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At least 1,459 records · Page 81Linked to original sources

USGS1994

Evapotranspiration estimation using a normalized difference vegetation index transformation of satellite data

Evapotranspiration of irrigated crops on two irrigation service areas along the lower Colorado River was estimated using a normalized difference vegetation index of satellite data. A procedure was developed which equated the index to crop coefficients. Evapotranspiration estimates for fields for three dates of thematic mapper data were highly correlated with ground estimates. Service area estimates using thematic mapper and Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer data agreed well with estimates based on US Geological Survey gauging station data.

Hydrological Sciences Journal↗

USGS1992

Habitat use by larval fishes in backwater lake of the upper Mississippi River

Light traps were used to sample larval fishes in Lawrence Lake (Pool 8, upper Mississippi River) from late May through mid-August 1990. Catches differed considerably between vegetated sites and an adjacent open-water area and were highly variable among vegetated stations. Sunfishes ( Lepomis spp.) dominated the vegetated sites. Brook silversides ( Labidesthes sicculus ), Cyprinidae and gizzard shad ( Dorosoma cepedianum ) dominated catches at the open-water site. There was no difference in fish use of vegetated habitats near and far from the main channel of the Mississippi River. Taxonomic diversity was greatest at stations with emergent vegetation.

Journal of Freshwater Ecology↗

USGS2005

Biotic and abiotic correlates with black bullhead population characteristics in Nebraska sandhill lakes

We explored relationships among black bullhead ( Ameiurus melas ) population characteristics and physicochemical attributes in shallow lakes and quantified relationships between population characteristics of black bullhead and sport fishes. Lake characteristics and fisheries survey data were collected from the Sandhills region of northcentral Nebraska from May through June, 1998 and 1999. Relative abundance of black bullheads was inversely related to proportional stock density (r=-0.672, df=15, P=0.004); however, neither relative weight nor growth was significantly (P ≥ 0.20) related to black bullhead relative abundance. Population characteristics of common panfish species such as bluegill ( Lepomis macrochirus ), green sunfish ( L. cyanellus ), pumpkinseed ( L. gibbosus ), and yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ) were not correlated with black bullhead relative abundance or size structure. Rather, proportional stock density (r=0.655, df=10, P=0.029) and growth (r=0.59, df=11, P=0.04) of black bullhead were positively related to relative abundance of largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides. ) Similarly, black bullhead relative abundance was inversely related to largemouth bass size structure (r=-0.51, df=14, P=0.05). Black bullhead mean length at age 3 was positively related to total phosphorous concentration (r=0.65, df=16, P=0.004), and bullhead relative abundance was positively related to shoreline development index (r=0.46, df=22, P=0.03). Population characteristics of black bullhead appeared to have little influence on panfish communities. Rather, black bullhead abundance, predator density, and lake productivity exhibited stronger relationships with black bullhead population characteristics.

Nebraska↗

USGS2010

Invertebrate composition and abundance associated with Didymosphenia geminata in a montane stream

Didymosphenia geminata , a relatively new aquatic nuisance species that can form extensive, mucilaginous mats on stream substrates, was reported from Rapid Creek, South Dakota in 2002. To examine the association between D. geminata and the invertebrate community in Rapid Creek, macroinvertebrates were quantified using three gear types in the fall of 2006. D. geminata was present at two of four sites sampled (range = 5.53 to 809.68 g m −2 dry mass). At each site, invertebrates were collected using dip nets, Surber samplers, and drift nets. The combined percentage of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera in areas with D. geminata was lower (41%) than in areas without D. geminata (76%). Diptera abundance was higher at sites with D. geminata than in sites where D. geminata was absent.

Journal of Freshwater Ecology↗

USGS2014

Using cumulative diet data and stable isotope analysis to determine trophic position of walleye Sander vitreus in a large, complex system

Diet studies have traditionally been used to determine prey use and food web dynamics, while stable isotope analysis provides for a time-integrated approach to evaluate food web dynamics and characterize energy flow in aquatic systems. Direct comparison of the two techniques is rare and difficult to conduct in large, species rich systems. We compared changes in walleye Sander vitreus trophic position (TP) derived from paired diet content and stable isotope analysis. Individual diet-derived TP estimates were dissimilar to stable isotope-derived TP estimates. However, cumulative diet-derived TP estimates integrated from May 2001 to May 2002 corresponded to May 2002 isotope-derived estimates of TP. Average walleye TP estimates from the spring season appear representative of feeding throughout the entire previous year.

Journal of Freshwater Ecology↗

USGS2014

Effect of bait and gear type on channel catfish catch and turtle bycatch in a reservoir

Hoop nets have become the preferred gear choice to sample channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus but the degree of bycatch can be high, especially due to the incidental capture of aquatic turtles. While exclusion and escapement devices have been developed and evaluated, few have examined bait choice as a method to reduce turtle bycatch. The use of Zote™ soap has shown considerable promise to reduce bycatch of aquatic turtles when used with trotlines but its effectiveness in hoop nets has not been evaluated. We sought to determine the effectiveness of hoop nets baited with cheese bait or Zote™ soap and trotlines baited with shad or Zote™ soap as a way to sample channel catfish and prevent capture of aquatic turtles. We used a repeated-measures experimental design and treatment combinations were randomly assigned using a Latin-square arrangement. Eight sampling locations were systematically selected and then sampled with either hoop nets or trotlines using Zote™ soap (both gears), waste cheese (hoop nets), or cut shad (trotlines). Catch rates did not statistically differ among the gear–bait-type combinations. Size bias was evident with trotlines consistently capturing larger sized channel catfish compared to hoop nets. Results from a Monte Carlo bootstrapping procedure estimated the number of samples needed to reach predetermined levels of sampling precision to be lowest for trotlines baited with soap. Moreover, trotlines baited with soap caught no aquatic turtles, while hoop nets captured many turtles and had high mortality rates. We suggest that Zote™ soap used in combination with multiple hook sizes on trotlines may be a viable alternative to sample channel catfish and reduce bycatch of aquatic turtles.

Oklahoma↗

USGS2012

Kinetics of viral load and erythrocytic inclusion body formation in pacific herring artificially infected with erythrocytic necrosis virus

Viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) is a condition that affects marine and anadromous fish species, including herrings and salmonids, in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Infection is frequently associated with severe anemia and causes episodic mortality among wild and hatchery fish when accompanied by additional stressors; VEN can be presumptively diagnosed by (1) light microscopic identification of a single characteristic—a round, magenta-colored, 0.8-μm-diameter inclusion body (IB) within the cytoplasm of erythrocytes and their precursors on Giemsa-stained blood films; or (2) observation (via transmission electron microscopy [TEM]) of the causative iridovirus, erythrocytic necrosis virus (ENV), within erythrocytes or their precursors. To better understand the kinetics of VEN, specific-pathogen-free Pacific herring Clupea pallasii were infected with ENV by intraperitoneal injection. At 1, 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28 d postexposure, samples of blood, spleen, and kidney were collected and assessed (1) via light microscopy for the number of intracytoplasmic IBs in blood smears and (2) via TEM for the number of virions within erythrocytes. The mean prevalence of intracytoplasmic IBs in the blood cells increased from 0% at 0–4 d postexposure to 94% at 28 d postexposure. Viral load within circulating red blood cells peaked at 7 d postexposure, fell slightly, and then reached a plateau. However, blood cells observed within the kidney and spleen tissues demonstrated high levels of ENV between 14 and 28 d postexposure. The results indicate that the viral load within erythrocytes does not correlate well with IB prevalence and that the virus can persist in infected fish for more than 28 d.

Journal of Aquatic Animal Health↗

USGS2014

Genetic variation in bacterial kidney disease (BKD) susceptibility in Lake Michigan Chinook Salmon and its progenitor population from the Puget Sound

Mass mortality events in wild fish due to infectious diseases are troubling, especially given the potential for long-term, population-level consequences. Evolutionary theory predicts that populations with sufficient genetic variation will adapt in response to pathogen pressure. Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha were introduced into Lake Michigan in the late 1960s from a Washington State hatchery population. In the late 1980s, collapse of the forage base and nutritional stress in Lake Michigan were thought to contribute to die-offs of Chinook Salmon due to bacterial kidney disease (BKD). Previously, we demonstrated that Lake Michigan Chinook Salmon from a Wisconsin hatchery have greater survival following BKD challenge relative to their progenitor population. Here, we evaluated whether the phenotypic divergence of these populations in BKD susceptibility was due to selection rather than genetic drift. Comparison of the overall magnitude of quantitative trait to neutral marker divergence between the populations suggested selection had occurred but a direct test of quantitative trait divergence was not significant, preventing the rejection of the null hypothesis of differentiation through genetic drift. Estimates of phenotypic variation (V P ), additive genetic variation (V A ) and narrow-sense heritability (h 2 ) were consistently higher in the Wisconsin relative to the Washington population. If selection had acted on the Wisconsin population there was no evidence of a concomitant loss of genetic variation in BKD susceptibility. The Renibacterium salmoninarum exposures were conducted at both 14°C and 9°C; the warmer temperature accelerated time to death in both populations and there was no evidence of phenotypic plasticity or a genotype-by-environment (G × E) interaction. High h 2 estimates for BKD susceptibility in the Wisconsin population, combined with a lack of phenotypic plasticity, predicts that future adaptive gains in BKD resistance are still possible and that these adaptive gains would be stable under the temperature range evaluated here.

Washington;Wisconsin↗

USGS2008

Application of morphologic burrow interpretations to discern continental burrow architects: Lungfish or crayfish?

A methodology for trace fossil identification using burrowing signatures is tested by evaluating ancient and modern lungfish and crayfish burrows and comparing them to previously undescribed burrows in a stratigraphic interval thought to contain both lungfish and crayfish burrows. Permian burrows that bear skeletal remains of the lungfish Gnathorhiza , from museum collections, were evaluated to identify unique burrow morphologies that could be used to distinguish lungfish from crayfish burrows when fossil remains are absent. The lungfish burrows were evaluated for details of the burrowing mechanism preserved in the burrow morphologies together forming burrowing signatures and were compared to new burrows in the Chinle Formation of western Colorado to test the methodology of using burrow signatures to identify unknown burrows. Permian lungfish aestivation burrows show simple, nearly vertical, unbranched architectures and relatively smooth surficial morphologies with characteristic quasi‐horizontal striae on the burrow walls and vertical striae on the bulbous terminus. Burrow lengths do not exceed 0.5 m. In contrast, modern and ancient crayfish burrows exhibit simple to highly complex architectures with highly textured surficial morphologies. Burrow lengths may reach 4 to 5 m. Burrow morphologies unlike those identified in Gnathorhiza aestivation burrows were found in four burrow groups from museum collections. Two of these groups exhibit simple architectures and horizontal striae that were greater in sinuosity and magnitude, respectively. One of these burrows contains the remains of Lysoro‐phus , but the burrow surface reveals no reliable surficial characteristics. It is not clear whether Lysorophus truly burrowed or merely occupied a pre‐existing structure. The other two groups exhibit surficial morphologies similar to those found on modern and ancient crayfish burrows and may provide evidence of freshwater crayfish in the Permian. Burrows from the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation in western Colorado exhibit simple to moderately complex architectural morphologies, ranging from predominantly vertical, unbranched, with little or no chamber development to predominantly vertical, few branches, and with minor chamber development. Surficial burrow morphologies are moderate to highly textured. The burrows have scrape marks, scratch marks, mud and lag‐liners, knobby surfaces, pleopod striae, and body impressions. Although no fossil remains of the burrowing organism were found within or associated with the Chinle burrows from western Colorado, the similarity of architectural and surficial burrow morphologies to those in the Chinle of Canyonlands, Utah and to modern crayfish burrows, clearly indicates that the Colorado burrows are the product of burrowing crayfish rather than lungfish. Evaluation of burrowing signatures preserved in the architectural and surficial burrow morphologies is a very useful tool to compare and contrast Chinle burrows from different regions on the Colorado Plateau. Documentation of crayfish burrows in the Chinle of Utah and Colorado strongly suggests that other large‐diameter Chinle burrows elsewhere on the Colorado Plateau and in stratigraphically equivalent units may also be the product of crayfish activity.

Colorado, Utah↗

USGS2025

Land application of drill waste: A scope analysis

Drilling fluid waste land application, a process where drilling wastes are spread and tilled into the land surface, has become common in some petroleum-producing states, however, the potential benefits and risks of this practice are not well studied. Drilling fluids can be water- or oil-based and can have high concentrations of total soluble salts and total petroleum hydrocarbons. Comprehensive chemical characterization of these fluids is not well documented in the literature, and the extent of land application is largely unknown. We hypothesized that the land application of drill waste would fluctuate over time due to economic factors. To begin to understand the extent of historical and potential future land application, we analyzed data from over 5,800 drilling fluid land application permits collected by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission for years 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015–2020. During the years studied, drilling fluid wastes were applied to more than 250,000 acres in Oklahoma, with over 54,000 thousand barrels (Mbbl) of liquids and nearly 21,000 Mbbl of solids applied. Land application is widespread (occurring in 59/77 counties), however recent drilling activity, land availability, and the economics of transportation have created conditions favorable for land application specifically in the Anadarko Basin. Land application can co-occur with sensitive areas, such as important groundwater and surface-water drinking sources and agricultural fields used for subsistence or feed crop production. Our approach for quantifying the extent of land application, along with further chemical characterization studies, can aid operators and land managers who are considering this practice in assessing the associated benefits and risks.

Oklahoma↗

USGS2009

Database for earthquake strong motion studies in Italy

We describe an Italian database of strong ground motion recordings and databanks delineating conditions at the instrument sites and characteristics of the seismic sources. The strong motion database consists of 247 corrected recordings from 89 earthquakes and 101 recording stations. Uncorrected recordings were drawn from public web sites and processed on a record-by-record basis using a procedure utilized in the Next-Generation Attenuation (NGA) project to remove instrument resonances, minimize noise effects through low- and high-pass filtering, and baseline correction. The number of available uncorrected recordings was reduced by 52% (mostly because of s-triggers) to arrive at the 247 recordings in the database. The site databank includes for every recording site the surface geology, a measurement or estimate of average shear wave velocity in the upper 30 m (V s30 ), and information on instrument housing. Of the 89 sites, 39 have on-site velocity measurements (17 of which were performed as part of this study using SASW techniques). For remaining sites, we estimate V s30 based on measurements on similar geologic conditions where available. Where no local velocity measurements are available, correlations with surface geology are used. Source parameters are drawn from databanks maintained (and recently updated) by Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia and include hypocenter location and magnitude for small events (M< ??? 5.5) and finite source parameters for larger events. ?? 2009 A.S. Elnashai & N.N. Ambraseys.

Journal of Earthquake Engineering↗

USGS2001

Differences in oxidative stress between young Canada geese and mallards exposed to lead-contaminated sediment

Lead (Pb) exposure results in an increase in tissue lipid peroxides and variation in glutathione (GSH) concentrations, which can be related to peroxidative damage of cell membranes in Pb-poisoned animals. Species and individual variation in sensitivity to Pb poisoning among animals may be due to differential resistance to oxidative stress. The effects of oxidative stress caused by Pb exposure (1.7, 414, and 828 µg/g of diet) were compared for the first 6 wk in growing young of two species of waterfowl, Canada geese ( Branta canadensis ) and mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos ), with the first species being possibly more sensitive to Pb poisoning based on previous field and laboratory observations. Blood and liver Pb concentrations increased more in mallards than in geese. This may be explained on the basis of body weight, being 3.2 times higher in geese, and by hepatic metabolism, where GSH S -transferase (GST) activity is 2.9-fold higher in geese and presumably has a role in the binding of Pb to GSH and subsequent biliary excretion. In contrast, mallards showed higher hepatic levels of GSH and activities of GSH peroxidase (GPX) and GSH reductase (GR). Although both species showed a rise in hepatic GSH concentration with Pb exposure, the relationship between increased lipid peroxidation and Pb exposure was only significant in geese. Within treatment groups, hepatic GSH concentrations were inversely related to liver Pb concentrations in both species, which may correspond to the role of GSH in Pb excretion. Hepatic GSH was also inversely related to hepatic lipid peroxidation, but only in mallards and in agreement with the species differences observed in GPX and GR activities. The lower resistance to lipid peroxidation of Canada geese may explain why geese can die in the field from Pb poisoning after ingesting fewer shot than found in the gizzards of mallards and with lower liver Pb concentrations than in mallards.

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Pa↗

USGS2009

Effects of DDE and PCB (Aroclor 1260) on experimentally poisoned little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus): Lethal brain concentrations

Adult female little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) were collected in a church attic in North East, Cecil County, Md. Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) containing organochlorine pollutants were fed to the bats as follows: 5 bats were dosed at 480 ppm DDE, 12 at 150 ppm DDE, 5 at 1000 ppm polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB; Aroclor 1260), and 12 at 15 ppm PCB. Seven other bats were fed untreated mealworms. The objective was to elevate brain levels of DDE and PCB to lethality and measure these concentrations. During 40 d of dosage, one DDE-dosed bat and two PCB-dosed bats died after exhibiting the prolonged tremor that characterizes organochlorine poisoning. After dosage, surviving bats were starved to elevate brain levels of toxicants, and three additional DDE-dosed bats had tremors before dying. The mean brain concentration of DDE diagnostic of death was estimated as 603 ppm, range 540-670 ppm. This mean is 16-18% higher than means for Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) and common grackles (Quiscalus quiscula), and may indicate less sensitivity. Lethal brain concentrations of Aroclor 1260 were 1300 and 1500 ppm. Such values appear to be higher than values (Aroclor 1254) for brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater). During starvation, DDE-dosed bats lost weight about 24% faster than controls. If smaller amounts of stored DDE cause increases in metabolic rates of nonfeeding bats, as during hibernation or migration, the result could be premature energy depletion and increased mortality.

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health↗

USGS2009

Oxychlordane, HCS-3260, and nonachlor in birds: Lethal residues and loss rates

Oxychlordane reached lethal levels in birds given dietary dosages of HCS-3260 (70.75% cis-chlordane and 23.51% trans-chlordane) at 6 levels from 50 to 500 ppm. Oxychlordane ranged from 9.4 to 22.1 ppm in brains of cowbirds (Molothrus ater ) grackles (Quiscalus quiscula , and red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus ) that died on dosage and from 1.3 to 4.8 ppm in sacrificed birds, providing a clear diagnostic separation. Among starlings (Sturnus vulgaris ) however, oxychlordane ranged from 5.0 to 19.1 ppm in brains of birds that died, significantly lower than in the other species, and from 1.4 to 10.5 ppm in sacrificed birds, overlapping the levels in those that died. Lethal levels, therefore, begin near 5.0 ppm, as in a previous study in which oxychlordane itself was fed, but the data from starlings emphasizes the need for confirmatory necropsy findings in diagnosis of poisoning.

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health↗

USGS2016

Forest cover changes due to hydrocarbon extraction disturbance in central Pennsylvania (2004–2010)

The state of Pennsylvania has a long history of oil and gas extraction. In recent years with advances in technology such as hydraulic fracturing, hydrocarbon sources that were not profitable in the past are now being exploited. Here, we present an assessment of the cumulative impact of oil and gas extraction activities on the forests of 35 counties in Pennsylvania and their intersecting sub-watersheds between 2004 and 2010. The assessment categorizes counties and sub-watersheds based on the estimated amount of change to forest cover in the area. From the data collected we recognize that although forest cover has not been greatly impacted (with an average loss of percent forest coverage of 0.16% at the county level), landscape structure is affected. Increase in edge forest and decrease in interior forest is evident in many of the counties and sub-watersheds examined. These changes can have a detrimental effect on forest biodiversity and dynamics.

Pennsylvania↗

USGS2007

Time-optimum packet scheduling for many-to-one routing in wireless sensor networks

This paper studies the wireless sensor networks (WSN) application scenario with periodical traffic from all sensors to a sink. We present a time-optimum and energy-efficient packet scheduling algorithm and its distributed implementation. We first give a general many-to-one packet scheduling algorithm for wireless networks, and then prove that it is time-optimum and costs [image omitted], N(u0)-1) time slots, assuming each node reports one unit of data in each round. Here [image omitted] is the total number of sensors, while [image omitted] denotes the number of sensors in a sink's largest branch subtree. With a few adjustments, we then show that our algorithm also achieves time-optimum scheduling in heterogeneous scenarios, where each sensor reports a heterogeneous amount of data in each round. Then we give a distributed implementation to let each node calculate its duty-cycle locally and maximize efficiency globally. In this packet-scheduling algorithm, each node goes to sleep whenever it is not transceiving, so that the energy waste of idle listening is also mitigated. Finally, simulations are conducted to evaluate network performance using the Qualnet simulator. Among other contributions, our study also identifies the maximum reporting frequency that a deployed sensor network can handle.

International Journal of Parallel, Emergent and Di↗

USGS2020

A Lagrangian particle-tracking approach to modelling larval drift in rivers

The migration of larval fish from spawning to rearing habitat in rivers is not well understood. This paper describes a methodology to predict larval drift using a Lagrangian particle-tracking (LPT) model with passive and active behavioural components loosely coupled to a quasi-three-dimensional hydraulic model. In the absence of measured larval drift, a heuristic approach is presented for the larval drift of two species of interest, white sturgeon ( Acipenser transmontanus ) and burbot ( Lota lota ), in the Kootenai River, Idaho. Previous studies found that many fish species prefer certain vertical zones within the water column; sturgeon tend to be found near the bottom and burbot close to the water surface. Limiting the vertical movement of larvae is incorporated into the active component of the LPT model. The results illustrate a pattern of drift where secondary flow in meander bends and other zones of flow curvature redistributes particles toward the outside of the bend for surface drifters and toward the inside of the bend for bottom drifters. This pattern periodically reinforces the intersection of drifting larvae with channel margins in meander bends. In the absence of measured larval drift data, the model provides a tool for hypothesis testing and a guide to both field and laboratory experiments to further define the role of active behaviour in drifting larvae.

Idaho↗

USGS2004

Geochemical discrimination of five pleistocene lava-dam outburst-flood deposits, western Grand Canyon, Arizona

Pleistocene basaltic lava dams and outburst‐flood deposits in the western Grand Canyon, Arizona, have been correlated by means of cosmogenic 3 He ( 3 He c ) ages and concentrations of SiO 2 , Na 2 O, K 2 O, and rare earth elements. These data indicate that basalt clasts and vitroclasts in a given outburst‐flood deposit came from a common source, a lava dam. With these data, it is possible to distinguish individual dam‐flood events and improve our understanding of the interrelations of volcanism and river processes. At least five lava dams on the Colorado River failed catastrophically between 100 and 525 ka; subsequent outburst floods emplaced basalt‐rich deposits preserved on benches as high as 200 m above the current river and up to 53 km downstream of dam sites. Chemical data also distinguishes individual lava flows that were collectively mapped in the past as large long‐lasting dam complexes. These chemical data, in combination with age constraints, increase our ability to correlate lava dams and outburst‐flood deposits and increase our understanding of the longevity of lava dams. Bases of correlated lava dams and flood deposits approximate the elevation of the ancestral river during each flood event. Water surface profiles are reconstructed and can be used in future hydraulic models to estimate the magnitude of these large‐scale floods.

Arizona↗