U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2015 annual report
Zachary H. Bowen, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy J. Assal, Timothy T. Bartos, Anna D. Chalfoun, Geneva W. Chong, Marie K. Dematatis, Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller, Steven L. Garman, Stephen S. Germaine, Collin G. Homer, Matthew J. Kauffman, Christopher C. Huber, Daniel J. Manier, Cynthia P. Melcher, Kirk A. Miller, Tamar Norkin, Lindsey E. Sanders, Annika W. Walters, Anna B. Wilson, Teal B. Wyckoff
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1141
This is the eighth annual report highlighting U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) science and decision-support activities conducted for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI). The activities address specific management needs identified by WLCI partner agencies. In 2015, USGS scientists continued 24 WLCI projects in 5 categories: (1) acquiring and analyzing resource-condition data...
USGS science and technology help managers battle invading Asian carp
Cynthia S. Kolar, Sandra S. Morrison
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3063
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts Asian carp research focused on early detection, risk assessment, and development of control tools and strategies. The goals are to prevent the establishment of invasive Asian carp in the Great Lakes and to reduce their impacts in the Ohio River and Mississippi River Basins...
When can the cause of a population decline be determined?
Trevor J. Hefley, Mevin Hooten, John M. Drake, Robin E. Russell, Daniel P. Walsh
2016, Ecology Letters (19) 1353-1362
Inferring the factors responsible for declines in abundance is a prerequisite to preventing the extinction of wild populations. Many of the policies and programmes intended to prevent extinctions operate on the assumption that the factors driving the decline of a population can be determined. Exogenous factors that cause declines in...
The Department of the Interior Southeast Climate Science Center synthesis report 2011–15—Projects, products, and science priorities
Elda Varela Minder, Aranzazu R. Lascurain, Gerard McMahon
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1133
IntroductionIn 2009, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar established a network of eight regional Climate Science Centers (CSCs) that, along with the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs), would help define and implement the Department's climate adaptation response. The Southeast Climate Science Center (SE CSC) was established at...
Development and assessment of a new method for combining catch per unit effort data from different fish sampling gears: Multigear mean standardization (MGMS)
D.K. Gibson-Reinemer, Brian Ickes, John H. Chick
2016, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (74) 8-14
Fish community assessments are often based on sampling with multiple gear types. However, multivariate methods used to assess fish community structure and composition are sensitive to differences in the relative scale of indices or measures of abundance produced by different sampling methods. This makes combining data from different sampling gears...
Status and trends of land change in the Eastern United States—1973 to 2000
Kristi Sayler, William Acevedo, Janis Taylor, editor(s)
2016, Professional Paper 1794-D
PrefaceU.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Professional Paper 1794–D is the fourth in a four-volume series on the status and trends of the Nation’s land use and land cover, providing an assessment of the rates and causes of land-use and land-cover change in the Eastern United States between 1973 and 2000. Volumes...
Bifenthrin causes trophic cascades and alters insect emergence in mesocosms: implication for small streams
Holly Rogers, Travis S. Schmidt, Brittanie L. Dabney, Michelle Hladik, Barbara Mahler, Peter C. Van Metre
2016, Environmental Science & Technology (50) 11974-11983
Direct and indirect ecological effects of the widely used insecticide bifenthrin on stream ecosystems are largely unknown. To investigate such effects, a manipulative experiment was conducted in stream mesocosms that were colonized by aquatic insect communities and exposed to bifenthrin-contaminated sediment; implications for natural streams were interpreted through comparison of...
Demographic mechanisms underpinning genetic assimilation of remnant groups of a large carnivore
Nathaniel Mikle, Tabitha A. Graves, Ryan P. Kovach, Katherine C. Kendall, Amy C. Macleod
2016, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (283)
Current range expansions of large terrestrial carnivores are occurring following human-induced range contraction. Contractions are often incomplete, leaving small remnant groups in refugia throughout the former range. Little is known about the underlying ecological and evolutionary processes that influence how remnant groups are affected during range expansion. We used data...
Aquatic biological communities and associated habitats at selected sites in the Big Wood River Watershed, south-central Idaho, 2014
Dorene E. MacCoy, Terry M. Short
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5128
Assessments of streamflow (discharge) parameters, water quality, physical habitat, and biological communities were completed between May and September 2014 as part of a monitoring program in the Big Wood River watershed of south-central Idaho. The sampling was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with Blaine County, Trout Unlimited,...
Geoelectric hazard maps for the continental United States
Jeffrey J. Love, Antti Pulkkinen, Paul A. Bedrosian, Seth Jonas, Anna Kelbert, Erin (Josh) Rigler, Carol Finn, Christopher Balch, Robert Rutledge, Richard Waggel, Andrew Sabata, Janet Kozyra, Carrie Black
2016, Geophysical Research Letters (43) 9415-9424
In support of a multiagency project for assessing induction hazards, we present maps of extreme-value geoelectric amplitudes over about half of the continental United States. These maps are constructed using a parameterization of induction: estimates of Earth surface impedance, obtained at discrete geographic sites from magnetotelluric survey data, are convolved...
Construction of a groundwater-flow model for the Big Sioux Aquifer using airborne electromagnetic methods, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Joshua F. Valder, Gregory C. Delzer, Janet M. Carter, Bruce D. Smith, David V. Smith
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3075
The city of Sioux Falls is the fastest growing community in South Dakota. In response to this continued growth and planning for future development, Sioux Falls requires a sustainable supply of municipal water. Planning and managing sustainable groundwater supplies requires a thorough understanding of local groundwater resources. The Big Sioux...
Potential sources of analytical bias and error in selected trace element data-quality analyses
Angela P. Paul, John R. Garbarino, Lisa D. Olsen, Michael R. Rosen, Christopher A. Mebane, Tedmund M. Struzeski
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5135
Potential sources of analytical bias and error associated with laboratory analyses for selected trace elements where concentrations were greater in filtered samples than in paired unfiltered samples were evaluated by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Quality Specialists in collaboration with the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) and the...
Discharge, water temperature, and water quality of Warm Mineral Springs, Sarasota County, Florida: A retrospective analysis
Patricia A. Metz
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1166
Warm Mineral Springs, located in southern Sarasota County, Florida, is a warm, highly mineralized, inland spring. Since 1946, a bathing spa has been in operation at the spring, attracting vacationers and health enthusiasts. During the winter months, the warm water attracts manatees to the adjoining spring run and provides vital...
Resource nationalism in Indonesia—Effects of the 2014 mineral export ban
Graham W. Lederer
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3072
Resource nationalism encompasses a broad range of political and economic actions taken by Governments to regulate the extraction of natural resources within their borders. Policies such as increased tariffs or export restrictions can have far-reaching economic effects on international trade. As the Governments of several developing countries consider enacting nationalistic...
Influence of demography and environment on persistence in toad populations
Brad A. Lambert, Robert A. Schorr, Scott C. Schneider, Erin L. Muths
2016, Journal of Wildlife Management (80) 1256-1266
Effective conservation of rare species requires an understanding of how potential threats affect population dynamics. Unfortunately, information about population demographics prior to threats (i.e., baseline data) is lacking for many species. Perturbations, caused by climate change, disease, or other stressors can lead to population declines and heightened conservation concerns. Boreal...
Geologic setting of the West Flank, a FORGE site adjacent to the Coso geothermal field
Andrew Sabin, Kelly Blake, Mike Lazaro, Dave Meade, Douglas Blankenship, Mack Kennedy, Jess McCulloch, Steve DeOreo, Stephen H. Hickman, Jonathan M.G. Glen, J. Ole Kaven, Martin Schoenball, Colin F. Williams, Geoffrey Phelps, James Faulds, Nick Hinz, Wendy Calvin, Drew Siler, Ann Robertson-Tait
2016, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 41st Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering
The West Flank FORGE (Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy) site is located immediately west and outside of the Coso geothermal field, eastern California. Coso is a fluid-dominated, high temperature geothermal system that has been producing power continuously since 1987. The reservoir is composed of highly faulted, fractured and...
Groundwater contaminant plume maps and volumes, 100-K and 100-N Areas, Hanford Site, Washington
Kenneth H. Johnson
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1161
This study provides an independent estimate of the areal and volumetric extent of groundwater contaminant plumes which are affected by waste disposal in the 100-K and 100-N Areas (study area) along the Columbia River Corridor of the Hanford Site. The Hanford Natural Resource Trustee Council requested that the U.S....
Water pressure and ground vibrations induced by water guns at a backwater pond on the Illinois River near Morris, Illinois
Carolyn M. Koebel, Rachel M. Egly
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5098
Three different geophysical sensor types were used to characterize the underwater pressure waves and ground velocities generated by the underwater firing of seismic water guns. These studies evaluated the use of water guns as a tool to alter the movement of Asian carp. Asian carp are aquatic invasive species that...
Using scenarios to assess possible future impacts of invasive species in the Laurentian Great Lakes
T. Bruce Lauber, Richard C. Stedman, Nancy A Connelly, Lars G. Rudstam, Richard C Ready, Gregory L Poe, David B. Bunnell, Tomas O. Hook, Marten A. Koops, Stuart A. Ludsin, Edward S. Rutherford, Marion E. Wittmann
2016, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (36) 1292-1307
The expected impacts of invasive species are key considerations in selecting policy responses to potential invasions. But predicting the impacts of invasive species is daunting, particularly in large systems threatened by multiple invasive species, such as North America’s Laurentian Great Lakes. We developed and evaluated a scenario-building process that relied...
Summary of oceanographic and water-quality measurements in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, 2014–15
Steven E. Suttles, Neil K. Ganju, Ellyn T. Montgomery, Patrick J. Dickhudt, Jonathan Borden, Sandra M. Brosnahan, Marinna A. Martini
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1149
Scientists and technical support staff from the U.S. Geological Survey measured suspended-sediment concentrations, currents, pressure, and water temperature in two tidal creeks, Reedy Creek and Dinner Creek, in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, from August 11, 2014, to July 10, 2015 as part of the Estuarine Physical Response to Storms project...
User guide for MODPATH Version 7—A particle-tracking model for MODFLOW
David W. Pollock
2016, Open-File Report 2016-1086
MODPATH is a particle-tracking post-processing program designed to work with MODFLOW, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) finite-difference groundwater flow model. MODPATH version 7 is the fourth major release since its original publication. Previous versions were documented in USGS Open-File Reports 89–381 and 94–464 and in USGS Techniques and Methods 6–A41.MODPATH...
Integrating occurrence and detectability patterns based on interview data: a case study for threatened mammals in Equatorial Guinea
Chele Martinez-Marti, Maria V. Jimenez-Franco, J. Andrew Royle, Jose A. Palazon, Jose F. Calvo
2016, Scientific Reports (6)
Occurrence models that account for imperfect detection of species are increasingly used for estimating geographical range, for determining species-landscape relations and to prioritize conservation actions worldwide. In 2010, we conducted a large-scale survey in Río Muni, the mainland territory of Equatorial Guinea, which aimed to estimate the probabilities of occurrence...
Encounters with Pinyon-Juniper influence riskier movements in Greater Sage-Grouse across the Great Basin
Brian G. Prochazka, Peter S. Coates, Mark A. Ricca, Michael L. Casazza, K. Benjamin Gustafson, Josh M. Hull
2016, Rangeland Ecology and Management
Fine-scale spatiotemporal studies can better identify relationships between individual survival and habitat fragmentation so that mechanistic interpretations can be made at the population level. Recent advances in Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and statistical models capable of deconstructing high-frequency location data have facilitated interpretation of animal movement within a behaviorally...
First estimates of the probability of survival in a small-bodied, high-elevation frog (Boreal Chorus Frog, Pseudacris maculata), or how historical data can be useful
Erin L. Muths, R. D. Scherer, S. M. Amburgey, T. Matthews, A. W. Spencer, P.S. Corn
2016, Canadian Journal of Zoology (94) 599-606
In an era of shrinking budgets yet increasing demands for conservation, the value of existing (i.e., historical) data are elevated. Lengthy time series on common, or previously common, species are particularly valuable and may be available only through the use of historical information. We provide first estimates of the probability...
Environmental conditions in the Namskaket Marsh Area, Orleans, Massachusetts: A summary of studies by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1989–2011
Peter K. Weiskel, Jeffrey R. Barbaro, Leslie A. DeSimone
2016, Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5122
Namskaket Marsh and its tidal creek system are potential receptors for a treated wastewater plume originating from a septage treatment facility in the northwest part of Orleans, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. From 1989 to 2011, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with State and local partners, conducted a series of...
