Automated identification of stream-channel geomorphic features from high‑resolution digital elevation models in West Tennessee watersheds
Jennifer M. Cartwright, Timothy H. Diehl
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5141
High-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from light detection and ranging (lidar) enable investigations of stream-channel geomorphology with much greater precision than previously possible. The U.S. Geological Survey has developed the DEM Geomorphology Toolbox, containing seven tools to automate the identification of sites of geomorphic instability that may represent sediment...
Sparse targets in hydroacoustic surveys: Balancing quantity and quality of in situ target strength data
Mark R. DuFour, Christine M. Mayer, Patrick Kocovsky, Song Qian, David M. Warner, Richard T. Kraus, Christopher Vandergoot
2017, Fisheries Research (188) 173-182
Hydroacoustic sampling of low-density fish in shallow water can lead to low sample sizes of naturally variable target strength (TS) estimates, resulting in both sparse and variable data. Increasing maximum beam compensation (BC) beyond conventional values (i.e., 3 dB beam width) can recover more targets during data analysis; however, data quality...
Animal movement: Statistical models for telemetry data
Mevin Hooten, Devin S. Johnson, Brett T. McClintock, Juan M. Morales
2017, Book
The study of animal movement has always been a key element in ecological science, because it is inherently linked to critical processes that scale from individuals to populations and communities to ecosystems. Rapid improvements in biotelemetry data collection and processing technology have given rise to a variety of statistical methods...
The precipitation of indium at elevated pH in a stream influenced by acid mine drainage
Sarah Jane O. White, Fatima A. Hussain, Harold F. Hemond, Sarah A. Sacco, James P. Shine, Robert L. Runkel, Katherine Walton-Day, Briant A. Kimball
2017, Science of the Total Environment (574) 1484-1491
Indium is an increasingly important metal in semiconductors and electronics and has uses in important energy technologies such as photovoltaic cells and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). One significant flux of indium to the environment is from lead, zinc, copper, and tin mining and smelting, but little is known about its aqueous...
Associations among habitat characteristics and meningeal worm prevalence in eastern South Dakota, USA
Christopher N. Jacques, Jonathan A. Jenks, Robert W. Klaver, Shelli A. Dubay
2017, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (53) 131-135
Few studies have evaluated how wetland and forest characteristics influence the prevalence of meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) infection of deer throughout the grassland biome of central North America. We used previously collected, county-level prevalence data to evaluate associations between habitat characteristics and probability of meningeal worm infection in white-tailed deer...
Synthesis of soil-hydraulic properties and infiltration timescales in wildfire-affected soils
Brian A. Ebel, John A. Moody
2017, Hydrological Processes (31) 324-340
We collected soil-hydraulic property data from the literature for wildfire-affected soils, ash, and unburned soils. These data were used to calculate metrics and timescales of hydrologic response related to infiltration and surface runoff generation. Sorptivity (S) and wetting front potential (Ψf) were significantly different (lower) in burned soils compared with...
It's like night and day: Diel net-effects on Cercopagidae densities in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Patricia M. Dieter, David B. Bunnell, Jean V. Adams, Nicole M. Watson, Whitney Woelmer
2017, Journal of Great Lakes Research (43) 394-398
In the Laurentian Great Lakes, zooplankters are often sampled using standard ≤153 μm mesh nets without regard to the time of day they are collected. We sampled Cercopagidae during 2013–2014 in northern Lake Huron during day, dusk, and night using two different nets (a 0.5 m wide 153 μm mesh “standard” net and a...
Evaluation of nocturnal roost and diurnal sites used by whooping cranes in the Great Plains, United States
Aaron T. Pearse, Mary J. Harner, David M. Baasch, Greg D. Wright, Andrew J. Caven, Kristine L. Metzger
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1209
Endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population migrate through the Great Plains twice each year. Although there is much interest in conservation and management for this species, information regarding characteristics of nocturnal roost sites used during migration has been limited and based largely on incidental observations. Using...
Thermodynamic properties in the Fe(II)-Fe(III)-As(V)-HClO4–H2O and Fe(II)-Fe(III)-As(V)-HCl–H2O systems from 5 to 90 °C
Xiangyu Zhu, D. Kirk Nordstrom, R. Blaine McCleskey, Rucheng Wang, Xiancai Lu
2017, Chemical Geology (460) 37-45
Fe-As mineral solubility and associated aqueous species have been intensively studied because of the environmental need to immobilize arsenic. The thermodynamic data for aqueous iron-arsenic species are inadequately characterized, however. The <a class="topic-link" title="Learn more about Gibbs free energy from ScienceDirect's...
Can ozone be used to control the spread of freshwater Aquatic Invasive Species?
Riley P. Buley, Caleb T. Hasler, John A. Tix, C.D. Suski, Terrance D. Hubert
2017, Management of Biological Invasions (8) 13-24
The introduction of aquatic invasive species to non-native habitats can cause negative ecological effects and also billions of dollars in economic damage to governments and private industries. Once aquatic invasive species are introduced, eradication may be difficult without adversely affecting native species and habitats, urging resource managers to find preventative...
Methods for estimating selected low-flow frequency statistics and mean annual flow for ungaged locations on streams in North Georgia
Anthony J. Gotvald
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5001
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division, developed regional regression equations for estimating selected low-flow frequency and mean annual flow statistics for ungaged streams in north Georgia that are not substantially affected by regulation, diversions, or urbanization. Selected low-flow frequency statistics...
Environmental factors affecting survival of immature Ixodes scapularis and implications for geographical distribution of lyme disease: The climate/behavior hypothesis
Howard S. Ginsberg, Marisa Albert, Lixis Acevedo, Megan C. Dyer, Isis M. Arsnoe, Jean I. Tsao, Thomas N. Mather, Roger A. LeBrun
2017, PLoS ONE (12)
Recent reports suggest that host-seeking nymphs in southern populations of Ixodes scapularis remain below the leaf litter surface, while northern nymphs seek hosts on leaves and twigs above the litter surface. This behavioral difference potentially results in decreased tick contact with humans in the south, and fewer cases of Lyme...
Coastal bathymetry data collected in 2013 from the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
Nancy T. DeWitt, Jennifer L. Miselis, Jake J. Fredericks, Julie Bernier, Billy J. Reynolds, Kyle W. Kelso, David M. Thompson, James G. Flocks, Dana S. Wiese
2017, Data Series 1032
As part of the Barrier Island Evolution Research Project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted nearshore geophysical surveys around the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, in July and August of 2013. The objective of the study is to better understand barrier-island geomorphic...
Gear comparison for sampling age-0 Mountain Whitefish in the Madison River, Montana
Jan K. Boyer, Christopher S. Guy, Molly A. H. Webb, Travis B. Horton, Thomas E. McMahon
2017, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (37) 189-195
The efficacy of various sampling gears for age-0 Mountain Whitefish Prosopium williamsoni is largely unknown, which makes it difficult to investigate recruitment and early life history dynamics for the species. We compared four gears: seine, backpack electrofisher, minnow trap, and lighted minnow trap. Gears were tested in backwaters, large channels,...
Multinomial N-mixture models improve the applicability of electrofishing for developing population estimates of stream-dwelling Smallmouth Bass
Robert Mollenhauer, Shannon K. Brewer
2017, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (37) 211-224
Failure to account for variable detection across survey conditions constrains progressive stream ecology and can lead to erroneous stream fish management and conservation decisions. In addition to variable detection’s confounding long-term stream fish population trends, reliable abundance estimates across a wide range of survey conditions are fundamental to establishing species–environment...
Water resources of East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
Vincent E. White, Lawrence B. Prakken
2017, Fact Sheet 2016-3069
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in East Feliciana 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 is presented...
Local geology controlled the feasibility of vitrifying Iron Age buildings
Fabian B Wadsworth, Michael J Heap, David Damby, Kai-Uwe Hess, Jens Najorka, Jérémie Vasseur, Dominik Fahrner, Donald B Dingwell
2017, Scientific Reports 1-7
During European prehistory, hilltop enclosures made from polydisperse particle-and-block stone walling were exposed to temperatures sufficient to partially melt the constituent stonework, leading to the preservation of glassy walls called ‘vitrified forts’. During vitrification, the granular wall rocks partially melt, sinter viscously and densify, reducing inter-particle porosity. This process is...
Effects of solid-liquid separation and storage on monensin attenuation in dairy waste management systems
Sarah C. Hafner, Naoko Watanabe, Thomas Harter, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Sanjai J. Parikh
2017, Journal of Environmental Management (190) 28-34
Environmental release of veterinary pharmaceuticals has been of regulatory concern for more than a decade. Monensin is a feed additive antibiotic that is prevalent throughout the dairy industry and is excreted in dairy waste. This study investigates the potential of dairy waste management practices to alter the amount of monensin...
The contribution of rice agriculture to methylmercury in surface waters: A review of data from the Sacramento Valley, California
K. Christy Tanner, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Jacob Fleck, Kenneth W. Tate, Stephen A. McCord, Bruce A. Linquist
2017, Journal of Environmental Quality (46) 133-142
Methylmercury (MeHg) is a bioaccumulative pollutant produced in and exported from flooded soils, including those used for rice (Oriza sativa L.) production. Using unfiltered aqueous MeHg data from MeHg monitoring programs in the Sacramento River watershed from 1996 to 2007, we assessed the MeHg contribution from rice systems to the...
Water resources of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
Vincent E. White, Lawrence B. Prakken
2017, Fact Sheet 2016-3066
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Calcasieu 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 the availability,...
Life history plasticity does not confer resilience to environmental change in the mole salamander (Ambystoma talpoideum)
Courtney L. Davis, David A.W. Miller, Susan C. Walls, William J. Barichivich, Jeffrey W. Riley, Mary E. Brown
2017, Oecologia (183) 739-749
Plasticity in life history strategies can be advantageous for species that occupy spatially or temporally variable environments. We examined how phenotypic plasticity influences responses of the mole salamander, Ambystoma talpoideum, to disturbance events at the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (SMNWR), FL, USA from 2009 to 2014. We observed periods...
Geochemical characteristics of igneous rocks associated with epithermal mineral deposits—A review
Edward A. du Bray
2017, Ore Geology Reviews (80) 767-783
Newly synthesized data indicate that the geochemistry of igneous rocks associated with epithermal mineral deposits varies extensively and continuously from subalkaline basaltic to rhyolitic compositions. Trace element and isotopic data for these rocks are consistent with subduction-related magmatism and suggest that the primary source magmas were generated by partial...
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center: Advancing wildlife and ecosystem health
Gail Moede Rogall, Jonathan M. Sleeman
2017, Fact Sheet 2016-3102
In 1975, the Federal government responded to the need for establishing national expertise in wildlife health by creating the National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC), a facility within the Department of the Interior; the NWHC is the only national center dedicated to wildlife disease detection, control, and prevention. Its mission is...
Tectonic summaries of magnitude 7 and greater earthquakes from 2000 to 2015
Gavin P. Hayes, Emma K. Meyers, James W. Dewey, Richard W. Briggs, Paul S. Earle, Harley M. Benz, Gregory M. Smoczyk, Hanna E. Flamme, William D. Barnhart, Ryan D. Gold, Kevin P. Furlong
2017, Open-File Report 2016-1192
This paper describes the tectonic summaries for all magnitude 7 and larger earthquakes in the period 2000–2015, as produced by the U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center during their routine response operations to global earthquakes. The goal of such summaries is to provide important event-specific information to the public...
The Iġnik Sikumi Field Experiment, Alaska North Slope: Design, operations, and implications for CO2−CH4 exchange in gas hydrate reservoirs
Ray Boswell, David Schoderbek, Timothy S. Collett, Satoshi Ohtsuki, Mark White, Brian J. Anderson
2017, Energy & Fuels (31) 140-153
The Iġnik Sikumi Gas Hydrate Exchange Field Experiment was conducted by ConocoPhillips in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, and the U.S. Geological Survey within the Prudhoe Bay Unit on the Alaska North Slope during 2011 and 2012. The primary goals...
