The timing of compositionally-zoned magma reservoirs and mafic 'priming' weeks before the 1912 Novarupta-Katmai rhyolite eruption
Brad S. Singer, Fidel Costa, Jason S. Herrin, Wes Hildreth, Judith Fierstein
2016, Earth and Planetary Science Letters (451) 125-137
The June 6, 1912 eruption of more than 13 km3 of dense rock equivalent (DRE) magma at Novarupta vent, Alaska was the largest of the 20th century. It ejected >7 km3 of rhyolite, ~1.3 km3 of andesite and ~4.6 km3 of dacite. Early ideas about the origin of pyroclastic flows...
Influence of glacier runoff on ecosystem structure in Gulf of Alaska fjords
Mayumi L. Arimitsu, John F. Piatt, Franz J. Mueter
2016, Marine Ecology Progress Series (560) 19-40
To better understand the influence of glacier runoff on fjord ecosystems, we sampled oceanographic conditions, nutrients, zooplankton, forage fish and seabirds within 4 fjords in coastal areas of the Gulf Alaska. We used generalized additive models and geostatistics to identify the range of glacier runoff influence into coastal waters within...
Flow reconstructions in the Upper Missouri River Basin using riparian tree rings
Derek M. Schook, Jonathan M. Friedman, Sara L. Rathburn
2016, Water Resources Research (52) 8159-8173
River flow reconstructions are typically developed using tree rings from montane conifers that cannot reflect flow regulation or hydrologic inputs from the lower portions of a watershed. Incorporating lowland riparian trees may improve the accuracy of flow reconstructions when these trees are physically linked to the alluvial water table. We...
Species traits and catchment-scale habitat factors influence the occurrence of freshwater mussel populations and assemblages
Tamara J. Pandolfo, Thomas J. Kwak, W. Gregory Cope, Ryan J. Heise, Robert B. Nichols, Krishna Pacifici
2016, Freshwater Biology (61) 1671-1684
Conservation of freshwater unionid mussels presents unique challenges due to their distinctive life cycle, cryptic occurrence and imperilled status. Relevant ecological information is urgently needed to guide their management and conservation.We adopted a modelling approach, which is a novel application to freshwater mussels to enhance inference on...
Long-term deer exclusion has complex effects on a suburban forest understory
Edward K. Faison, David R. Foster, Stephen DeStefano
2016, Rhodora (118) 382-402
Herbivory by deer is one of the leading biotic disturbances on forest understories (i.e., herbs, small shrubs, and small tree seedlings). A large body of research has reported declines in height, abundance, and reproductive capacity of forbs and woody plants coupled with increases in abundance of graminoids, ferns, and exotic...
Trends in mercury wet deposition and mercury air concentrations across the U.S. and Canada
Peter S. Weiss-Penzias, David A. Gay, Mark E. Brigham, Matthew T. Parsons, Mae S. Gustin, Arnout ter Shure
2016, Science of the Total Environment (568) 546-556
This study examined the spatial and temporal trends of mercury (Hg) in wet deposition and air concentrations in the United States (U.S.) and Canada between 1997 and 2013. Data were obtained from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) and Environment Canada monitoring networks, and other...
Controls on selenium distribution and mobilization in an irrigated shallow groundwater system underlain by Mancos Shale, Uncompahgre River Basin, Colorado, USA
Taylor J. Mills, M. Alisa Mast, Judith C. Thomas, Gabrielle L. Keith
2016, Science of the Total Environment (566-567) 1621-1631
Elevated selenium (Se) concentrations in surface water and groundwater have become a concern in areas of the Western United States due to the deleterious effects of Se on aquatic ecosystems. Elevated Se concentrations are most prevalent in irrigated alluvial valleys underlain by Se-bearing marine shales where Se can be leached...
Expert elicitation of population-level effects of disturbance
Erica Fleishman, Mark Burgman, Michael C. Runge, Robert S Schick, Scott Krauss
Arthur N. Popper, Anthony Hawkins, editor(s)
2016, Book chapter, The effects of noise on aquatic life II
Expert elicitation is a rigorous method for synthesizing expert knowledge to inform decision making and is reliable and practical when field data are limited. We evaluated the feasibility of applying expert elicitation to estimate population-level effects of disturbance on marine mammals. Diverse experts estimated parameters related to mortality and sublethal...
Hydrothermal frictional strengths of rock and mineral samples relevant to the creeping section of the San Andreas Fault
Diane E. Moore, David A. Lockner, Stephen H. Hickman
2016, Journal of Structural Geology (89) 153-167
We compare frictional strengths in the temperature range 25–250 °C of fault gouge from SAFOD (CDZ and SDZ) with quartzofeldspathic wall rocks typical of the central creeping section of the San Andreas Fault (Great Valley sequence and Franciscan Complex). The Great Valley and Franciscan samples have coefficients of friction, μ >...
Blood serum chemistry of wild Alaskan Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) with avian keratin disorder
Caroline R. Van Hemert, Colleen M. Handel
2016, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (52) 927-930
We measured serum chemistries in wild Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) from Alaska to test for potential differences associated with beak deformities characteristic of avian keratin disorder. Lower uric acid in affected birds was the only difference detected between groups, although sample sizes were small. This difference could be associated with...
Late Oligocene to present contractional structure in and around the Susitna basin, Alaska—Geophysical evidence and geological implications
Richard W. Saltus, Richard G. Stanley, Peter J. Haeussler, James V. Jones III, Christopher J. Potter, Kristen A. Lewis
2016, Geosphere (12) 1378-1390
The Cenozoic Susitna basin lies within an enigmatic lowland surrounded by the Central Alaska Range, Western Alaska Range (including the Tordrillo Mountains), and Talkeetna Mountains in south-central Alaska. Some previous interpretations show normal faults as the defining structures of the basin (e.g., Kirschner, 1994). However, analysis of new and existing...
Circumpolar distribution and carbon storage of thermokarst landscapes
David Olefeldt, S. Goswami, G. Grosse, D. Hayes, G. Hugelius, P. Kuhry, A. David McGuire, V.E. Romanovsky, A. B. K. Sannel, E.A.G. Schuur, M.R. Turetsky
2016, Nature Communications (7) 1-11
Thermokarst is the process whereby the thawing of ice-rich permafrost ground causes land subsidence, resulting in development of distinctive landforms. Accelerated thermokarst due to climate change will damage infrastructure, but also impact hydrology, ecology and biogeochemistry. Here, we present a circumpolar assessment of the distribution of thermokarst landscapes, defined as...
Validation of a side-scan sonar method for quantifying walleye spawning habitat availability in the littoral zone of northern Wisconsin Lakes
Jacob T. Richter, Brian L. Sloss, Daniel A. Isermann
2016, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (36) 942-950
Previous research has generally ignored the potential effects of spawning habitat availability and quality on recruitment of Walleye Sander vitreus, largely because information on spawning habitat is lacking for many lakes. Furthermore, traditional transect-based methods used to describe habitat are time and labor intensive. Our objectives were to determine if...
Simulation modeling to explore the effects of length-based harvest regulations for Ictalurus fisheries
David R. Stewart, James M. Long, Daniel E. Shoup
2016, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (36) 1190-1204
Management of Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus and Channel Catfish I. punctatus for trophy production has recently become more common. Typically, trophy management is attempted with length-based regulations that allow for the moderate harvest of small fish but restrict the harvest of larger fish. However, the specific regulations used vary considerably...
Optimization of scat detection methods for a social ungulate, the wild pig, and experimental evaluation of factors affecting detection of scat
David A. Keiter, Fred L. Cunningham, Olin E. Rhodes Jr., Brian J. Irwin, James Beasley
2016, PLoS ONE (25)
Collection of scat samples is common in wildlife research, particularly for genetic capture-mark-recapture applications. Due to high degradation rates of genetic material in scat, large numbers of samples must be collected to generate robust estimates. Optimization of sampling approaches to account for taxa-specific patterns of scat deposition is,...
Coastal deposits of heavy mineral sands; Global significance and US resources
Bradley S. Van Gosen, Donald I. Bleiwas, George M. Bedinger, Karl J. Ellefsen, Anjana K. Shah
2016, Mining Engineering (68) 36-43
Ancient and modern coastal deposits of heavy mineral sands (HMS) are the principal source of several heavy industrial minerals, with mining and processing operations on every continent except Antarctica. For example, HMS deposits are the main source of titanium feedstock for the titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments industry, obtained from the...
Considerations for building climate-based species distribution models
David N. Bucklin, Mathieu Basille, Stephanie S. Romanach, Laura A. Brandt, Frank J. Mazzotti, James I. Watling
2016, Report
Climate plays an important role in the distribution of species. A given species may adjust to new conditions in-place, move to new areas with suitable climates, or go extinct. Scientists and conservation practitioners use mathematical models to predict the effects of future climate change on wildlife and plan for a...
Development of habitat suitability indices for the Candy Darter, with cross-scale validation across representative populations
Corey G. Dunn, Paul L. Angermeier
2016, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (145) 1266-1281
Understanding relationships between habitat associations for individuals and habitat factors that limit populations is a primary challenge for managers of stream fishes. Although habitat use by individuals can provide insight into the adaptive significance of selected microhabitats, not all habitat parameters will be significant at the population level, particularly when...
Latest Pleistocene and Holocene glacial events in the Colonia valley, Northern Patagonia Icefield, southern Chile
David A. Nimick, Daniel Mcgrath, Shannon A. Mahan, Beverly A. Friesen, Jonathan Leidich
2016, Journal of Quaternary Science (31) 551-564
The Northern Patagonia Icefield (NPI) is the primary glaciated terrain worldwide at its latitude (46.5–47.5°S), and constraining its glacial history provides unique information for reconstructing Southern Hemisphere paleoclimate. The Colonia Glacier is the largest outlet glacier draining the eastern NPI. Ages were determined using dendrochronology, lichenometry, radiocarbon, cosmogenic 10Be and...
Variation of organic matter quantity and quality in streams at Critical Zone Observatory watersheds
Matthew P. Miller, Elizabeth W. Boyer, Diane M. McKnight, Michael G. Brown, Rachel S. Gabor, Carolyn T. Hunsaker, Lidiia Iavorivska, Shreeram Inamdar, Louis A. Kaplan, Dale W. Johnson, Henry Lin, William H. McDowell, Julia N. Perdrial
2016, Water Resources Research (52) 8202-8216
The quantity and chemical composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in surface waters influence ecosystem processes and anthropogenic use of freshwater. However, despite the importance of understanding spatial and temporal patterns in DOM, measures of DOM quality are not routinely included as part of large-scale ecosystem monitoring programs and variations...
Bacterial community diversity of the deep-sea octocoral Paramuricea placomus
Christina A. Kellogg, Steve W. Ross, Sandra D. Brooke
2016, PeerJ (4)
Compared to tropical corals, much less is known about deep-sea coral biology and ecology. Although the microbial communities of some deep-sea corals have been described, this is the first study to characterize the bacterial community associated with the deep-sea octocoral, Paramuricea placomus. Samples from five colonies of P. placomus were...
Ontogenetic development of otoliths in Alligator Gar
James M. Long, Richard A. Snow
2016, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (145) 537-544
The Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula is a species of conservation concern throughout its range, and better definition of otoliths during early development would aid understanding its life history and ecology. We conducted X-ray computed tomography scans, scanning electron microscopy, and light microscopy to examine the three pairs of otoliths and...
Scaling relation between earthquake magnitude and the departure time from P wave similar growth
Shunta Noda, William L. Ellsworth
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (43) 9053-9060
We introduce a new scaling relation between earthquake magnitude (M) and a characteristic of initial P wave displacement. By examining Japanese K-NET data averaged in bins partitioned by Mw and hypocentral distance, we demonstrate that the P wave displacement briefly displays similar growth at the onset of rupture and that the...
Geologic history of Martian regolith breccia Northwest Africa 7034: Evidence for hydrothermal activity and lithologic diversity in the Martian crust
Francis M. McCubbin, Jeremy W. Boyce, Timea Novak-Szabo, Alison Santos, Romain Tartese, Nele Muttik, Gabor Domokos, Jorge A. Vazquez, Lindsay P. Keller, Desmond E. Moser, Douglas J. Jerolmack, Charles K. Shearer, Andrew Steele, Stephen M. Elardo, Zia Rahman, Mahesh Anand, Thomas Delhaye, Carl B. Agee
2016, Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets (121) 2120-2149
The timing and mode of deposition for Martian regolith breccia Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034 were determined by combining petrography, shape analysis, and thermochronology. NWA 7034 is composed of igneous, impact, and brecciated clasts within a thermally annealed submicron matrix of pulverized crustal rocks and devitrified impact/volcanic glass. The brecciated clasts...
Forecasting climate change impacts on plant populations over large spatial extents
Andrew T. Tredennick, Mevin Hooten, Cameron L. Aldridge, Collin G. Homer, Andrew R. Kleinhesselink, Peter B. Adler
2016, Ecosphere (7)
Plant population models are powerful tools for predicting climate change impacts in one location, but are difficult to apply at landscape scales. We overcome this limitation by taking advantage of two recent advances: remotely sensed, species-specific estimates of plant cover and statistical models developed for spatiotemporal dynamics of animal populations....
