Influence of road network and population demand assumptions in evacuation modeling for distant tsunamis
Kevin Henry, Nathan J. Wood, Tim G. Frazier
2017, Natural Hazards (85) 1665-1687
Tsunami evacuation planning in coastal communities is typically focused on local events where at-risk individuals must move on foot in a matter of minutes to safety. Less attention has been placed on distant tsunamis, where evacuations unfold over several hours, are often dominated by vehicle use and are managed by...
Characterization of streamflow, suspended sediment, and nutrients entering Galveston Bay from the Trinity River, Texas, May 2014–December 2015
Zulimar Lucena, Michael T. Lee
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5177
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Texas Water Development Board and the Galveston Bay Estuary Program, collected streamflow and water-quality data at USGS streamflow-gaging stations in the lower Trinity River watershed from May 2014 to December 2015 to characterize and improve the current understanding of the quantity...
Analysis of trends of water quality and streamflow in the Blackstone, Branch, Pawtuxet, and Pawcatuck Rivers, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, 1979 to 2015
Jennifer G. Savoie, John R. Mullaney, Gardner C. Bent
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5178
Trends in long-term water-quality and streamflow data from six water-quality-monitoring stations within three major river basins in Massachusetts and Rhode Island that flow into Narragansett Bay and Little Narragansett Bay were evaluated for water years 1979–2015. In this study, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Rhode...
Assessment of Permian coalbed gas resources of the Karoo Basin Province, South Africa and Lesotho, 2016
Christopher J. Schenk, Michael E. Brownfield, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Timothy R. Klett, Tracey J. Mercier, Sarah J. Hawkins, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Kristen R. Marra, Thomas M. Finn, Phuong A. Le, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller
2017, Fact Sheet 2016-3103
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 5.27 trillion cubic feet of coalbed gas in the Karoo Basin Province....
Amphibian dynamics in constructed ponds on a wildlife refuge: developing expected responses to hydrological restoration
Blake R. Hossack
2017, Hydrobiologia (790) 23-33
Management actions are based upon predictable responses. To form expected responses to restoration actions, I estimated habitat relationships and trends (2002–2015) for four pond-breeding amphibians on a wildlife refuge (Montana, USA) where changes to restore historical hydrology to the system greatly expanded (≥8 times) the flooded area of the primary...
Long-term fish monitoring in large rivers: Utility of “benchmarking” across basins
David L. Ward, Andrew F. Casper, Timothy D. Counihan, Jennifer M. Bayer, Ian R. Waite, John J. Kosovich, Colin Chapman, Elise R. Irwin, Jennifer S. Sauer, Brian Ickes, Alexa McKerrow
2017, Fisheries (42) 100-114
In business, benchmarking is a widely used practice of comparing your own business processes to those of other comparable companies and incorporating identified best practices to improve performance. Biologists and resource managers designing and conducting monitoring programs for fish in large river systems tend to focus on single river basins...
Species interactions and the effects of climate variability on a wetland amphibian metacommunity
Courtney L. Davis, David A.W. Miller, Susan C. Walls, William J. Barichivich, Jeffrey W. Riley, Mary E. Brown
2017, Ecological Applications (27) 285-296
Disentangling the role that multiple interacting factors have on species responses to shifting climate poses a significant challenge. However, our ability to do so is of utmost importance to predict the effects of climate change on species distributions. We examined how populations of three species of wetland-breeding amphibians, which varied...
Female-biased sex ratio, polygyny, and persistence in the endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus)
Barbara E. Kus, Scarlett L. Howell, Dustin A. Wood
2017, The Condor (119) 17-25
Demographic changes in populations, such as skewed sex ratios, are of concern to conservationists, especially in small populations in which stochastic and other events can produce declines leading to extirpation. We documented a decline in one of the few remaining populations of Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) in southern...
The importance of building construction materials relative to other factors affecting structure survival during wildfire
Alexandra D. Syphard, Teresa J. Brennan, Jon E. Keeley
2017, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (21) 140-147
Structure loss to wildfire is a serious problem in wildland-urban interface areas across the world. Laboratory experiments suggest that fire-resistant building construction and design could be important for reducing structure destruction, but these need to be evaluated under real wildfire conditions, especially relative to other factors. Using empirical data from...
Flammability as an ecological and evolutionary driver
Juli G. Pausas, Jon E. Keeley, Dylan W. Schwilk
2017, Journal of Ecology (105) 289-297
We live on a flammable planet yet there is little consensus on the origin and evolution of flammability in our flora.We argue that part of the problem lies in the concept of flammability, which should not be viewed as a single quantitative trait or metric. Rather, we...
Landslide kinematics and their potential controls from hourly to decadal timescales: Insights from integrating ground-based InSAR measurements with structural maps and long-term monitoring data
William H. Schulz, Jeffrey A. Coe, P.P Ricci, Gregory M. Smoczyk, Brett L Shurtleff, J Panosky
2017, Geomorphology (285) 121-136
Knowledge of kinematics is rudimentary for understanding landslide controls and is increasingly valuable with greater spatiotemporal coverage. However, characterizing landslide-wide kinematics is rare, especially at broadly ranging timescales. We used highly detailed kinematic data obtained using photogrammetry and field mapping during the 1980s and 1990s and our 4.3-day ground-based InSAR...
Molecular characterization of a novel orthomyxovirus from rainbow and steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
William N. Batts, Scott E. LaPatra, Ryan Katona, Eric Leis, Terry Fei Fan Ng, Marine S.O. Bruieuc, Rachel Breyta, Maureen K. Purcell, Thomas B. Waltzek, Eric Delwart, James Winton
2017, Virus Research (230) 38-49
A novel virus, rainbow trout orthomyxovirus (RbtOV), was isolated in 1997 and again in 2000 from commercially-reared rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Idaho, USA. The virus grew optimally in the CHSE-214 cell line at 15°C producing a diffuse cytopathic effect; however, juvenile rainbow trout exposed to cell culture-grown virus showed...
Trophic interactions and consumption rates of subyearling Chinook Salmon and nonnative juvenile American Shad in Columbia River reservoirs
Craig A. Haskell, David A. Beauchamp, Stephen M Bollins
2017, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (146) 291-298
We used a large lampara seine coupled with nonlethal gastric lavage to examine the diets and estimate consumption rates of subyearling Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha during July and August 2013. During August we also examined the diet and consumption rates of juvenile American Shad Alosa sapidissima, a potential competitor of...
Gravitational body forces focus North American intraplate earthquakes
William Brower Levandowski, Mark Zellman, Richard W. Briggs
2017, Nature Communications (8)
Earthquakes far from tectonic plate boundaries generally exploit ancient faults, but not all intraplate faults are equally active. The North American Great Plains exemplify such intraplate earthquake localization, with both natural and induced seismicity generally clustered in discrete zones. Here we use seismic velocity, gravity and topography to generate a...
Early detection monitoring for larval dreissenid mussels: How much plankton sampling is enough?
Timothy D. Counihan, Stephen M. Bollens
2017, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (189) 1-14
The development of quagga and zebra mussel (dreissenids) monitoring programs in the Pacific Northwest provides a unique opportunity to evaluate a regional invasive species detection effort early in its development. Recent studies suggest that the ecological and economic costs of a dreissenid infestation in the Pacific Northwest of the USA...
A river-scale Lagrangian experiment examining controls on phytoplankton dynamics in the presence and absence of treated wastewater effluent high in ammonium
Tamara E. C. Kraus, Kurt D. Carpenter, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Alexander Parker, Elizabeth B. Stumpner, Bryan D. Downing, Nicole Travis, Frances Wilkerson, Carol Kendall, Timothy Mussen
2017, Limnology and Oceanography (62) 1234-1253
Phytoplankton are critical component of the food web in most large rivers and estuaries, and thus identifying dominant controls on phytoplankton abundance and species composition is important to scientists, managers, and policymakers. Recent studies from a variety of systems indicate that ammonium ( NH+4) in treated wastewater effluent decreases primary...
The landscapes of West Africa—40 years of change
Suzanne E. Cotillon
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3005
What has driven changes in land use and land cover in West Africa over the past 40 years? What trends or patterns can be discerned in those changes? To answer these questions, the U.S. Geological Survey West Africa Land Use Dynamics project partnered with the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought...
West Africa land use and land cover time series
Suzanne E. Cotillon
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3004
Started in 1999, the West Africa Land Use Dynamics project represents an effort to map land use and land cover, characterize the trends in time and space, and understand their effects on the environment across West Africa. The outcome of the West Africa Land Use Dynamics project is the production...
Saltwater intrusion in the Floridan aquifer system near downtown Brunswick, Georgia, 1957–2015
Gregory S. Cherry, Michael Peck
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1010
IntroductionThe Floridan aquifer system (FAS) consists of the Upper Floridan aquifer (UFA), an intervening confining unit of highly variable properties, and the Lower Floridan aquifer (LFA). The UFA and LFA are primarily composed of Paleocene- to Oligocene-age carbonate rocks that include, locally, Upper Cretaceous rocks. The FAS extends from coastal...
A methodology for modeling barrier island storm-impact scenarios
Rangley C. Mickey, Joseph W. Long, Nathaniel G. Plant, David M. Thompson, P. Soupy Dalyander
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1009
A methodology for developing a representative set of storm scenarios based on historical wave buoy and tide gauge data for a region at the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey. The total water level was calculated for a 10-year period and analyzed against existing topographic data...
Controls on pore types and pore-size distribution in the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin, China: Implications for pore-evolution models of lacustrine mudrocks
Lucy T. Ko, R. R. Loucks, Kitty L. Milliken, Quansheng Liang, Tongwei Zhang, Xun Sun, Paul C. Hackley, Stephen C. Ruppel, Sheng Peng
2017, Interpretation (5) SF127-SF148
Our main objectives are to (1) learn if pore-evolution models developed from marine mudrocks can be directly applied to lacustrine mudrocks, (2) investigate what controls the different pore types and sizes of Chang 7 organic matter (OM)-rich argillaceous mudstones of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation, and (3) describe the texture, fabric, mineralogy, and...
Flood-inundation maps for the Big Blue River at Shelbyville, Indiana
Kathleen K. Fowler
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5166
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 4.1-mile reach of the Big Blue River at Shelbyville, Indiana, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. The floodinundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web site...
Hypsometric control on glacier mass balance sensitivity in Alaska and northwest Canada
Daniel Mcgrath, Louis C. Sass, Shad O’Neel, Anthony A. Arendt, C. Kienholz
2017, Earth's Future (5) 324-336
Glacier hypsometry provides a first‐order approach for assessing a glacier's response to climate forcings. We couple the Randolph Glacier Inventory to a suite of in situ observations and climate model output to examine potential change for the ∼27,000 glaciers in Alaska and northwest Canada through the end of the 21st...
Testing model parameters for wave‐induced dune erosion using observations from Hurricane Sandy
Jacquelyn R. Overbeck, Joseph W. Long, Hilary F. Stockdon
2017, Geophysical Research Letters (44) 937-945
Models of dune erosion depend on a set of assumptions that dictate the predicted evolution of dunes throughout the duration of a storm. Lidar observations made before and after Hurricane Sandy at over 800 profiles with diverse dune elevations, widths, and volumes are used to quantify specific dune erosion model...
Potential influence of wildfire in modulating climate-induced forest redistribution in a central Rocky Mountain landscape
John L. Campbell, Douglas J. Shinneman
2017, Ecological Processes (6) 1-17
IntroductionClimate change is expected to impose significant tension on the geographic distribution of tree species. Yet, tree species range shifts may be delayed by their long life spans, capacity to withstand long periods of physiological stress, and dispersal limitations. Wildfire could theoretically break this biological...
