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At least 1,009 records · Page 56Linked to original sources
USGS1992

Utility of radiocarbon-dated stratigraphy in determining late Holocene earthquake recurrence intervals, upper Cook Inlet region, Alaska

During the great 1964 earthquake, parts of coastal southern Alaska subsided tectonically as much as 2 m, and this led to burial of high-intertidal organic-rich marshes by low-intertidal and tidal silt. In the tectonically active part of upper Cook Inlet, the presence of stratigraphic sections containing numerous prehistoric interbedded layers of peat and silt suggests that such stratigraphy resulted when marshes and forests were similarly inundated and buried by intertidal and tidal sediment as a result of great, prehistoric earthquakes. This study tests the feasibility of using buried, radiocarbon-dated, late Holocene peat layers that are exposed in the intertidal zone of upper Cook Inlet to determine earthquake recurrence intervals, because estimates of the recurrence intervals of past earthquakes are needed for evaluation of the potential for future earthquakes. In a reconnaissance study of interbedded peat and silt, 65 conventional radiocarbon dates from peat and other organic material in 25 measured sections in the intertidal zone and one drillhole were used. Radiocarbon ages from the tops of peat beds cluster weakly but may indicate that regional subsidence events recurred at irregular intervals between about 200 to 800 radiocarbon yr within the past 3,200 radiocarbon yr. Conversion to calibrated ages does not alter this range substantially but may extend both ends of the age range. Coeval and correlative stratigraphy and radiocarbon data in the buried peat layers of upper Cook Inlet strongly suggest sudden, subsidence-induced layering. Because of problems associated with conventional radiocarbon dating, the complex stratigraphy of the study area, the tectonic setting, and regional changes in sea level, conclusions from the study do not permit precise identification of the timing and recurrence of paleoseismic events.

Alaska↗
USGS1999

Tectonic and sediment supply control of deep rift lake turbidite systems: Lake Baikal, Russia

Tectonically influenced half-graben morphology controls the amount and type of sediment supply and consequent type of late Quaternary turbidite systems developed in the active rift basins of Lake Baikal, Russia. Steep border fault slopes (footwall) on the northwest sides of half-graben basins provide a limited supply of coarser grained clastic material to multiple small fan deltas. These multiple sediment sources in turn laterally feed small (<10 km diameter) unchannelized sublacustrine sand-rich aprons that are deposited at the slope base on the lake floor. Gradual slopes of the southeastern ramp margins (hanging wall) of the lake basins, conversely, feed finer grained sediment from larger drainages into two different types of channelized turbidite sublacustrine fan systems: (1) small (5–20 km) laterally fed sand-rich fans sourced by local rivers, often originating from glaciated valleys; and (2) large (>65 km) axially fed elongate mud-rich fans sourced by regional exterior drainage of the Selenga River that supplies large quantities of silt. Basin plain turbidites in the center of the linear basins and axial channels that are controlled by rift-parallel faults are fed from, and interfinger with, aprons and fans. The predictability of the turbidite systems in Lake Baikal provides the best example yet studied of how tectonics and sediment supply interact to control the development of a wide variety of coeval turbidite systems on a single basin floor.

Geology↗
USGS2009

Channel, floodplain, and wetland responses to floods and overbank sedimentation, 1846-2006, Halfway Creek Marsh, Upper Mississippi Valley, Wisconsin

Conversion of upland forest and prairie vegetation to agricultural land uses, following Euro-American settlement in the Upper Mississippi River System, led to accelerated runoff and soil erosion that subsequently transformed channels, floodplains, and wetlands on bottomlands. Halfway Creek Marsh, at the junction of Halfway Creek and the Mississippi River on Wisconsin's western border, is representative of such historical transformation. This marsh became the focus of a 2005-2006 investigation by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Wisconsin- Madison, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, who used an understanding of the historical transformation to help managers identify possible restoration alternatives for Halfway Creek Marsh. Field-scale topographic surveys and sediment cores provided data for reconstructing patterns and rates of historical overbank sedimentation in the marsh. Information culled from historical maps, aerial photographs, General Land Offi ce Survey notes, and other historical documents helped establish the timing of anthropogenic disturbances and document changes in channel patterns. Major human disturbances, in addition to agricultural land uses, included railroad and road building, construction of artifi cial levees, drainage alterations, and repeated dam failures associated with large floods. A volume of approximately 1,400,000 m 3 , involving up to 2 m of sandy historical overbank deposition, is stored through the upper and lower marshes and along the adjacent margins of Halfway Creek and its principal tributary, Sand Lake Coulee. The estimated overbank sedimentation rate for the entire marsh is ??3,000 m 3 yr- 1 for the recent period 1994-2006. In spite of reduced surface runoff and soil erosion in recent years, this recent sedimentation rate still exceeds by ??4 times the early settlement (1846-1885) rate of 700 m 3 yr- 1 , when anthropogenic acceleration of upland surface runoff and soil erosion was beginning. The highest rate of historical bottomland sedimentation occurred from 1919 to 1936, when the estimated overbank sedimentation rate was 20,400 m 3 yr- 1 . This rate exceeded by nearly 30 times the 1846-1886 rate. Artifi cial levees were constructed along the upper reach of Halfway Creek in the marsh during the early twentieth century to restrict fl ooding on the adjacent bottomlands. Anomalously high overbank sedimentation rates subsequently occurred on the fl oodplain between the levees, which also facilitated more effi cient transport of sediment into the lower marsh bottomland. Although overbank sedimentation rates dropped after 1936, corresponding to the widespread adoption of soil-conservation and agricultural best-management practices, the continuation of anomalously high overbank sedimentation between the levees led to increased bank heights and development of a relatively deep channel. The deep cross-section morphology is commonly mistaken as evidence of channel incision; however, this morphology actually resulted from excessive overbank sedimentation. The historical metamorphosis of the Halfway Creek channel and riparian wetlands underscores the importance of understanding the long-term history of channel and fl oodplain evolution when restoration of channels and riparian wetlands are under consideration. Sedimentation patterns and channel morphology for Halfway Creek Marsh probably are representative of other anthropogenically altered riparian wetlands in the Upper Mississippi River System and similar landscapes elsewhere.

Special Paper of the Geological Society of America↗
USGS2011

Stratigraphic, sedimentologic, and dendrogeomorphic analyses of rapid floodplain formation along the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park, Texas

The channel of the lower Rio Grande in the Big Bend region rapidly narrows during years of low mean and peak flow. We conducted stratigraphic, sedimentologic, and dendrogeomorphic analyses within two long floodplain trenches to precisely reconstruct the timing and processes of recent floodplain formation. We show that the channel of the Rio Grande narrowed through the oblique and vertical accretion of inset floodplains following channel-widening floods in 1978 and 1990–1991. Vertical accretion occurred at high rates, ranging from 16 to 35 cm/yr. Dendrogeomorphic analyses show that the onset of channel narrowing occurred during low-flow years when channel bars obliquely and vertically accreted fine sediment. This initial stage of accretion occurred by both bed-load and suspended-load deposition within the active channel. Vegetation became established on top of these fine-grained deposits during years of low peak flow and stabilized these developing surfaces. Subsequent deposition by moderate floods (between 1.5 and 7 yr recurrence intervals) caused additional accretion at rapid rates. Suspended-sediment deposition was dominant in the upper deposits, resulting in the formation of natural levees at the channel margins and the deposition of horizontally bedded, fining-upward deposits in the floodplain trough. Overall, channel narrowing and floodplain formation occurred through an evolution from active-channel to floodplain depositional processes. High-resolution dendrogeomorphic analyses provide the ability to specifically correlate the flow record to the onset of narrowing, the establishment of riparian vegetation, the formation of natural levees, and ultimately, the conversion of portions of the active channel to floodplains.

Texas↗
USGS2020

Dendritic reidite from the Chesapeake Bay impact horizon, Ocean Drilling Program Site 1073 (offshore northeastern USA): A fingerprint of distal ejecta?

High-pressure minerals provide records of processes not normally preserved in Earth’s crust. Reidite, a quenchable polymorph of zircon, forms at pressures >20 GPa during shock compression. However, there is no broad consensus among empirical, experimental, and theoretical studies on the nature of the polymorphic transformation. Here we decipher a multistage history of reidite growth recorded in a zircon grain in distal impact ejecta (offshore northeastern United States) from the ca. 35 Ma Chesapeake Bay impact event which, remarkably, experienced near-complete conversion (89%) to reidite. The grain displays two distinctive reidite habits: (1) intersecting sets of planar lamellae that are dark in cathodoluminescence (CL); and (2) dendritic epitaxial overgrowths on the lamellae that are luminescent in CL. While the former is similar to that described in literature, the latter has not been previously reported. A two-stage growth model is proposed for reidite formation at >40 GPa in Chesapeake Bay impact ejecta: formation of lamellar reidite by shearing during shock compression, followed by dendrite growth, also at high pressure, via recrystallization. The dendritic reidite is interpreted to nucleate on lamellae and replace damaged zircon adjacent to lamellae, which may be amorphous ZrSiO 4 or possibly an intermediate phase, all before quenching. These results provide new insights on the microstructural evolution of the high-pressure polymorphic transformation over the microseconds-long interval of reidite stability during meteorite impact. Given the formation conditions, dendritic reidite may be a unique indicator of distal ejecta.

Virginia↗
USGS2022

Don't judge an orogen by its cover: Kinematics of the Appalachian décollement from seismic anisotropy

As North America collided with Africa to form Pangea during the Alleghanian orogeny, crystalline and sedimentary rocks in the southeastern United States were thrust forelandward along the Appalachian décollement. We examined Ps receiver functions to better constrain the kinematics of this prominent subsurface structure. From Southeastern Suture of the Appalachian Margin Experiment (SESAME) and other EarthScope stations on the Blue Ridge–Piedmont crystalline megathrust, we find large arrivals from a 5–10-km-deep converter. We argue that a strong contrast in dipping anisotropic foliation occurs at the subhorizontal Appalachian décollement, and propose that such a geometry may be typical for décollement structures. Conversion polarity flips can be explained by an east-dipping foliation, but this orientation is at odds with the overlying northeast-trending surface tectonic grain. We suggest that prior to late Alleghanian northwest-directed head-on collision, the Appalachian décollement accommodated early Alleghanian west-vergence, independent of the overlying Blue Ridge–Piedmont structural inheritance. The geophysical expression of dipping anisotropic foliation provides a powerful tool for investigating subsurface kinematics, especially where they are obscured by overlying fabric, to disentangle the tectonic complexities that embody oblique collisional orogens.

Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, ↗
USGS2024

Boulders modulate hillslope-channel coupling in the northern Alaska Range

Active orogens balance tectonic rock uplift with erosion, commonly via river incision coupled to landslide denudation of “threshold” hillslopes, but sediment’s role in this feedback is unclear. We report fluvial geometry, and sediment size, prevalence, and mobility across two ≤600-m-tall gneissic northern Alaska Range anticlines that sustain steep landslide-clad hillslopes but differ 10× in late Pleistocene−recent rock uplift rate. Enigmatically, the river steepens and narrows prominently across the fold experiencing slow surface uplift (∼0.5 mm/yr) but remains low-gradient and wide downstream across the anticline undergoing rapid differential rock uplift (∼5 mm/yr). Frequent bedload mobilization across both folds implies fluvial equilibration to sediment transport despite discrepant channel forms and similarly prevalent hillslope-derived boulders. Boulder prevalence correlates significantly with channel slope and width on the slowly uplifting anticline, but weakly on the rapidly uplifting anticline. Strong correlations across the tectonically quiescent anticline may reflect local incision-suppressing boulder aggradation that forces the channel to steepen and narrow, consistent with field observations. Conversely, weak correlations across the rapidly uplifting anticline imply that boulders may modulate expected tectonic channel adjustment by preferentially aggrading to subdue slope, and deflecting frequently mobile bedload to drive lateral erosion that maintains channel width, steepens adjacent hillslopes, and perpetuates hillslope-channel coupling. Hence, hillslope-derived boulders may occupy important roles in regulating feedbacks between river incision and landslide erosion that differ fundamentally at high and low tectonic rates.

Geology↗
USGS2012

Influence of the Amlia fracture zone on the evolution of the Aleutian Terrace forearc basin, central Aleutian subduction zone

During Pliocene to Quaternary time, the central Aleutian forearc basin evolved in response to a combination of tectonic and climatic factors. Initially, along-trench transport of sediment and accretion of a frontal prism created the accommodation space to allow forearc basin deposition. Transport of sufficient sediment to overtop the bathymetrically high Amlia fracture zone and reach the central Aleutian arc began with glaciation of continental Alaska in the Pliocene. As the obliquely subducting Amlia fracture zone swept along the central Aleutian arc, it further affected the structural evolution of the forearc basins. The subduction of the Amlia fracture zone resulted in basin inversion and loss of accommodation space east of the migrating fracture zone. Conversely, west of Amlia fracture zone, accommodation space increased arcward of a large outer-arc high that formed, in part, by a thickening of arc basement. This difference in deformation is interpreted to be the result of a variation in interplate coupling across the Amlia fracture zone that was facilitated by increasing subduction obliquity, a change in orientation of the subducting Amlia fracture zone, and late Quaternary intensification of glaciation. The change in coupling is manifested by a possible tear in the subducting slab along the Amlia fracture zone. Differences in coupling across the Amlia fracture zone have important implications for the location of maximum slip during future great earthquakes. In addition, shaking during a great earthquake could trigger large mass failures of the summit platform, as evidenced by the presence of thick mass transport deposits of primarily Quaternary age that are found in the forearc basin west of the Amlia fracture zone.

Geosphere↗
USGS2024

Onset and tempo of ignimbrite flare-up volcanism in the eastern and central Mogollon-Datil volcanic field, southern New Mexico, USA

The Cenozoic ignimbrite flare-up (40–18 Ma) generated multiple volcanic fields in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico resulting from asthenospheric mantle upwelling after removal of the Farallon slab. The correlation of tuffs to one another and to source calderas within these volcanic fields is essential for determining spatiotemporal patterns in volcanism and magma geochemistry, which have been used to deduce migration of the Farallon slab at depth and associated mantle melting. However, the correlation of Eocene–Oligocene tuffs in the southwestern U.S. is difficult because of post-emplacement erosion and faulting. This study focuses on spatiotemporal patterns of the initial episode of ignimbrite flare-up activity (ca. 36.5–33.8 Ma) in the Mogollon-Datil volcanic field in south-central New Mexico, USA. We show that alkali feldspar major and trace element geochemistry is an effective tool for correlating tuffs when combined with high-precision, single-crystal 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronology and bulk-rock geochemistry. Using these data, we correlate several tuff units and differentiate other tuffs that have the same eruption age but very different geochemistry, and we conclude that there was a broadly northwestward migration in volcanism over time. The new tuff correlations are used to investigate spatiotemporal variations in magma geochemistry, erupted volumes, and recurrence intervals during the initial episode of Mogollon-Datil volcanic field volcanism. Early-erupted tuffs restricted to the eastern Mogollon-Datil volcanic field share similarities with western U.S. topaz rhyolites, which suggests that the silicic magmas were generated by partial melting of mafic lower crustal rocks. We also find differences in the compositions, crystallinities, and mineral assemblages between the early- and late-erupted tuffs. The early-erupted tuffs tend to have single-feldspar mineralogies, lower feldspar Or contents, large negative Eu anomalies, and low-whole–rock Ba concentrations. Conversely, late-erupted tuffs have two feldspar plus quartz assemblages, lesser Eu anomalies, higher whole-rock Ba concentrations, and feldspars have higher Or contents. Thus, we suggest that for some of the early eruptions, after magmas underwent crystal fractionation in the crust, the silicic melt largely separated from the crystalline mush prior to eruption, whereas late-erupted tuff magmas underwent crystal fractionation at near the eutectic minimum and were remobilized and erupted with a larger proportion of their crystalline mush. Using our new ages, correlations, and previously published data, we find that the initial phase of Mogollon-Datil volcanic field volcanism produced at least 15 eruptions between 36.5 Ma and 33.8 Ma, with a minimum total erupted volume of ~1350 km 3 and an average recurrence interval of 170 k.y. However, eruptions were generally smaller in volume (most <15 km 3 ) than in other coeval fields, and most eruptions (n = 11) occurred in the first 1.2 m.y. (ca. 36.5–35.3 Ma) of activity. Altogether, our work sheds new light on variations in the composition, timing, and migration of volcanism during the initial phase of Mogollon-Datil volcanic field activity and highlights the utility of feldspar geochemistry in both “fingerprinting” tuffs and elucidating magma evolution.

New Mexico↗
USGS2026

Syn-magmatic subsidence during the early stages of continental rifting in the Mesoproterozoic—A reanalysis of legacy data for the Midcontinent Rift, western Lake Superior

The Midcontinent Rift system (ca. 1.1 Ga) is a 2000-km-long series of elongated volcanic and sedimentary troughs and associated intrusive centers exposed chiefly in the Lake Superior region of North America. The rift system represents a long history of intense magmatism and subsequent sedimentation that was arrested by far-field tectonic events before sea-floor spreading was established. The premature cessation preserved a record of processes related to the beginning of continental rifting. The rift system under Lake Superior has been long studied using seismic-reflection data collected as part of the Great Lakes International Multidisciplinary Program on Crustal Evolution (GLIMPCE). We reexamine GLIMPCE Line C by developing a detailed velocity model for time to depth conversion constrained by other legacy data. We corroborate the model and develop a geologic interpretation using gravity and magnetic modeling and ties to geology mapped onshore. We recognize superposed subsiding sedimentary and volcanic basins for the southern half of the Line C depth section. This interpretation differs from previous paradigms that show major crustal faults that bound half-grabens or full grabens. We conclude that high-velocity (6.9 km/s) intrusive zones rather than major crustal faults border the sides of the basins. We speculate that the volcanic basin represents the initiation of seaward dipping reflectors. The syn-magmatic subsidence can be explained by dike injection and volcanic loading. Discrete lava basins throughout the region likely subsided at different times in a disorganized manner along the rift trend, raising questions about the long-term role of lithospheric thinning and melt generation.

Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario, Wisconsin↗
USGS2025

Elevation mediates juvenile steelhead demographic response to stream temperature and flow

Climate change alters streams by modifying flow dynamics, temperature, and biotic communities, changing the habitat where stream dwelling fish have evolved. We used snorkel survey data spanning four decades to investigate how juvenile steelhead (anadromous Oncorhynchus mykiss ) counts and size structure were influenced by stream temperature and flow. Warmer temperatures were associated with lower abundance and larger fish at low elevations and with higher abundance and smaller fish at higher elevations. Low flows were related to increased abundance and smaller fish at low elevations but to decreased abundance at high elevations, suggesting that lower elevation streams, which tend to be larger, provided additional habitat during low flows. High flows were negatively related to abundance and positively related to average size, suggesting emigration of fish in younger age-classes. Overall, steelhead exhibited greater resilience to warm temperatures at high elevations and, conversely, greater resilience to low and high flows at lower elevations. Understanding how streamflow and temperature affect juvenile steelhead abundance and size structure provides insight into how climate change can affect juvenile steelhead production.

Idaho↗
USGS2026

Availability of dark daytime refuge may limit mysid abundance in the Laurentian Great Lakes

The zooplankton Mysis diluviana is a major component of the Laurentian Great Lakes food web and has recently declined in abundance in both lakes Michigan and Huron. Drivers of these declines are not well understood. Here, we explore the hypothesis that recent increases in water clarity have contributed to the decline of M. diluviana (mysids) by limiting the availability of daytime dark refuge from visual predators. Using Secchi depth data from 1996 to 2021, we estimate that dark refuge has decreased substantially in lakes Michigan and Huron where mysids have declined, but dark refuge has remained more stable in lakes Ontario and Superior where mysid populations did not decline. Results from a 2021 uncrewed surface vessel hydroacoustic survey and lake-wide, net-based sampling in lakes Michigan and Huron revealed significantly more mysids in areas with dark refuge, such as Lake Michigan’s northern basin. Conversely, Lake Huron contains sparse dark refuge consistent with low mysid densities in that lake. Higher water clarity leading to increased predation may be a primary driver of mysid declines in the Great Lakes.

Laurentian Great Lakes↗
USGS2023

The relative importance of cisco (Coregonus artedi) in the diets of common loons (Gavia immer) among a set of cisco refuge lakes in Minnesota

Common loon ( Gavia immer (Brünnich, 1764)) foraging patterns and the relative importance of cisco ( Coregonus artedi Lesueur, 1818) in the diets of loons were evaluated for the Whitefish Chain of Lakes, a set of coldwater cisco refuge lakes in Minnesota, USA. Environmental DNA metabarcoding of loon fecal samples detected 15 fish species. Yellow perch ( Perca flavescens (Mitchill, 1814)), mimic shiner ( Notropis volucellus (Cope, 1865)), and cisco were the most prominent prey detected across the study lakes. We observed a shift in fish species consumed, with increases in detections of mimic shiner and cisco DNA among loon fecal samples collected in August and September. In some locations, suitable oxythermal habitat became restricted throughout the summer, forcing cisco into surface waters, which potentially increased their vulnerability to loon predation. Conversely, large foraging aggregations of loons were observed during late summer through fall at locations with ample oxythermal habitat and abundant cisco populations. We hypothesize that cisco were sought by loons as a high-calorie prey resource prior to migration. Conservation efforts directed at preserving water quality in important cisco refuge lakes are likely to benefit common loons through enhancement of both the forage base, for resident and migrating birds, and breeding habitat suitability.

Minnesota↗
USGS1988

Ferromanganese deposits from the Gulf of Alaska Seamount Province: Mineralogy, chemistry, and origin

Ferromanganese-oxide deposits dredged from four seamounts (Welker, Miller, Murray, and Patton) in the Gulf of Alaska Seamount Province include poorly crystallized microlaminated crusts on basalt substrate, well-crystallized Mn-oxide veins in epiclastic sedimentary rocks, and crystalline Mn-oxide layers and micronodules in phosphorite. The principal rock types dredged are alkali-basalt pillow fragments and tuffaceous conglomerate and sandstone. The glassy rims of pillow fragments, the glassy goundmass of large volcanic clasts, and the tuffaceous component of the sediment are altered to palagonite. Other low-temperature alteration products include phillipsite, smectite, and carbonate-apatite.Thick (10–50 mm) Fe–Mn crusts consist mainly of δ-MnO 2 ; straight and cuspate growth laminae indicate variable growth rates and periods of nondeposition. A larger number of detrital particles toward the top of thick crusts record the increasing influence of active volcanoes of the Aleutian arc during northwestward movement of the Pacific plate. Thick crusts on basalt substrate have higher Mn/Fe ratios and lower Co content than Fe–Mn crusts from low-latitude seamounts of the central Pacific region. Thin (< 10 mm) crusts on volcaniclastic substrate contain todorokite and birnessite and have higher Mn/Fe ratios, Ni, and Cu and lower Fe and Co than thick Gulf of Alaska crusts.Veins of todorokite and cryptomelane with complex internal structure occur in altered tuffaceous sandstone and conglomerate from Miller Seamount. Fibrous todorokite has a composition similar to those of other marine examples but may contain up to 7% Mn 2+ in M2 sites. Microprobe analysis of the marine cryptomelane indicates a composition that is approximately (K,Ba) 1–2 (Mn 4+ ,Co) 7–8 O 16 ∙ x (H 2 O).A third type of Fe–Mn deposit in phosphorite is an intimate mixture of todorokite (and minor δ-MnO 2 )-bearing layers and micronodules, carbonate-apatite, and phillipsite that encloses grains of altered volcanic glass and lithic fragments.The microlaminated structure, mineralogy (predominantly δ-MnO 2 ), and composition (Mn/Fe ratio and transition metal, rare earth element, U, and Th contents) of the thick crusts are characteristic of hydrogenetic Fe–Mn crusts elsewhere in the Pacific. Conversely, the crystallinity and chemical composition of the Mn-oxide veins and thin crusts indicate formation during diagenesis of the volcanogenic sediment substrate. Mn and other transition metals are mobilized during low-temperature oxidative alteration (palagonitization) of basaltic volcanic glass; the oxidation of Fe 2+ to Fe 3+ during palagonitization and the dissolution of the dilute biogenic fraction of the sediment combine to lower the Eh of ambient pore fluid and enhance the mobility of Mn 2+ . Diagenesis in the phosphatic sandstone from Patton Seamount involves organic-rich sediment and pore waters elevated in phosphorus owing to upwelling above a large volcanic edifice.

Alaska↗
USGS2009

A biophysical model of Lake Erie walleye ( Sander vitreus ) explains interannual variations in recruitment

We used a three-dimensional coupled hydrodynamic-ecological model to investigate how lake currents can affect walleye ( Sander vitreus ) recruitment in western Lake Erie. Four years were selected based on a fall recruitment index: two high recruitment years (i.e., 1996 and 1999) and two low recruitment years (i.e., 1995 and 1998). During the low recruitment years, the model predicted that (i) walleye spawning grounds experienced destructive bottom currents capable of dislodging eggs from suitable habitats (reefs) to unsuitable habitats (i.e., muddy bottom), and (ii) the majority of newly hatched larvae were transported away from the known suitable nursery grounds at the start of their first feeding. Conversely, during two high recruitment years, predicted bottom currents at the spawning grounds were relatively weak, and the predicted movement of newly hatched larvae was toward suitable nursery grounds. Thus, low disturbance-based egg mortality and a temporal and spatial match between walleye first feeding larvae and their food resources were predicted for the two high recruitment years, and high egg mortality plus a mismatch of larvae with their food resources was predicted for the two low recruitment years. In general, mild westerly or southwesterly winds during the spawning-nursery period should favour walleye recruitment in the lake.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
USGS1975

Amino acid supplementation of casein in diets of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fry and of soybean meal for rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) fingerlings

Fry of Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) fed a diet containing isolated fish protein grew significantly faster than those fed a diet containing casein without supplemental amino acids, and had improved feed conversion and lower mortality. Supplementing the casein diet with essential amino acids to the levels in the isolated fish protein diet significantly increased growth rate, reduced mortality, and improved feed conversion.When fingerling rainbow trout ( S . gairdneri ) were fed diets containing soybean meal as the sole source of protein, additions of amino acids to simulate those levels of essential amino acids in trout eggs and isolated fish protein significantly improved growth. Additions of methionine, lysine, histidine, and leucine individually and in several combinations had no effect.

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada↗
USGS1998

Incubation temperature, developmental biology, and the divergence of sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) within Lake Washington

Sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka) introduced into Lake Washington in the 1930s and 1940s now spawn at several different sites and over a period of more than 3 months. To test for evolutionary divergence within this derived lineage, embryos that would have incubated in different habitats (Cedar River or Pleasure Point Beach) or at different times (October, November, or December in the Cedar River) were reared in the laboratory at 5, 9, and 12.5??C. Some developmental variation mirrored predictions of adaptive divergence: (i) survival at 12.5??C was highest for embryos most likely to experience such temperatures in the wild (Early Cedar), (ii) development rate was fastest for progeny of late spawners (Late Cedar), and (iii) yolk conversion efficiency was matched to natural incubation temperatures. These patterns likely had a genetic basis because they were observed in a common environment and could not be attributed to differences in egg size. The absolute magnitude of divergence in development rates was moderate (Late Cedar embryos emerged only 6 days earlier at 9??C) and some predictions regarding development rates were not supported. Nonetheless our results provide evidence of adaptive divergence in only 9-14 generations.

Washington↗
USGS2019

US Costal Research Program: Building a research community to support coastal stakeholders

The U.S. Coastal Research Program (USCRP) was created to develop, coordinate, and enable a National science plan to address growing needs of coastal communities. Researchers from federal agencies, academia, industry, and non-governmental organizations work together to identify priorities that support coastal stakeholders in activities such as emergency response, resource management, planning, and engineering. By fostering existing partnerships and multi-agency collaborations, the USCRP increases the value and impact of these coastal research applications. Through user-driven topical workshops, the USCRP initiates conversation between users and researchers to help ensure that research addresses societal needs along the coastline. By leveraging and expanding federal funding, opportunities are created for coastal science and engineering university programs to advance their research directions, provide graduate student opportunities, and connect their work to National coastal priorities.

Conference Paper↗