformatics (33) 3096-3097
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal, neurological disease caused by an infectious prion protein, which affects economically and ecologically important members of the family Cervidae. Single nucleotide polymorphisms within the prion protein gene have been linked to differential susceptibility to the disease in many species. Wildlife managers are seeking to...
Network analysis of a regional fishery: Implications for management of natural resources, and recruitment and retention of anglers
Dustin R. Martin, Daizaburo Shizuka, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope
2017, Fisheries Research (194) 31-41
Angler groups and water-body types interact to create a complex social-ecological system. Network analysis could inform detailed mechanistic models on, and provide managers better information about, basic patterns of fishing activity. Differences in behavior and reservoir selection among angler groups in a regional fishery, the Salt Valley fishery in southeastern...
Methane in aquifers used for public supply in the United States
Peter B. McMahon, Kenneth Belitz, Jeannie R. B. Barlow, Bryant C. Jurgens
2017, Applied Geochemistry (84) 337-347
In 2013 to 2015, 833 public supply wells in 15 Principal aquifers in the U.S. were sampled to identify which aquifers contained high methane concentrations (>1 mg/L) and determine the geologic, hydrologic, and geochemical conditions associated with high concentrations. This study represents the first national assessment of methane in aquifers used...
Degradation of crude 4-MCHM (4-methylcyclohexanemethanol) in sediments from Elk River, West Virginia
Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Denise M. Akob, Mary Jo Baedecker, Tracey Spencer, Jeanne B. Jaeschke, Darren S. Dunlap, Adam C. Mumford, Amisha T. Poret-Peterson, Douglas B. Chambers
2017, Environmental Science & Technology (51) 12139-12145
In January 2014, approximately 37 800 L of crude 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (crude MCHM) spilled into the Elk River, West Virginia. To understand the long-term fate of 4-MCHM, we conducted experiments under environmentally relevant conditions to assess the potential for the 2 primary compounds in crude MCHM (1) to undergo biodegradation and (2)...
Food-web dynamics and isotopic niches in deep-sea communities residing in a submarine canyon and on the adjacent open slopes
Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Jennifer McClain-Counts, Steve W. Ross, Sandra Brooke, Furu Mienis
2017, Marine Ecology Progress Series (578) 19-33
Examination of food webs and trophic niches provide insights into organisms' functional ecology, yet few studies have examined trophodynamics within submarine canyons, where the interaction of canyon morphology and oceanography influences habitat provision and food deposition. Using stable isotope analysis and Bayesian ellipses, we documented deep-sea food-web structure and trophic...
Dissolved organic matter compositional change and biolability during two storm runoff events in a small sgricultural watershed
Robert S Eckard, Brian A. Pellerin, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Philip A. M. Bachand, Sandra M. Bachand, Robert G. M. Spencer, Peter J. Hernes
2017, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (122) 2634-2650
Agricultural watersheds are globally pervasive, supporting fundamentally different organic matter source, composition, and concentration profiles in comparison to natural systems. Similar to natural systems, agricultural storm runoff exports large amounts of organic carbon from agricultural land into waterways. But intense management of upper soil layers, waterway channelization,...
Tracking riverborne sediment and contaminants in Commencement Bay, Washington, using geochemical signatures
Renee K. Takesue, Kathleen E. Conn, Richard S. Dinicola
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1124
Large rivers carry terrestrial sediment, contaminants, and other materials to the coastal zone where they can affect marine biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems. This U.S. Geological Survey study combined river and marine sediment geochemistry and organic contaminant analyses to identify riverborne sediment and associated contaminants at shoreline sites in Commencement Bay,...
Distribution and abundance of Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus) on the Middle San Luis Rey River, San Diego, southern California—2016 data summary
Lisa D. Allen, Scarlett L. Howell, Barbara E. Kus
2017, Data Series 1065
Executive SummaryWe surveyed for Least Bell’s Vireos (LBVI) (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (SWFL) (Empidonax traillii extimus) along the San Luis Rey River, between College Boulevard in Oceanside and Interstate 15 in Fallbrook, California (middle San Luis Rey River), in 2016. Surveys were done from March 30...
Flood-inundation maps for the Meramec River at Valley Park and at Fenton, Missouri, 2017
Benjamin J. Dietsch, Jacob N. Sappington
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5116
Two sets of digital flood-inundation map libraries that spanned a combined 16.7-mile reach of the Meramec River that extends upstream from Valley Park, Missouri, to downstream from Fenton, Mo., were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District, Missouri...
California sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) census results, Spring 2017
M. Tim Tinker, Brian B. Hatfield
2017, Data Series 1067
The 2017 census of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) was conducted between late April and early July along the mainland coast of central California and in April at San Nicolas Island in southern California. The 3-year average of combined counts from the mainland range and San Nicolas Island...
Skagit River coho salmon life history model—Users’ guide
Andrea Woodward, Grant Kirby, Scott Morris
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1125
Natural resource management is conducted in the context of multiple anthropogenic stressors and is further challenged owing to changing climate. Experiments to determine the effects of climate change on complex ecological systems are nearly impossible. However, using a simulation model to synthesize current understanding of key ecological processes through...
Importance of scale, land cover, and weather on the abundance of bird species in a managed forest
Alexis R. Grinde, Gerald J. Hiemi, Brian R. Sturtevant, Hannah Panci, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Peter Wolter
2017, Forest Ecology and Management (405) 295-308
Climate change and habitat loss are projected to be the two greatest drivers of biodiversity loss over the coming century. While public lands have the potential to increase regional resilience of bird populations to these threats, long-term data are necessary to document species responses to changes in climate and habitat...
Genetic composition and connectivity of the Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) in Panama
Edgardo Diaz-Ferguson, Margaret Hunter, Hector M. Guzman
2017, Aquatic Mammals (43) 378-386
Genetic diversity and haplotype composition of the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) population from the San San Pond Sak wetland in Bocas del Toro, Panama was studied using a segment of mitochondrial DNA (D’loop). No genetic information has been published to date for Panamanian populations. Due to the secretive behavior...
Alligator mississippiensis (American Alligator): Novel non-native prey
Ruth M. Elsey, Eric Ledet, Jacoby Carter
2017, Herpetological Review (48) 627-628
American Alligators are opportunistic predators and their food habits have been well studied (Elsey et al. 1992. Proc. Annu. Conf. Southeast. Assoc. Fish Wildl. Agencies 46:57–66, and references therein and below). Composition of A. mississippiensis diet often varies due to regional limitation in prey availability (Neill 1971. The Last of the...
Contaminants of emerging concern in tributaries to the Laurentian Great Lakes: I. Patterns of occurrence
Sarah M. Elliott, Mark E. Brigham, Kathy Lee, Jo A. Banda, Steven J. Choy, Daniel J. Gefell, Thomas A. Minarik, Jeremy N. Moore, Zachary G. Jorgenson
2017, PLoS ONE (12) 1-21
Human activities introduce a variety of chemicals to the Laurentian Great Lakes including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, flame retardants, plasticizers, and solvents (collectively referred to as contaminants of emerging concern or CECs) potentially threatening the vitality of these valuable ecosystems. We conducted a basin-wide study to identify the presence of CECs and...
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...
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)...
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...
Hydrogeology and simulated groundwater flow and availability in the North Fork Red River aquifer, southwest Oklahoma, 1980–2013
S. Jerrod Smith, John H. Ellis, Derrick L. Wagner, Steven M. Peterson
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5098
On September 8, 1981, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board established regulatory limits on the maximum annual yield of groundwater (343,042 acre-feet per year) and equal-proportionate-share (EPS) pumping rate (1.0 acre-foot per acre per year) for the North Fork Red River aquifer. The maximum annual yield and EPS were based on...
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...
Long-term trends of surface-water mercury and methylmercury concentrations downstream of historic mining within the Carson River watershed
Eric D. Morway, Carl E. Thodal, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale
2017, Environmental Pollution (229) 1006-1018
The Carson River is a vital water resource for local municipalities and migratory birds travelling the Pacific Flyway. Historic mining practices that used mercury (Hg) to extract gold from Comstock Lode ore has left much of the river system heavily contaminated with Hg, a practice that continues in many parts...
