Characterization and relation of precipitation, streamflow, and water-quality data at the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Carson and Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, Colorado, water years 2013–14
Michael J. Holmberg, Stogner, James F. Bruce
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5145
To evaluate the influence of military training activities on streamflow and water quality, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of the Army, began a hydrologic data collection network on the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Carson in 1978 and on the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in 1983....
Collection methods and descriptions of coral cores extracted from massive corals in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, U.S.A.
Michael S. Weinzierl, Christopher D. Reich, T. Donald Hickey, Lucy A. Bartlett, Ilsa B. Kuffner
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1182
Cores from living coral colonies were collected from Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, U.S.A., to obtain skeletal records of past coral growth and allow geochemical reconstruction of environmental variables during the corals’ centuries-long lifespans. The samples were collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project...
Processes of multibathyal aragonite undersaturation in the Arctic Ocean
J.G. Wynn, L. L. Robbins, L.G. Anderson
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans (121) 8248-8267
During 3 years of study (2010–2012), the western Arctic Ocean was found to have unique aragonite saturation profiles with up to three distinct aragonite undersaturation zones. This complexity is produced as inflow of Atlantic-derived and Pacific-derived water masses mix with Arctic-derived waters, which are further modified by physiochemical and biological...
Borehole deviation and correction factor data for selected wells in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer at and near the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Brian V. Twining
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5163
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, has maintained a water-level monitoring program at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) since 1949. The purpose of the program is to systematically measure and report water-level data to assess the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer and...
Characterization of peak streamflows and flood inundation of selected areas in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi from flood of March 2016
Brian K. Breaker, Kara M. Watson, Paul A. Ensminger, John B. Storm, Claire E. Rose
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5162
Heavy rainfall occurred across Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi in March 2016 as a result of a slow-moving southward dip in the jetstream, funneling tropical moisture into parts of the Gulf Coast States and the Mississippi River Valley. The storm caused major flooding in the northwestern and southeastern parts of...
Mapping site index and volume increment from forest inventory, Landsat, and ecological variables in Tahoe National Forest, California, USA
Shengli Huang, Carlos Ramirez, Scott Conway, Kama Kennedy, Tanya Kohler, Jinxun Liu
2016, Canadian Journal of Forest Research (47) 113-124
High-resolution site index (SI) and mean annual increment (MAI) maps are desired for local forest management. We integrated field inventory, Landsat, and ecological variables to produce 30 m SI and MAI maps for the Tahoe National Forest (TNF) where different tree species coexist. We converted species-specific SI using adjustment factors....
Management implications of brood division in Golden-winged Warblers
Sean M. Peterson, Henry M. Streby, David E. Andersen
2016, Book chapter, Golden-winged Warbler ecology, conservation, and habitat management (Studies in Avian Biology, volume 49)
Brood division in the postfledging period is a common avian behavior that is not well understood. Brood division has been reported in Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera), but it is not known how common this behavior is, whether males and females exhibit different strategies related to parental care and habitat use,...
Groundwater and surface-water interaction, water quality, and processes affecting loads of dissolved solids, selenium, and uranium in Fountain Creek, near Pueblo, Colorado, 2012–2014
L. Rick Arnold, Roderick F. Ortiz, Christopher R. Brown, Kenneth R. Watts
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5134
In 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Arkansas River Basin Regional Resource Planning Group, initiated a study of groundwater and surface-water interaction, water quality, and loading of dissolved solids, selenium, and uranium to Fountain Creek near Pueblo, Colorado, to improve understanding of sources and processes affecting loading...
Is the geographic range of mangrove forests in the conterminous United States really expanding?
Chandra Giri, Jordan Long
2016, Sensors (16)
Changes in the distribution and abundance of mangrove species within and outside of their historic geographic range can have profound consequences in the provision of ecosystem goods and services they provide. Mangroves in the conterminous United States (CONUS) are believed to be expanding poleward (north) due to decreases in...
Supersize me: Remains of three white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in an invasive Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) in Florida
Scott M. Boback, Ray W. Snow, Teresa Hsu, Suzanne C. Peurach, Carla J. Dove, Robert N. Reed
2016, BioInvasions Records (5) 197-203
Snakes have become successful invaders in a wide variety of ecosystems worldwide. In southern Florida, USA, the Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) has become established across thousands of square kilometers including all of Everglades National Park (ENP). Both experimental and correlative data have supported a relationship between Burmese python predation...
Hydropower assessment of Bolivia—A multisource satellite data and hydrologic modeling approach
Naga Manohar Velpuri, Shahriar Pervez, W. Matthew Cushing
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1156
This study produced a geospatial database for use in a decision support system by the Bolivian authorities to investigate further development and investment potentials in sustainable hydropower in Bolivia. The study assessed theoretical hydropower of all 1-kilometer (km) stream segments in the country using multisource satellite data and a hydrologic...
Climate drives shifts in grass reproductive phenology across the western USA
Seth M. Munson, A. Lexine Long
2016, New Phytologist (213) 1945-1955
The capacity of grass species to alter their reproductive timing across space and through time can indicate their ability to cope with environmental variability and help predict their future performance under climate change.We determined the long-term (1895–2013) relationship between flowering times of grass species and climate in...
Evaluation of the biological and hydraulic performance of the portable floating fish collector at Cougar Reservoir and Dam, Oregon, September 2015–January 2016
John W. Beeman, Scott D. Evans, Philip V. Haner, Hal C. Hansel, Amy C. Hansen, Gabriel S. Hansen, Tyson W. Hatton, Eric E. Kofoot, Jamie M. Sprando
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1197
The biological and hydraulic performance of a portable floating fish collector (PFFC) located in the cul-de-sac of Cougar Dam and Reservoir, Oregon, was evaluated during 2015–16. The PFFC, first commissioned in May 2014, was modified during winter 2014–15 to address several deficiencies identified during operation and testing in 2014....
Drought resistance across California ecosystems: Evaluating changes in carbon dynamics using satellite imagery
Sparkle Malone, Mirela Tulbure, Antonio J. Perez-Luque, Timothy J. Assal, Leah Bremer, Debora Drucker, Vicken Hillis, Sara Varela, Michael Goulden
2016, Ecosphere (7)
Drought is a global issue that is exacerbated by climate change and increasing anthropogenic water demands. The recent occurrence of drought in California provides an important opportunity to examine drought response across ecosystem classes (forests, shrublands, grasslands, and wetlands), which is essential to understand how climate influences ecosystem structure and...
Facilitating the inclusion of nonmarket values in Bureau of Land Management planning and project assessments—Final report
Chris Huber, Leslie Richardson
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1178
Executive SummaryThis report summarizes the results of a series of field-based case studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to (1) evaluate the use of nonmarket values in Bureau of Land Management (BLM) planning and project assessments, (2) update existing technical resources for measuring those values, and (3) provide...
A methodology for quantifying trace elements in the exoskeletons of Florida stone crab (Menippe mercenaria) larvae using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP–OES)
Philip M. Gravinese, Jennifer A. Flannery, Lauren T. Toth
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1148
The larvae of the Florida stone crab, Menippe mercenaria, migrate through a variety of habitats as they develop and, therefore, experience a broad range of environmental conditions through ontogeny. Environmental variability experienced by the larvae may result in distinct elemental signatures within the exoskeletons, which could provide a tool for...
Projected gains and losses of wildlife habitat from bioenergy-induced landscape change
Nathan M. Tarr, Matthew J. Rubino, Jennifer K. Costanza, Alexa McKerrow, Jaime A. Collazo, Robert C. Abt
2016, GCB Bioenergy (9) 909-923
Domestic and foreign renewable energy targets and financial incentives have increased demand for woody biomass and bioenergy in the southeastern United States. This demand is expected to be met through purpose-grown agricultural bioenergy crops, short-rotation tree plantations, thinning and harvest of planted and natural forests, and forest harvest...
Hydrogeology and hydrologic conditions of the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system
Phillip D. Hays, Katherine J. Knierim, Brian K. Breaker, Drew A. Westerman, Brian R. Clark
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5137
The hydrogeology and hydrologic characteristics of the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system were characterized as part of ongoing U.S. Geological Survey efforts to assess groundwater availability across the Nation. The need for such a study in the Ozark Plateaus physiographic province (Ozark Plateaus) is highlighted by increasing demand on groundwater resources...
Water resources of West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
Vincent E. White, Lawrence B. Prakken
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3068
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-resource management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. Information on...
Optimizing selection of training and auxiliary data for operational land cover classification for the LCMAP initiative
Zhe Zhu, Alisa L. Gallant, Curtis Woodcock, Bruce Pengra, Pontus Olofsson, Thomas R. Loveland, Suming Jin, Devendra Dahal, Limin Yang, Roger F. Auch
2016, ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (122) 206-221
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) initiative is a new end-to-end capability to continuously track and characterize changes in land cover, use, and condition to better support research and applications relevant to resource management and environmental change. Among the LCMAP product suite are annual land cover maps that...
Comparing life history characteristics of Lake Michigan’s naturalized and stocked Chinook Salmon
Janice A Kerns, Mark W. Rogers, David B. Bunnell, Randall M. Claramunt, Paris D. Collingsworth
2016, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (36) 1106-1118
Lake Michigan supports popular fisheries for Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha that have been sustained by stocking since the late 1960s. Natural recruitment of Chinook Salmon in Lake Michigan has increased in the past few decades and currently contributes more than 50% of Chinook Salmon recruits. We hypothesized that selective forces...
Perspectives on monitoring gradual change across the continuity of Landsat sensors using time-series data
James Vogelmann, Alisa L. Gallant, Hua Shi, Zhe Zhu
2016, Remote Sensing of Environment (185) 258-270
There are many types of changes occurring over the Earth's landscapes that can be detected and monitored using Landsat data. Here we focus on monitoring “within-state,” gradual changes in vegetation in contrast with traditional monitoring of “abrupt” land-cover conversions. Gradual changes result from a variety of processes, such as vegetation...
Acoustic Doppler velocimeter backscatter for quantification of suspended sediment concentration in South San Francisco Bay, USA
Mehmet Öztürk, Paul A. Work
2016, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 35th International Conference on Coastal Engineering
A data set was acquired on a shallow mudflat in south San Francisco Bay that featured simultaneous, co-located optical and acoustic sensors for subsequent estimation of suspended sediment concentrations (SSC). The optical turbidity sensor output was converted to SSC via an empirical relation derived at a nearby site using bottle...
Stage-discharge relations and annual nitrogen and phosphorus load estimates for stream sites in the Elk River Basin, 2006–2008
Anne B. Hoos, Shannon D. Williams, William J. Wolfe
2016, Data Series 1015
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), measured continuous discharge at 4 water-quality monitoring sites and developed stage-discharge ratings for 10 additional water-quality monitoring sites in the Elk River Basin during 2006 through 2008. The discharge data were collected to support stream...
Flood-hazard analysis of four headwater streams draining the Argonne National Laboratory property, DuPage County, Illinois
David T. Soong, Elizabeth A. Murphy, Timothy D. Straub, Hannah L. Zeeb
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5132
Results of a flood-hazard analysis conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Argonne National Laboratory, for four headwater streams within the Argonne National Laboratory property indicate that the 1-percent and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probability floods would cause multiple roads to be overtopped. Results indicate that most of...
