A climate trend analysis of Ethiopia: Examining subseasonal climate impacts on crops and pasture conditions
Molly E. Brown, Chris Funk, Diego Pedreros, Diriba Korecha, Melesse Lemma, James Rowland, Emily Williams, James Verdin
2017, Climatic Change (142) 169-182
Ethiopia experiences significant climate-induced drought and stress on crop and livestock productivity, contributing to widespread food insecurity. Here, we present subseasonal crop water stress analyses that indicate degrading, growing conditions along Ethiopia’s eastern highlands, including productive and populated highland regions. These seasonally shifting areas of increasing...
The effect of lithology on valley width, terrace distribution, and coarse sediment provenance in a tectonically stable catchment with flat-lying stratigraphy
Amanda Keen-Zebert, Mark R. Hudson, Stephanie L. Shepherd, Evan A. Thaler
2017, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (42) 1573-1587
How rock resistance or erodibility affects fluvial landforms and processes is an outstanding question in geomorphology that has recently garnered attention owing to the recognition that the erosion rates of bedrock channels largely set the pace of landscape evolution. In this work, we evaluate valley width, terrace distribution, and sediment...
Integrating puffing and explosions in a general scheme for Strombolian-style activity
Damien Gaudin, Jacopo Taddeucci, Piergiorgio Scarlato, Elisabetta del Bello, Tullio Ricci, Tim R. Orr, Bruce F. Houghton, Andrew J. L. Harris, Sandro Rao, Augusto Bucci
2017, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (122) 1860-1875
Strombolian eruptions are among the most common subaerial styles of explosive volcanism worldwide. Distinctive features of each volcano lead to a correspondingly wide range of variations of magnitude and erupted products, but most papers focus on a single type of event at a single volcano. Here, in order to emphasize the common features...
Central Plains Water Science Center bookmark
U.S. Geological Survey
2017, General Information Product 173
The U.S. Geological Survey Central Plains Water Science Center, serving the states of Kansas and Nebraska, has collected and interpreted hydrologic information for more than a century. Data collected include streamflow and gage height, reservoir content, water quality and water quantity, suspended sediment, and groundwater levels. Interpretative hydrologic studies are...
Acute sensitivity of a broad range of freshwater mussels to chemicals with different modes of toxic action
Ning Wang, Chris D. Ivey, Christopher G. Ingersoll, William G. Brumbaugh, David Alvarez, Edward J. Hammer, Candice R. Bauer, Tom Augspurger, Sandy Raimondo, M.Christopher Barnhart
2017, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (36) 786-796
Freshwater mussels, one of the most imperiled groups of animals in the world, are generally underrepresented in toxicity databases used for the development of ambient water quality criteria and other environmental guidance values. Acute 96-h toxicity tests were conducted to evaluate the sensitivity of 5 species of juvenile mussels from...
Role of social media and networking in volcanic crises and communication
Sally K. Sennert, Erik W. Klemetti, Deanne Bird
2017, Book chapter, Observing the volcano world
The growth of social media as a primary and often preferred news source has contributed to the rapid dissemination of information about volcanic eruptions and potential volcanic crises as an eruption begins. Information about volcanic activity comes from a variety of sources: news organisations, emergency management personnel, individuals (both public...
Bathymetry data collected in October 2014 from Fire Island, New York—The wilderness breach, shoreface, and bay
Timothy R. Nelson, Jennifer L. Miselis, Cheryl J. Hapke, Owen T. Brenner, Rachel E. Henderson, Billy J. Reynolds, Kathleen E. Wilson
2017, Data Series 1034
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, conducted a bathymetric survey of Fire Island, New York, from October 5 to 10, 2014. The U.S. Geological Survey is involved in a post-Hurricane Sandy effort to map and monitor the morphologic evolution...
Assessment of thermal maturity trends in Devonian-Mississippian source rocks using Raman spectroscopy: Limitations of peak-fitting method
Jason S. Lupoi, Luke P. Fritz, Thomas M. Parris, Paul C. Hackley, Logan Solotky, Cortland F. Eble, Steve Schlaegle
2017, Frontiers in Energy Research (5)
The thermal maturity of shale is often measured by vitrinite reflectance (VRo). VRo measurements for the Devonian–Mississippian black shale source rocks evaluated herein predicted thermal immaturity in areas where associated reservoir rocks are oil-producing. This limitation of the VRo method led to the current evaluation of Raman spectroscopy as...
Range expansion by Passer montanus in North America
J.L. Burnett, C. P. Roberts, Craig R. Allen, M.B. Brown, M.P. Moulton
2017, Biological Invasions (19) 5-9
Passer montanus became established in a small area of central North America following its introduction in 1870. P. montanus underwent minimal range expansion in the first 100 years following introduction. However, the North American population of P. montanus is now growing in size and expanding...
County-level estimates of nitrogen and phosphorus from animal manure for the conterminous United States, 2007 and 2012
JoAnn M. Gronberg, Terri Arnold
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1021
County-level estimates of nitrogen and phosphorus inputs from animal manure for the conterminous United States were calculated from animal population inventories in the 2007 and 2012 Census of Agriculture, using previously published methods. These estimates of non-point nitrogen and phosphorus inputs from animal manure were compiled in support of the...
Assessment of a strain 19 brucellosis vaccination program in elk
Eric Maichak, Brandon M. Scurlock, Paul C. Cross, Jared D. Rogerson, William H. Edwards, Benjamin Wise, Scott G. Smith, Terry J. Kreeger
2017, Wildlife Society Bulletin (41) 70-79
Zoonotic diseases in wildlife present substantial challenges and risks to host populations, susceptible domestic livestock populations, and affected stakeholders. Brucellosis, a disease caused by the bacterium Brucella abortus, is endemic among elk (Cervus canadensis) attending winter feedgrounds and adjacent areas of western Wyoming, USA. To minimize transmission of brucellosis from...
Modeling nonbreeding distributions of shorebirds and waterfowl in response to climate change
Gordon C. Reese, Susan K. Skagen
2017, Ecology and Evolution (7) 1497-1513
To identify areas on the landscape that may contribute to a robust network of conservation areas, we modeled the probabilities of occurrence of several en route migratory shorebirds and wintering waterfowl in the southern Great Plains of North America, including responses to changing climate. We predominantly used data from the...
Effects of impervious area and BMP implementation and design on storm runoff and water quality in eight small watersheds
Brent T. Aulenbach, Mark N. Landers, Jonathan W. Musser, Jaime A. Painter
2017, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (53) 382-399
The effects of increases in effective impervious area (EIA) and the implementation of water quality protection designed detention pond best management practices (BMPs) on storm runoff and stormwater quality were assessed in Gwinnett County, Georgia, for the period 2001-2008. Trends among eight small watersheds were compared, using a time trend...
Flood effects provide evidence of an alternate stable state from dam management on the Upper Missouri River
Katherine Skalak, Adam J. Benthem, Cliff R. Hupp, Edward R. Schenk, Joel M. Galloway, Rochelle A. Nustad
2017, River Research and Applications (33) 889-902
We examine how historic flooding in 2011 affected the geomorphic adjustments created by dam regulation along the approximately 120 km free flowing reach of the Upper Missouri River bounded upstream by the Garrison Dam (1953) and downstream by Lake Oahe Reservoir (1959) near the City of Bismarck, ND, USA. The largest...
Channel mapping river miles 29–62 of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, May 2009
Matt Kaplinski, Joseph E. Hazel Jr., Paul E. Grams, Keith Kohl, Daniel D. Buscombe, Robert B. Tusso
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1030
Bathymetric, topographic, and grain-size data were collected in May 2009 along a 33-mi reach of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. The study reach is located from river miles 29 to 62 at the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers. Channel bathymetry was mapped...
Estimated dissolved-solids loads and trends at selected streams in and near the Uinta Basin, Utah, Water Years 1989–2013
Susan A. Thiros
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5004
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum, studied trends in dissolved-solids loads at selected sites in and near the Uinta Basin, Utah. The Uinta Basin study area includes the Duchesne River Basin and the Middle Green River Basin in Utah from below...
Estimating current and future streamflow characteristics at ungaged sites, central and eastern Montana, with application to evaluating effects of climate change on fish populations
Roy Sando, Katherine J. Chase
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5002
A common statistical procedure for estimating streamflow statistics at ungaged locations is to develop a relational model between streamflow and drainage basin characteristics at gaged locations using least squares regression analysis; however, least squares regression methods are parametric and make constraining assumptions about the data distribution. The random forest regression...
Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) telemetry and associated habitat data collected in a geodatabase from the upper Boise River, southwestern Idaho
Dorene E. MacCoy, Zachary M. Shephard, Joseph R. Benjamin, Dmitri T. Vidergar, Anthony F. Prisciandaro
2017, Data Series 1042
Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, are among the more thermally sensitive of coldwater species in North America. The Boise River upstream of Arrowrock Dam in southwestern Idaho (including Arrowrock Reservoir) provides habitat for one of the southernmost populations of bull trout. The...
The Upper Mississippi River System—Topobathy
Jayme M. Stone, Jenny L. Hanson, Stephanie R. Sattler
2017, Fact Sheet 2016-3097
The Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS), the navigable part of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, is a diverse ecosystem that contains river channels, tributaries, shallow-water wetlands, backwater lakes, and flood-plain forests. Approximately 10,000 years of geologic and hydrographic history exist within the UMRS. Because it maintains crucial wildlife and...
Effects of experimentally reduced snowpack and passive warming on montane meadow plant phenology and floral resources
J.A. Sherwood, D.M. Debinski, P.C. Caragea, Matthew J. Germino
2017, Ecosphere (8)
Climate change can have a broad range of effects on ecosystems and organisms, and early responses may include shifts in vegetation phenology and productivity that may not coincide with the energetics and forage timing of higher trophic levels. We evaluated phenology, annual height growth, and foliar frost responses of forbs...
Decreased runoff response to precipitation, Little Missouri River Basin, northern Great Plains, USA
Eleanor R. Griffin, Jonathan M. Friedman
2017, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (53) 576-592
High variability in precipitation and streamflow in the semiarid northern Great Plains causes large uncertainty in water availability. This uncertainty is compounded by potential effects of future climate change. We examined historical variability in annual and growing season precipitation, temperature, and streamflow within the Little Missouri River Basin and identified...
Methods used to characterize the chemical composition and biological activity of environmental waters throughout the United States, 2012-14
Kristin M. Romanok, Timothy J. Reilly, Larry B. Barber, J. Scott Boone, Herbert T. Buxton, William T. Foreman, Edward T. Furlong, Michelle Hladik, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Celeste A. Journey, Dana W. Kolpin, Kathryn Kuivila, Keith A. Loftin, Marc A. Mills, Michael T. Meyer, James L. Orlando, Kelly L. Smalling, Daniel L. Villeneuve, Paul M. Bradley
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1011
A vast array of chemical compounds are in wide commercial use in the United States, and the potential ecological and human-health effect of exposure to chemical mixtures has been identified as a high priority in environment health science. Awareness of the potential effects of low-level chemical exposures is rising. The...
Relationships between salinity and short-term soil carbon accumulation rates form marsh types across a landscape in the Mississippi River Delta
Melissa M. Baustian, Camille L. Stagg, Carey L. Perry, Leland C Moss, Tim J. B. Carruthers, Mead Allison
2017, Wetlands (37) 313-324
Salinity alterations will likely change the plant and environmental characteristics in coastal marshes thereby influencing soil carbon accumulation rates. Coastal Louisiana marshes have been historically classified as fresh, intermediate, brackish, or saline based on resident plant community and position along a salinity gradient. Short-term total carbon accumulation rates were assessed...
Age of the youngest volcanism at Eagle Lake, northeastern California—40Ar/39Ar and paleomagnetic results
Michael A. Clynne, Andrew T. Calvert, Duane E. Champion, L.J.P. Muffler, Michael G. Sawlan, Drew T. Downs
2017, Open-File Report 2017-1027
The age of the youngest volcanism at Eagle Lake, California, was investigated using stratigraphic, paleomagnetic, and 40Ar/39Ar techniques. The three youngest volcanic lava flows at Eagle Lake yielded ages of 130.0±5.1, 127.5±3.2 and 123.6±18.7 ka, and are statistically indistinguishable. Paleomagnetic results demonstrate that two of the lava flows are very...
Accelerating slip rates on the puente hills blind thrust fault system beneath metropolitan Los Angeles, California, USA
Kristian J. Bergen, John H. Shaw, Lorraine A. Leon, James F. Dolan, Thomas L. Pratt, Daniel J. Ponti, Eric Morrow, Wendy Barrera, Edward J. Rhodes, Madhav K. Murari, Lewis A. Owen
2017, Geology (45) 227-230
Slip rates represent the average displacement across a fault over time and are essential to estimating earthquake recurrence for proba-bilistic seismic hazard assessments. We demonstrate that the slip rate on the western segment of the Puente Hills blind thrust fault system, which is beneath downtown Los Angeles, California (USA), has...
