Biocrust ecology: Unifying micro- and macro-scales to confront global change
Scott Ferrenberg, Sasha C. Reed
2017, New Phytologist (216) 643-646
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are communities of microbes, lichens and bryophytes living at the soil surface in drylands (Fig. 1; Belnap et al., 2016). Biocrusts occur on all continents and can comprise a majority of cover in some systems (Belnap et al., 2016). While species diversity and distributions have long...
Groundwater data collection for the Quinault Indian Nation, Grays Harbor and Jefferson Counties, Washington
Sue C. Kahle, Elisabeth T. Fasser, Theresa D. Olsen
2017, Data Series 1071
Groundwater data were collected on the Quinault Indian Reservation to provide the Quinualt Indian Nation (QIN) with basic knowledge of the existing wells and springs on the reservation, and to establish a water-level network to be monitored by QIN to begin building a long-term groundwater dataset. The 327 mi2...
Oiling accelerates loss of salt marshes, southeastern Louisiana
Michael Beland, Trent W. Biggs, Dar A. Roberts, Seth H. Peterson, Raymond F. Kokaly, Sarai Piazza
2017, PLoS ONE (12)
The 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill damaged thousands of km2 of intertidal marsh along shorelines that had been experiencing elevated rates of erosion for decades. Yet, the contribution of marsh oiling to landscape-scale degradation and subsequent land loss has been difficult to quantify. Here, we applied advanced remote...
Taphonomic problems in reconstructing sea-level history from the late Quaternary marine terraces of Barbados
Daniel R. Muhs, Kathleen R. Simmons
2017, Quaternary Research (88) 409-429
Although uranium series (U-series) ages of growth-position fossil corals are important to Quaternary sea-level history, coral clast reworking from storms can yield ages on a terrace dating to more than one high-sea stand, confounding interpretations of sea-level history. On northern Barbados, U-series ages corals from a thick storm deposit are...
Reply to ‘Marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise’
Matthew L. Kirwan, Stijn Temmerman, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Sergio Fagherazzi
2017, Nature Climate Change (7) 756-757
Response to Parkinson et al. Rebuttal of Kirwan, M. L., Temmerman, S., Skeehan, E. E., Guntenspergen, G. R.,& Fagherazzi, S. (2016). Overestimation of marsh vulnerability to sea level rise. Nature Climate Change, 6(3):253-2601....
Vulnerable transportation and utility assets near actively migrating streams in Indiana
Benjamin J. Sperl
2017, Data Series 1068
An investigation was completed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs that found 1,132 transportation and utility assets in Indiana are vulnerable to fluvial erosion hazards due to close proximity to actively migrating streams. Locations of transportation assets (bridges, roadways, and...
Monitoring storm tide and flooding from Hurricane Matthew along the Atlantic coast of the United States, October 2016
Eric R. Frantz, Michael J. Byrne Sr., Andral W. Caldwell, Stephen L. Harden
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1122
IntroductionHurricane Matthew moved adjacent to the coasts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The hurricane made landfall once near McClellanville, South Carolina, on October 8, 2016, as a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) deployed a temporary monitoring network of...
Towards a comprehensive water quality modeling of Barnegat Bay: Development of ROMS to WASP Coupler
Zafer Define, Frederick J. Spitz, Vincent T. DePaul, Tim A. Wool
2017, Journal of Coastal Research (78) 34-45
The Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) has been coupled with the Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP) to be used in a comprehensive analysis of water quality in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. The coupler can spatially aggregate hydrodynamic information in ROMS cells into larger WASP segments. It can also be...
Patterns of spatial distribution of golden eagles across North America: How do they fit into existing landscape-scale mapping systems?
Jessi L. Brown, Bryan Bedrosian, Douglas A. Bell, Melissa A. Braham, Jeff Cooper, Ross H. Crandall, Joe DiDonato, Robert Domenech, Adam E. Duerr, Todd E. Katzner, Michael J. Lanzone, David W. LaPlante, Carol L. McIntyre, Tricia A. Miller, Robert K. Murphy, Adam Shreading, Steven J. Slater, Jeff P. Smith, Brian W. Smith, James W. Watson, Brian Woodbridge
2017, Journal of Raptor Research (51) 197-215
Conserving wide-ranging animals requires knowledge about their year-round movements and resource use. Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) exhibit a wide range of movement patterns across North America. We combined tracking data from 571 Golden Eagles from multiple independent satellite-telemetry projects from North America to provide a comprehensive look at the magnitude...
Home range, den selection and habitat use of Carolina northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus)
Corinne A. Diggins, Alexander Silvis, Christine A. Kelly, W. Mark Ford
2017, Wildlife Research (44) 427-237
Context: Understanding habitat selection is important for determining conservation and management strategies for endangered species. The Carolina northern flying squirrel (CNFS; Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus) is an endangered subspecies found in the high-elevation montane forests of the southern Appalachians, USA. The primary use of nest boxes to monitor CNFS has provided...
The 3D Elevation Program national indexing scheme
Cindy A. Thatcher, Hans Karl Heidemann, Jason M. Stoker, Diane F. Eldridge
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3073
The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) acquires high-resolution elevation data for the Nation. This program has been operating under an opportunity-oriented approach, acquiring light detection and ranging (lidar) projects of varying sizes scattered across the United States. As a result, the national 3DEP elevation layer...
Flood-inundation maps for the White River at Noblesville, Indiana
Zachary W. Martin
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5123
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 7.5-mile reach of the White River at Noblesville, Indiana, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Transportation. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science website at https://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/, depict...
Transgressive-regressive cycles in the metalliferous, oil-shale-bearing Heath Formation (Upper Mississippian), central Montana
Julie A. Dumoulin, Craig A. Johnson, Karen D. Kelley, Palma J. Botterell, Paul C. Hackley, Clint Scott, John F. Slack
2017, Stratigraphy (14) 97-122
The Upper Mississippian Heath Formation, which accumulated in the Big Snowy Trough of central Montana, has been known for three decades to contain mudrocks highly enriched in Zn, V, Mo, Ni and other metals, and source rocks for oil. The unit has more recently been recognized as a prospective tight...
Synopsis of the Fourth International Percid Fishes Symposia
Brian Schmidt, Dana Castle, Edward F. Roseman, Toomas Saat, Hannu Lehtonen
2017, Fisheries (42) 567-570
Percids play an integral role in food webs and freshwater fisheries of the world. Anthropogenic stressors such as pollution, overfishing, invasive species, and climate change threaten percid diversity and the sustainability of economically important fisher-ies. The International Percid Fish...
Before and after retrofit behavior and performance of a 55-story tall building inferred from distant earthquake and ambient vibration data
Mehmet Celebi, Toshihide Kashima, S. Farid Ghahari, Shin Koyama, Ertuğrul Taciroğlu, Izuru Okawa
2017, Earthquake Spectra (33) 1599-1626
A sparsely instrumented 55-story building in Osaka, Japan had recorded unprecedented, severe and long-duration long-period resonating responses during the March 11, 2011 M9.0 Tohoku earthquake that occurred at 767 km distance. Thereafter, studies of the records resulted in implementation of a significant retrofit design, comprising dampers and buckling restrained braces...
Observationally constrained surface mass balance of Larsen C ice shelf, Antarctica
Peter Kuipers Munneke, Daniel Mcgrath, Brooke Medley, Adrian Luckman, Suzanne Bevan, Bernd Kulessa, Daniela Jansen, Adam Booth, Paul Smeets, B. Hubbard, David Ashmore, Michiel Van den Broeke, Heidi Sevestre, K. Steffen, Andrew Shepard, Noel Gourmelen
2017, The Cryosphere (11) 2411-2426
The surface mass balance (SMB) of the Larsen C ice shelf (LCIS), Antarctica, is poorly constrained due to a dearth of in situ observations. Combining several geophysical techniques, we reconstruct spatial and temporal patterns of SMB over the LCIS. Continuous time series of snow height (2.5–6 years) at five locations allow...
Before and after retrofit behavior and performance of a 55-story tall building inferred from distant earthquake and ambient vibration data
Mehmet Celebi, Toshihide Kashima, S. F. Ghahari, Shin Koyama, Ertugrul Tacirogle, Izuru Okawa
2017, Earthquake Spectra (33) 1599-1626
A sparsely instrumented 55-story building in Osaka, Japan, had recorded unprecedented, severe, and long-duration, long-period resonating responses during the 11 March 2011 M9.0 Tohoku earthquake that occurred at 767 km distance. Thereafter, studies of the records resulted in the implementation of a significant retrofit design, comprising dampers and buckling restrained...
Assessing the risk of non-native marine species in the Bering Sea
Jesika Reimer, Amanda Droghini, Anthony S. Fischbach, Jordan Watson, Bonnie Bernard, Aaron Poe
2017, Report
Invasive species are one of the leading global conservation concerns, which can have strong, negative impacts on ecosystems, vulnerable species, and valuable natural resources. Arctic regions have experienced a relatively low number of biological introductions to date. Their geographical remoteness, cold waters, and presence of sea ice present challenging conditions...
Predicting outcomes of restored Everglades high flow: A model system for scientifically managed floodplains
Jay Choi, Judson Harvey
2017, Restoration Ecology (25) S39-S47
Restoration of higher flows through the Everglades is intended to reestablish sheetflow to rebuild a well-functioning ridge and slough landscape that supports a productive and diverse ecosystem. Our objective of the study was to use hydrologic simulations and biophysical analysis to predict restoration outcomes for five major subbasins of the...
Refined conservation strategies for Golden-winged Warblers in the West Virginia highlands with implications for the broader avian community
Kyle R. Aldinger, Petra B. Wood, Catherine M. Johnson
2017, The Condor (119) 762-786
Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) populations in the Appalachian Mountains region of North America are imperiled, warranting species-specific conservation. However, management for Golden-winged Warblers can affect both early-successional and forest species, many of which are also declining in the region. We conducted point counts in sites representing a range of successional...
Variation in abundance of Pacific Blue Mussel (Mytilus trossulus) in the Northern Gulf of Alaska, 2006–2015
James L. Bodkin, Heather A. Coletti, Brenda E. Ballachey, Daniel Monson, Daniel Esler, Thomas A. Dean
2017, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography (147) 87-97
Mussels are conspicuous and ecologically important components of nearshore marine communities around the globe. Pacific blue mussels (Mytilus trossulus) are common residents of intertidal habitats in protected waters of the North Pacific, serving as a conduit of primary production to a wide range of nearshore consumers including predatory invertebrates, sea...
Updated polychlorinated biphenyl mass budget for Lake Michigan
Jiehong Guo, Kevin Romanak, Stephen M. Westenbroek, An Li, Russell Kreis, Ronald A. Hites, Marta Venier
2017, Environmental Science & Technology (51) 12455-12465
This study revisits and updates the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Project (LMMBP) for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that was conducted in 1994–1995. This work uses recent concentrations of PCBs in tributary and open lake water, air, and sediment to calculate an updated mass budget. Five of the 11 LMMBP tributaries were...
Perspectives on chemical oceanography in the 21st century: Participants of the COME ABOARD Meeting examine aspects of the field in the context of 40 years of DISCO
Andrea J. Fassbender, Hilary I. Palevsky, Todd R. Martz, Anitra E. Ingalls, Martha Gledhill, Sarah E. Fawcett, Jay Brandes, Lihini Aluwihare, Robert M. Anderson, Sara Bender, Ed Boyle, Debbie Bronk, Ken Buesseler, David J. Burdige, Karen Casciotti, Hilary Close, Maureen Conte, Greg Cutter, Meg Estapa, Katja Fennel, Sara Ferron, Brian Glazer, Miguel Goni, Max Grand, Chris Guay, Mariko Hatta, Chris Hayes, Tristan Horner, Ellery Ingall, Kenneth G. Johnson, Laurie Juranek, Angela Knapp, Phoebe Lam, George Luther, Paty Matrai, David Nicholson, Adina Paytan, Robert Pellenbarg, Kim Popendorf, Christopher M. Reddy, Kathleen Ruttenberg, Chris Sabine, Frank Sansone, Nayrah Shaltout, Liz Sikes, Eric T. Sundquist, David Valentine, Zhao Wang, Sam Wilson, Pamela Barrett, Melanie Behrens, Anna Belcher, Lauren Biermann, Rene Boiteau, Jennifer Clarke, Jamie Collins, Alysha Coppola, Alina M. Ebling, Fenix Garcia-Tigreros, Johanna Goldman, Elisa F. Guallart, William Haskell, Sarah Hurley, David Janssen, Winn Johnson, Sinikka Lennhartz, Shuting Liu, Shaily Rahman, Daisy Ray, Amit Sarkar, Zvika Steiner, Brittany Widner, Bo Yang
2017, Marine Chemistry (196) 181-190
The questions that chemical oceanographers prioritize over the coming decades, and the methods we use to address these questions, will define our field's contribution to 21st century science. In recognition of this, the U.S. National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration galvanized a community effort (the Chemical Oceanography...
Alternative pathways to landscape transformation: Invasive grasses, burn severity and fire frequency in arid ecosystems
Robert C. Klinger, Matthew L. Brooks
2017, Journal of Ecology (105) 1521-1533
Arid ecosystems are often vulnerable to transformation to invasive-dominated states following fire, but data on persistence of these states are sparse. The grass/fire cycle is a feedback process between invasive annual grasses and fire frequency that often leads to the formation of alternative vegetation states dominated by...
Estimating the high-arsenic domestic-well population in the conterminous United States
Joseph D. Ayotte, Laura Medalie, Sharon L. Qi, Lorraine C. Backer, Bernard T. Nolan
2017, Environmental Science & Technology (51) 12443-12454
Arsenic concentrations from 20 450 domestic wells in the U.S. were used to develop a logistic regression model of the probability of having arsenic >10 μg/L (“high arsenic”), which is presented at the county, state, and national scales. Variables representing geologic sources, geochemical, hydrologic, and physical features were among the significant...
