Interagency Coastal Wetlands Workgroup: Statement of purpose and goals
Interagency Coastal Wetlands Workgroup
2017, Report
Purpose The Interagency Coastal Wetlands Workgroup (ICWWG) helps to address coastal wetland loss by bringing together seven federal agencies with programs and authorities that support protection and management of coastal wetlands. Background Wetlands in coastal watersheds of the U.S. were lost at an average rate of 80,000 acres per year...
Groundwater-derived nutrient and trace element transport to a nearshore Kona coral ecosystem: Experimental mixing model results
Nancy G. Prouty, Peter W. Swarzenski, Joseph Fackrell, Karen H. Johannesson, C. Diane Palmore
2017, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (11) 166-177
Study regionThe groundwater influenced coastal waters along the arid Kona coast of the Big Island, Hawai’i.Study focusA salinity-and phase partitioning-based mixing experiment was constructed using contrasting groundwater endmembers along the arid Konacoast of the Big Island, Hawai’i and local open seawater to better understand biogeochemical and...
Shapes on a plane: Evaluating the impact of projection distortion on spatial binning
Sarah E. Battersby, Daniel Strebe, Michael P. Finn
2017, Cartography and Geographic Information Science (44) 410-421
One method for working with large, dense sets of spatial point data is to aggregate the measure of the data into polygonal containers, such as political boundaries, or into regular spatial bins such as triangles, squares, or hexagons. When mapping these aggregations, the map projection must inevitably distort relationships. This...
Baseline assessment of groundwater quality in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, 2014
Lisa A. Senior, III Cravotta, Ronald A. Sloto
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5073
The Devonian-age Marcellus Shale and the Ordovician-age Utica Shale, geologic formations which have potential for natural gas development, underlie Wayne County and neighboring counties in northeastern Pennsylvania. In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Wayne Conservation District, conducted a study to assess baseline shallow groundwater quality in...
Measuring fish and their physical habitats: Versatile 2D and 3D video techniques with user-friendly software
Jason R. Neuswanger, Mark S. Wipfli, Amanda E. Rosenberger, Nicholas F. Hughes
2017, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (73) 1861-1873
Applications of video in fisheries research range from simple biodiversity surveys to three-dimensional (3D) measurement of complex swimming, schooling, feeding, and territorial behaviors. However, researchers lack a transparently developed, easy-to-use, general purpose tool for 3D video measurement and event logging. Thus, we developed a new measurement system, with freely available,...
Aquatic biodiversity in forests: A weak link in ecosystem services resilience
Brooke E. Penaluna, Deanna H. Olson, Rebecca L. Flitcroft, Matthew A. Weber, J. Ryan Bellmore, Steven M. Wondzell, Jason B. Dunham, Sherri L. Johnson, Gordon H. Reeves
2017, Biodiversity and Conservation (26) 3125-3155
The diversity of aquatic ecosystems is being quickly reduced on many continents, warranting a closer examination of the consequences for ecological integrity and ecosystem services. Here we describe intermediate and final ecosystem services derived from aquatic biodiversity in forests. We include a summary of the factors framing the assembly of...
Response of selenium concentrations in groundwater to seasonal canal leakage, lower Gunnison River Basin, Colorado, 2013
J.I. Linard, P.B. McMahon, L. R. Arnold, J.C. Thomas
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5047
Selenium is a water-quality concern in the lower Gunnison River Basin because irrigation water interacting with seleniferous soils derived from the Mancos Shale Formation has mobilized selenium and increased its concentrations in surface water. Understanding the occurrence of elevated selenium concentrations in groundwater is necessary because groundwater discharge is an...
Prestoration: Using species in restoration that will persist now and into the future
B.J. Butterfield, Stella M. Copeland, Seth M. Munson, C.M. Roybal, Troy E. Wood
2017, Restoration Ecology (25) S155-S163
Climate change presents new challenges for selecting species for restoration. If migration fails to keep pace with climate change, as models predict, the most suitable sources for restoration may not occur locally at all. To address this issue we propose a strategy of “prestoration”: utilizing species in restoration for which...
Climate adaption and post-fire restoration of a foundational perennial in cold desert: Insights from intraspecific variation in response to weather
Martha M. Brabec, Matthew J. Germino, Bryce A. Richardson
2017, Journal of Applied Ecology (54) 293-302
1.The loss of foundational but fire-intolerant perennials such as sagebrush due to increases in fire size and frequency in semiarid regions has motivated efforts to restore them, often with mixed or even no success. Seeds of sagebrush Artemisia tridentata and related species must be moved considerable distances from seed source to...
Extracting accurate and precise topography from LROC narrow angle camera stereo observations
M. R. Henriksen, M. R. Manheim, K. N. Burns, P. Seymour, E. J. Speyerer, A. Deran, A. K. Boyd, Elpitha Howington-Kraus PR, Mark R. Rosiek, Brent A. Archinal, M. S. Robinson
2017, Icarus (283) 122-137
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) includes two identical Narrow Angle Cameras (NAC) that each provide 0.5 to 2.0 m scale images of the lunar surface. Although not designed as a stereo system, LROC can acquire NAC stereo observations over two or more orbits using at least one off-nadir slew....
The Moquah Barrens Research Natural Area: Loss of a pine barrens ecosystem
Christine Ribic
2017, Report
The Moquah Barrens Research Natural Area (RNA) was established by the Chequamegon National Forest and the Lakes States Forest Experiment Station in 1935 with a research objective well-suited to the needs of the Forest Service and the scientific understanding of ecosystem function prevalent at the time of establishment. The original...
Detrital zircon geochronology of pre- and syncollisional strata, Acadian orogen, Maine Appalachians
Dwight Bradley, Paul B. O’Sullivan
2017, Basin Research (29) 571-590
The Central Maine Basin is the largest expanse of deep-marine, Upper Ordovician to Devonian metasedimentary rocks in the New England Appalachians, and is a key to the tectonics of the Acadian Orogeny. Detrital zircon ages are reported from two groups of strata: (1) the Quimby, Rangeley, Perry Mountain and Smalls...
SToRM: A Model for 2D environmental hydraulics
Francisco J. M. Simões
2017, Conference Paper
A two-dimensional (depth-averaged) finite volume Godunov-type shallow water model developed for flow over complex topography is presented. The model, SToRM, is based on an unstructured cell-centered finite volume formulation and on nonlinear strong stability preserving Runge-Kutta time stepping schemes. The numerical discretization is founded on the classical and well established shallow...
Surface-water quality-assurance plan for the U.S. Geological Survey Washington Water Science Center
Mark C. Mastin
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1020
This Surface-Water Quality-Assurance Plan documents the standards, policies, and procedures used by the U.S. Geological Survey Washington Water Science Center (WAWSC) for activities related to the collection, processing, storage, analysis, and publication of surface-water data. This plan serves as a guide to all WAWSC personnel involved in surface-water data activities,...
Monitoring for the management of disease risk in animal translocation programmes
James D. Nichols, Tuula E. Hollmen, J. Barry Grand
2017, EcoHealth (14) 156-166
Monitoring is best viewed as a component of some larger programme focused on science or conservation. The value of monitoring is determined by the extent to which it informs the parent process. Animal translocation programmes are typically designed to augment or establish viable animal populations without changing the local community...
Mercury and trace element distribution in density separates of a South African Highveld (#4) coal: Implications for mercury reduction and preparation of export coal
Allan Kolker, Connie L. Senior, Chris van Alphen, Alan E. Koenig, Nicholas J. Geboy
2017, International Journal of Coal Geology (170) 7-13
Eight density separates of Permian Highveld (#4) coal were investigated for partitioning of Hg and trace elements. The separates include float fractions obtained in heavy media having densities of 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, and 2.0 g/cm3, and the sink fraction for 2.0 g/cm3. Bulk analysis of the separates shows strong...
Interannual to multidecadal climate forcings on groundwater resources of the U.S. West Coast
Elzie M. Velasco, Jason J. Gurdak, Jesse E. Dickinson, T.P.A. Ferre, Claudia Corona
2017, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (11) 250-265
Study regionThe U.S. West Coast, including the Pacific Northwest and California Coastal Basins aquifer systems.Study focusGroundwater response to interannual to multidecadal climate variability has important implications for security within the water–energy–food nexus. Here we use Singular Spectrum Analysis to quantify the teleconnections between AMO, PDO, ENSO,...
Low incidence of clonality in cold water corals revealed through the novel use of standardized protocol adapted to deep sea sampling
Ronan Becheler, Anne-Laure Cassone, Philippe Noel, Olivier Mouchel, Cheryl L. Morrison, Sophie Arnaud-Haond
2017, Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography (145) 120-130
Sampling in the deep sea is a technical challenge, which has hindered the acquisition of robust datasets that are necessary to determine the fine-grained biological patterns and processes that may shape genetic diversity. Estimates of the extent of clonality in deep-sea species, despite the importance of clonality in shaping the...
Surface slip during large Owens Valley earthquakes
Elizabeth Haddon, Colin Amos, Olaf Zielke, Angela S. Jayko, Roland Burgmann
2017, Book
The 1872 Owens Valley earthquake is the third largest known historical earthquake in California. Relatively sparse field data and a complex rupture trace, however, inhibited attempts to fully resolve the slip distribution and reconcile the total moment release. We present a new, comprehensive record of surface slip...
An alternative framework for responding to the amphibian crisis
Erin L. Muths, Robert N. Fisher
2017, Oryx (51) 210-213
Volumes of data illustrate the severity of the crisis affecting amphibians, where > 32% of amphibians worldwide are threatened with declining populations. Although there have been isolated victories, the current approach to the issue is unsuccessful. We suggest that a radically different approach, something akin to human emergency response management...
Reference intervals for serum biochemistries of molting Pacific Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) in Northern Alaska, USA
J. Christian Franson, Paul L. Flint, Joel A. Schmutz
2017, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (53) 417-419
We determined reference intervals for nine serum biochemistries in samples from 329 molting, after-hatch-year, Pacific Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) in Alaska, US. Cholesterol and nonesterified fatty acids differed by sex, but no other differences were noted....
Geologic setting of the proposed West Flank Forge Site, California: Suitability for EGS research and development
Andrew Sabin, Kelly Blake, Mike Lazaro, Douglas Blankenship, Mack Kennedy, Jess McCullough, S.B. DeOreo, Stephen H. Hickman, Jonathan M.G. Glen, J. Ole Kaven, Colin F. Williams, Geoffrey Phelps, James E. Faulds, Nicholas H. Hinz, Wendy M. Calvin, Drew Siler, Ann Robertson-Tait
2017, GRC Transactions 345-352
The proposed West Flank FORGE site is within the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS), China Lake, CA. The West Flank is west of the Coso geothermal field, an area of China Lake NAWS dominated by the Quaternary Coso volcanic field largely comprised of rhyolite domes and their volcaniclastic...
Reservoir rehabilitations: Seeking the Fountain of Youth
Mark A. Pegg, Kevin L. Pope, L.A. Powell, Kelly C. Turek, Jonathan J. Spurgeon, Nathaniel T. Stewart, Nick P. Hogberg, Mark T. Porath
2017, Fisheries (40) 177-181
Aging of reservoirs alters the functions, and associated services, of these systems through time. The goal of habitat rehabilitation is often to alter the trajectory of the aging process such that the duration of the desired state is prolonged. There are two important characteristics in alteration of the trajectory—the amplitude...
An Arctic and Subarctic ostracode database: Biogeographic and paleoceanographic applications
Laura Gemery, Thomas M. Cronin, William M. Briggs, Elisabeth M. Brouwers, Eugene I. Schornikov, Anna Stepanova, Adrian M. Wood, Moriaki Yasuhara
2017, Hydrobiologia (786) 59-95
A new Arctic Ostracode Database-2015 (AOD-2015) provides census data for 96 species of benthic marine Ostracoda from 1340 modern surface sediments from the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas. Ostracoda is a meiofaunal, Crustacea group that secretes a bivalved calcareous (CaCO3) shell commonly preserved in sediments. Arctic and subarctic ostracode species...
Hierarchical stochastic modeling of large river ecosystems and fish growth across spatio-temporal scales and climate models: the Missouri River endangered pallid sturgeon example
Mark L. Wildhaber, Christopher K. Wikle, Edward H. Moran, Christopher J. Anderson, Kristie J. Franz, Rima Dey
2017, Geological Society of London Special Publications (408) 119-145
We present a hierarchical series of spatially decreasing and temporally increasing models to evaluate the uncertainty in the atmosphere – ocean global climate model (AOGCM) and the regional climate model (RCM) relative to the uncertainty in the somatic growth of the endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus). For effects on fish...
