Pleistocene glaciation of the Jackson Hole area, Wyoming
Kenneth L. Pierce, Joseph M. Licciardi, John M. Good, Cheryl Jaworowski
2018, Professional Paper 1835
Pleistocene glaciations and late Cenozoic offset on the Teton fault have played central roles in shaping the scenic landscapes of the Teton Range and Jackson Hole area in Wyoming. The Teton Range harbored a system of mountain-valley glaciers that produced the striking geomorphic features in these mountains. However, the comparatively...
Flood-inundation maps for the Patoka River in and near Jasper, southwestern Indiana
Kathleen K. Fowler
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5138
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 9.5-mile reach of the Patoka River in and near the city of Jasper, southwestern Indiana (Ind.), from the streamgage near County Road North 175 East, downstream to State Road 162, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Department of...
Determining mineralogical variations of aeolian deposits using thermal infrared emissivity and linear deconvolution methods
Bernard E. Hubbard, Donald M. Hooper, Federico Solano, John C. Mars
2018, Aeolian Research (30) 54-96
We apply linear deconvolution methods to derive mineral and glass proportions for eight field sample training sites at seven dune fields: (1) Algodones, California; (2) Big Dune, Nevada; (3) Bruneau, Idaho; (4) Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, Alaska; (5) Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado; (6) Sunset Crater, Arizona;...
International migration patterns of Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) from four breeding populations in Alaska
Sarah E. McCloskey, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Joel A. Schmutz, Thomas F. Fondell
2018, PLoS ONE (13) 1-15
Identifying post-breeding migration and wintering distributions of migratory birds is important for understanding factors that may drive population dynamics. Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) are widely distributed across Alaska and currently have varying population trends, including some populations with recent periods of decline. To investigate population differentiation and the location of...
River otter distribution in Nebraska
N. R. Bieber, S. P. Wilson, Craig R. Allen
2018, Wildlife Society Bulletin (42) 136-143
The river otter (Lontra canadensis) was extirpated from Nebraska, USA, in the early 1900s and reintroduced starting in 1986. Information is needed regarding the distribution of river otters in Nebraska before decisions can be made regarding its conservation status. Understanding distribution of a species is critically important for effective management....
River otter distribution in Nebraska
N.R. Bieber, S.P. Wilson, Craig R. Allen
2018, Wildlife Society Bulletin (42) 136-143
The river otter (Lontra canadensis) was extirpated from Nebraska, USA, in the early 1900s and reintroduced starting in 1986. Information is needed regarding the distribution of river otters in Nebraska before decisions can be made regarding its conservation status. Understanding distribution of a species is critically important for effective management....
Extreme-event geoelectric hazard maps: Chapter 9
Jeffrey J. Love, Paul A. Bedrosian
2018, Book chapter, Extreme events in geospace
Maps of geoelectric amplitude covering about half the continental United States are presented that will be exceeded, on average, once per century in response to an extreme-intensity geomagnetic disturbance. These maps are constructed using an empirical parameterization of induction: convolving latitude-dependent statistical maps of extreme-value geomagnetic disturbances, obtained from decades...
High resolution water body mapping for SWAT evaporative modelling in the Upper Oconee watershed of Georgia, USA
Amber R. Ignatius, John W. Jones
2018, Hydrological Processes (32) 51-65
Technological improvements in remote sensing and geographic information systems have demonstrated the abundance of artificially constructed water bodies across the landscape. Although research has shown the ubiquity of small ponds globally, and in the southeastern United States in particular, their cumulative impact in terms of evaporative alteration is less well...
Barataria and Terrebonne Bays: Chapter F in Emergent wetlands status and trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico: 1950-2010
Lawrence Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Mirka Zapletal, Cindy A. Thatcher, William R. Jones, Scott A. Wilson
2018, Report, Emergent Wetlands Status and Trends in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: 1950-2010 report
The study area included in the Barataria and Terrebonne Bays vignette of southeastern Louisiana spans eastward from Terrebonne Bay to Barataria Bay (Figure 1) and includes portions of Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Charles, Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard Parishes. This area falls between the Mississippi River on the east and northeast, extends down through...
Strain partitioning in southeastern Alaska: Is the Chatham Strait Fault active?
Daniel S. Brothers, Julie L. Elliott, James E. Conrad, Peter J. Haeussler, Jared W. Kluesner
2018, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (481) 362-371
A 1200 km-long transform plate boundary passes through southeastern Alaska and northwestern British Columbia and represents one of the most seismically active, but poorly understood continental margins of North America. Although most of the plate motion is accommodated by the right-lateral Queen Charlotte–Fairweather Fault (QCFF) System, which has produced at least...
Lead and strontium isotopes as monitors of anthropogenic contaminants in the surficial environment
Robert A. Ayuso, Nora K. Foley
2018, Book chapter, Environmental Geochemistry
Isotopic discrimination can be an effective tool in establishing a direct link between sources of Pb contamination and the presence of anomalously high concentrations of Pb in waters, soils, and organisms. Residential wells supplying water containing up to 1600 ppb Pb to houses built on the former Mohr orchards commercial site,...
Sequence stratigraphy, seismic stratigraphy, and seismic structures of the lower intermediate confining unit and most of the Floridan aquifer system, Broward County, Florida
Kevin J. Cunningham, Jared W. Kluesner, Richard L. Westcott, Edward Robinson, Cameron Walker, Shakira A. Khan
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5109
Deep well injection and disposal of treated wastewater into the highly transmissive saline Boulder Zone in the lower part of the Floridan aquifer system began in 1971. The zone of injection is a highly transmissive hydrogeologic unit, the Boulder Zone, in the lower part of the Floridan aquifer system. Since...
Numerical modeling of salt marsh morphological change induced by Hurricane Sandy
Kelin Hu, Q. Chen, Hongqing Wang, Ellen K. Hartig, Philip M. Orton
2018, Coastal Engineering (132) 63-81
The salt marshes of Jamaica Bay serve as a recreational outlet for New York City residents, mitigate wave impacts during coastal storms, and provide habitat for critical wildlife species. Hurricanes have been recognized as one of the critical drivers of coastal wetland morphology due to their effects on hydrodynamics and...
Mapping of compositional properties of coal using isometric log-ratio transformation and sequential Gaussian simulation – A comparative study for spatial ultimate analyses data
C. Ozgen Karacan, Ricardo A. Olea
2018, Journal of Geochemical Exploration (186) 36-49
Chemical properties of coal largely determine coal handling, processing, beneficiation methods, and design of coal-fired power plants. Furthermore, these properties impact coal strength, coal blending during mining, as well as coal's gas content, which is important for mining safety. In order for these processes and quantitative predictions to be successful, safer, and...
Predicting intensity of white-tailed deer herbivory in the Central Appalachian Mountains
Andrew B. Kniowski, W. Mark Ford
2018, Journal of Forestry Research (29) 841-850
In eastern North America, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can have profound influences on forest biodiversity and forest successional processes. Moderate to high deer populations in the central Appalachians have resulted in lower forest biodiversity. Legacy effects in some areas persist even following deer population reductions or declines. This...
Catchment-scale determinants of nonindigenous minnow richness in the eastern United States
Brandon K. Peoples, Stephen R. Midway, Jefferson T. DeWeber, Tyler Wagner
2018, Ecology of Freshwater Fish (27) 138-145
Understanding the drivers of biological invasions is critical for preserving aquatic biodiversity. Stream fishes make excellent model taxa for examining mechanisms driving species introduction success because their distributions are naturally limited by catchment boundaries. In this study, we compared the relative importance of catchment-scale abiotic and biotic predictors of native...
Overview of a comprehensive resource database for the assessment of recoverable hydrocarbons produced by carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery
Marshall Carolus, Khosrow Biglarbigi, Peter D. Warwick, Emil D. Attanasi, Philip A. Freeman, Celeste D. Lohr
2018, Techniques and Methods 7-C16
A database called the “Comprehensive Resource Database” (CRD) was prepared to support U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessments of technically recoverable hydrocarbons that might result from the injection of miscible or immiscible carbon dioxide (CO2) for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The CRD was designed by INTEK Inc., a consulting company under...
Research note: Mapping spatial patterns in sewer age, material, and proximity to surface waterways to infer sewer leakage hotspots
Kristina G. Hopkins, Daniel J. Bain
2018, Landscape and Urban Planning (170) 320-324
Identifying areas where deteriorating sewer infrastructure is in close proximity to surface waterways is needed to map likely connections between sewers and streams. We present a method to estimate sewer installation year and deterioration status using historical maps of the sewer network, parcel-scale property assessment data, and pipe material. Areas...
Meteorological and environmental variables affect flight behaviour and decision-making of an obligate soaring bird, the California Condor Gymnogyps californianus
Sharon A. Poessel, Joseph Brandt, Tricia A. Miller, Todd E. Katzner
2018, Ibis (160) 36-53
The movements of animals are limited by evolutionary constraints and ecological processes and are strongly influenced by the medium through which they travel. For flying animals, variation in atmospheric conditions is critically influential in movement. Obligate soaring birds depend on external sources of updraft more than do other flying species,...
Soil base saturation combines with Beech Bark Disease to influence composition and structure of Sugar Maple-Beech forests in an acid rain-impacted region
Gregory B. Lawrence, Todd C. McDonnell, Timothy J. Sullivan, Martin Dovciak, Scott W. Bailey, Michael R. Antidormi, Michael R. Zarfos
2018, Ecosystems (21) 795-810
Sugar maple, an abundant and highly valued tree species in eastern North America, has experienced decline from soil calcium (Ca) depletion by acidic deposition, while beech, which often coexists with sugar maple, has been afflicted with beech bark disease (BBD) over the same period. To investigate how variations in soil...
A detailed risk assessment of shale gas development on headwater streams in the Pennsylvania portion of the Upper Susquehanna River Basin, U.S.A.
Kelly O. Maloney, John A. Young, Stephen Faulkner, Atesmachew Hailegiorgis, E. Terrence Slonecker, Lesley Milheim
2018, Science of the Total Environment (610-611) 154-166
The development of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) involves infrastructure development (well pads, roads and pipelines), well drilling and stimulation (hydraulic fracturing), and production; all of which have the potential to affect stream ecosystems. Here, we developed a fine-scaled (1:24,000) catchment-level disturbance intensity index (DII) that included 17 measures of...
The influence of data characteristics on detecting wetland/stream surface-water connections in the Delmarva Peninsula, Maryland and Delaware
Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Hayley Distler, Megan W. Lang, Laurie C. Alexander
2018, Wetlands Ecology and Management (26) 63-86
The dependence of downstream waters on upstream ecosystems necessitates an improved understanding of watershed-scale hydrological interactions including connections between wetlands and streams. An evaluation of such connections is challenging when, (1) accurate and complete datasets of wetland and stream locations are often not available and (2) natural variability in surface-water...
Focused seismicity triggered by flank instability on Kīlauea's Southwest Rift Zone
Josiah Judson, Weston Thelen, Tim Greenfield, Robert G. White
2018, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (353) 95-101
Swarms of earthquakes at the head of the Southwest Rift Zone on Kīlauea Volcano, Hawaiʻi, reveal an interaction of normal and strike-slip faulting associated with movement of Kīlauea's south flank. A relocated subset of earthquakes between January 2012 and August 2014...
Quality of water from crystalline rock aquifers in New England, New Jersey, and New York, 1995-2007
Sarah M. Flanagan, Joseph D. Ayotte, Gilpin R. Robinson Jr.
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5220
Crystalline bedrock aquifers in New England and parts of New Jersey and New York (NECR aquifers) are a major source of drinking water. Because the quality of water in these aquifers is highly variable, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) statistically analyzed chemical data on samples of untreated groundwater collected from...
Evaluation of the Source and Transport of High Nitrate Concentrations in Ground Water, Warren Subbasin, California
Tracy Nishikawa, Jill N. Densmore, Peter Martin, Jonathan C. Matti
2018, Water-Resources Investigations Report 2003-4009
Ground water historically has been the sole source of water supply for the Town of Yucca Valley in the Warren subbasin of the Morongo ground-water basin, California. An imbalance between ground-water recharge and pumpage caused ground-water levels in the subbasin to decline by as much as 300 feet from the...
