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50 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
USGS1994

Cenozoic climate and paleogeographic changes in the Pacific region

This special issue represents the proceedings of the symposium, held as part of the 29th International Geological Congress, 1992. Other relevant papers on Cainozoic climate change in Japan are also included. Data is assembled from the Pacific Ocean itself, its marginal seas, in particular the Sea of Japan, and the surrounding coastal states. The palaeoenvironment of the region is reconstructed from the analysis of micropalaeontological, isotopic and stratigraphic data from deep-sea and terrestrial cores. -S.J.Stone

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology↗
USGS2012

Will hunters steward wolves? A comment on Treves and Martin

As wolf conservation transitions away from federally sponsored protection and recovery toward sustainable management under state fish and game agencies, researchers and policymakers are interested to know what role hunters will play. Based upon hunters' responses to three recent surveys in Wisconsin and the northern Rockies, Treves and Martin question the assumption that hunters will steward wolves, noting that the majority of hunters that responded were unsupportive of wolf conservation. However, this conclusion largely depends upon what is meant by stewardship and what actions are required for wolves to be conserved. This article discusses the meaning of three concepts either explicitly or implicitly discussed by Treves and Martin—tolerance, acceptance, and stewardship—and offers a conceptual model of wildlife conservation behavior that clarifies the relationship among these concepts.

Society & Natural Resources: An International Jour↗
USGS2010

Mean flow and turbulence fields over two-dimensional bed forms

Detailed laser-Doppler velocity and Reynolds stress measurements over fixed two-dimensional bed forms are used to investigate the coupling between the mean flow and turbulence and to examine effects that play a role in producing the bed form instability and finite amplitude stability. The coupling between the mean flow and the turbulence is explored in both a spatially averaged sense, by determining the structure of spatially averaged velocity and Reynolds stress profiles, and a local sense, through computation of eddy viscosities and length scales. The measurements show that there is significant interaction between the internal boundary layer and the overlying wake turbulence produced by separation at the bed form crest. The interaction produces relatively low correlation coefficients in the internal boundary layer, which suggests that using local bottom stress to predict bed load flux may not only be erroneous, it may also disregard the essence of the bed form instability mechanism. The measurements also indicate that topographically induced acceleration over the bed form stoss slope has a more significant effect in damping the turbulence over bed forms than was previously supposed, which is hypothesized to play a role in the stabilization of fully developed bed forms.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS1999

Predicting boundary shear stress and sediment transport over bed forms

To estimate bed-load sediment transport rates in flows over bed forms such as ripples and dunes, spatially averaged velocity profiles are frequently used to predict mean boundary shear stress. However, such averaging obscures the complex, nonlinear interaction of wake decay, boundary-layer development, and topographically induced acceleration downstream of flow separation and often leads to inaccurate estimates of boundary stress, particularly skin friction, which is critically important in predicting bed-load transport rates. This paper presents an alternative methodology for predicting skin friction over 2D bed forms. The approach is based on combining the equations describing the mechanics of the internal boundary layer with semiempirical structure functions to predict the velocity at the crest of a bedform, where the flow is most similar to a uniform boundary layer. Significantly, the methodology is directed toward making specific predictions only at the bed-form crest, and as a result it avoids the difficulty and questionable validity of spatial averaging. The model provides an accurate estimate of the skin friction at the crest where transport rates are highest. Simple geometric constraints can be used to derive the mean transport rates as long as bed load is dominant.To estimate bed-load sediment transport rates in flows over bed forms such as ripples and dunes, spatially averaged velocity profiles are frequently used to predict mean boundary shear stress. However, such averaging obscures the complex, nonlinear interaction of wake decay, boundary-layer development, and topographically induced acceleration downstream of flow separation and often leads to inaccurate estimates of boundary stress, particularly skin friction, which is critically important in predicting bed-load transport rates. This paper presents an alternative methodology for predicting skin friction over 2D bed forms. The approach is based on combining the equations describing the mechanics of the internal boundary layer with semiempirical structure functions to predict the velocity at the crest of a bedform, where the flow is most similar to a uniform boundary layer. Significantly, the methodology is directed toward making specific predictions only at the bed-form crest, and as a result it avoids the difficulty and questionable validity of spatial averaging. The model provides an accurate estimate of the skin friction at the crest where transport rates are highest. Simple geometric constraints can be used to derive the mean transport rates as long as bed load is dominant.

Journal of Hydraulic Engineering↗
USGS1996

Water-surface elevations of wetlands and nearby wells at Arnold Air Force Base, near Manchester, Tennessee

Surface-water stage, ground-water elevations, rainfall, and streamflow were monitored at or near four wetland sites at Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee. Two of the wetland sites (Sinking Pond and Westall Swamp) included sinkholes with internal relief greater than 7 feet. The other two wetlands (Tupelo Swamp and Goose Pond) were shallow depressions with less than 5 feet internal relief. Stage rose and fell abruptly in the two sinkhole wetlands. Water depths ranged from 0 to 11.4 feet in Sinking Pond and from 0 to 8.5 feet in Westall Swamp. Water levels in wells adjacent to the sinkhole wetlands also rose and fell abruptly. The two shallow depressions filled and drained more gradually and remained flooded longer than the sinkhole wetlands. The maximum recorded water depths were 3.5 feet in Tupelo Swamp and 2.3 feet in Goose Pond. Water levels in nearby wells remained lower than surface-water elevations in the shallow depressions throughout the study period.

Tennessee↗
USGS1961

Correlation of tertiary formations of Alaska

Recent stratigraphic and paleontologic studies have resulted in substantial revision of the age assignments and inter-basin correlations of the Tertiary formations of Alaska as given in both an earlier compilation by P. S. Smith (1939) and a tentative chart prepared for distribution at the First International Symposium on Arctic Geology at Calgary, Alberta (Miller, MacNeil, and Wahrhaftig, 1960). Current work in Alaska by the U. S. Geological Survey and several oil companies is furnishing new information at a rapid rate and further revisions may be expected. The correlation chart (Fig. 1), the first published chart to deal exclusively with the Tertiary of Alaska, had the benefit of a considerable amount of stratigraphic data and fossil collections from some oil companies, but recent surface mapping and drilling by other oil companies in several Tertiary basins undoubtedly must have produced much more information. Nevertheless, the extent of available data justifies the publication of a revised correlation chart at this time.

Alaska↗
USGS1979

Characterization of EV-2, a virus isolated from European eels (Anguilla anguilla) with stomatopapilloma

A virus designated EV-2 has been isolated from external tumor tissue and internal organs of European eels ( Anguilla anguilla ) with stomatopapilloma. It contains RNA and is ether, acid, and temperature labile above 4°C, and concentrated preparations agglutinate chicken and sheep erythrocytes. The addition of actinomycin D during the first 2.75 h of infection inhibits viral replication. As determined in sucrose gradients, the buoyant density of the virus is 1.19 g/cm 3 . EV-2 has a moderately pleomorphic spherical morphology; its diameter ranges from 80 to 140 nm. The virion has narrow, regularly spaced surface projections about 10 nm long. Replication in FHM cells at 15°C shows new infectivity appearing at 10 h postinfection and reaching a plateau at 20 h. Cytopathic effects consist of cell fusion, syncytia, and irregularly rounded cell masses. Viral antigen was detected in the cytoplasm of infected cells by specific immunofluorescence.

Journal of Virology↗
USGS2020

Fish out of water: Insights from a case study of a highly social animal that failed the mirror self-recognition test

Mirror self-recognition (MSR) tests have been conducted with a variety of species with the aim of examining whether subject animals have the capacity for self-awareness. To date, the majority of animals that have convincingly passed are highly social mammals whose wild counterparts live in complex societies, though there is much debate concerning what constitutes passing and what passing means in terms of self-awareness. Amid recent reports that a fish (cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus ) passed, it is intriguing that a mammal as highly social, tolerant, attentive, and cooperative as the grey wolf ( Canis lupus ) reportedly failed the test. Given the many possible reasons for failure, we aimed to elucidate the wolves’ responses at various stages of the MSR test to pinpoint potential problem areas where species-appropriate modifications to the test may be needed. Thus, we evaluated 6 socialized, captive grey wolves as a case study of failed MSR in socially complex canids. At a minimum, wolves did not respond to their reflection as an unfamiliar conspecific. Unfortunately, the wolves rapidly lost interest in the mirror and were uninterested in the applied marks. We note limitations of the MSR test for this species, recommend changes for future MSR tests of wolves, discuss other emerging self-cognizance methods for socially complex canids, and highlight the need for a suite of ecologically relevant, potentially scalable self-cognizance methods. Our findings and recommendations may aid in understanding self-cognizance in other untested highly social, cooperatively-hunting, coursing, terrestrial carnivores such as African wild dogs ( Lycaon pictus ), spotted hyenas ( Crocuta crocuta ), and African lions ( Panthera leo ).

International Journal of Comparative Psychology↗
USGS2013

Hydrologic connectivity to streams increases nitrogen and phosphorus inputs and cycling in soils of created and natural floodplain wetlands

Greater connectivity to stream surface water may result in greater inputs of allochthonous nutrients that could stimulate internal nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling in natural, restored, and created riparian wetlands. This study investigated the effects of hydrologic connectivity to stream water on soil nutrient fluxes in plots (n = 20) located among four created and two natural freshwater wetlands of varying hydrology in the Piedmont physiographic province of Virginia. Surface water was slightly deeper; hydrologic inputs of sediment, sediment-N, and ammonium were greater; and soil net ammonification, N mineralization, and N turnover were greater in plots with stream water classified as their primary water source compared with plots with precipitation or groundwater as their primary water source. Soil water-filled pore space, inputs of nitrate, and soil net nitrification, P mineralization, and denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) were similar among plots. Soil ammonification, N mineralization, and N turnover rates increased with the loading rate of ammonium to the soil surface. Phosphorus mineralization and ammonification also increased with sedimentation and sediment-N loading rate. Nitrification flux and DEA were positively associated in these wetlands. In conclusion, hydrologic connectivity to stream water increased allochthonous inputs that stimulated soil N and P cycling and that likely led to greater retention of sediment and nutrients in created and natural wetlands. Our findings suggest that wetland creation and restoration projects should be designed to allow connectivity with stream water if the goal is to optimize the function of water quality improvement in a watershed.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗
USGS2012

The response of Lake Tahoe to climate change

Meteorology is the driving force for lake internal heating, cooling, mixing, and circulation. Thus continued global warming will affect the lake thermal properties, water level, internal nutrient loading, nutrient cycling, food-web characteristics, fish-habitat, aquatic ecosystem, and other important features of lake limnology. Using a 1-D numerical model - the Lake Clarity Model (LCM) - together with the down-scaled climatic data of the two emissions scenarios (B1 and A2) of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) Global Circulation Model, we found that Lake Tahoe will likely cease to mix to the bottom after about 2060 for A2 scenario, with an annual mixing depth of less than 200 m as the most common value. Deep mixing, which currently occurs on average every 3-4 years, will (under the GFDL B1 scenario) occur only four times during 2061 to 2098. When the lake fails to completely mix, the bottom waters are not replenished with dissolved oxygen and eventually dissolved oxygen at these depths will be depleted to zero. When this occurs, soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and ammonium-nitrogen (both biostimulatory) are released from the deep sediments and contribute approximately 51 % and 14 % of the total SRP and dissolved inorganic nitrogen load, respectively. The lake model suggests that climate change will drive the lake surface level down below the natural rim after 2085 for the GFDL A2 but not the GFDL B1 scenario. The results indicate that continued climate changes could pose serious threats to the characteristics of the Lake that are most highly valued. Future water quality planning must take these results into account.

California;Nevada↗
USGS1989

Tectonically controlled fan delta and submarine fan sedimentation of late Miocene age, southern Temblor Range, California

The Santa Margarita Formation in the southern Temblor Range, composed of conglomerate and subordinate sandstone, evolved as a large complex of fan deltas and submarine fans in late Miocene time. An 80 to 90-m.y.-old granitic basement of the Salinian block and an accompanying 23.5-m.y.-old volcanic field now located in the northern Gabilan Range and the Pinnacles area, respectively, were the primary source terranes. In general, the fan deltas crop out along the west side of the southern Temblor Range, whereas the proximal parts of the submarine fans crop out along the east side of the range. The fan deltas consist of subaerial topset beds and low-angle basinward-dipping subaqueous foreset beds. Strata interpreted to be topset beds are composed largely of conglomerate with thick to very thick horizontal beds and matrix-supported clasts. Most of the thick to very thick conglomerate beds are internally massive and disorganized. Strata interpreted as foreset beds are composed of thick-bedded, large-scale, low-angle, cross-stratified conglomerate and sandstone units which commonly are internally massive. Abundant molluskan macrofossils such as Ostrea and Pecten are present in the subaqueous foreset beds; many have been displaced downslope from their original site of deposition. Conglomerate- and sandstone-filled submarine canyons, through which coarse-grained detritus was transported to the adjacent submarine fans, locally have cut into the foreset beds of the fan deltas. These submarine canyon deposits are generally better stratified than adjacent foreset-bed deposits, and they consist of thick horizontal beds, internally massive or normally graded, arranged in fining- and thinning-upward sequences. Isolated and composite conglomerate- and sandstone-filled channels, which crop out on the east flank of the southern Temblor Range, are interpreted as proximal submarine-fan channel deposits. These channel-form conglomerate and sandstone deposits are characterized by thick, horizontal beds which are internally massive or normally graded containing division T a , and locally T b , of the Bouma sequence. Sparse calcareous foraminifers collected from diatomaceous interbeds suggest that these fan channels were deposited in upper bathyal water depths. Subaerial and regenerated subaqueous debris flows probably formed the bulk of the Santa Margarita fan delta and submarine fan system. Santa Margarita debris flows ranged from the mudflow variety to the cataclysmic debris-avalanche variety. The cogenetic Republic and Williams sandstones of local usage, located on the east side of the southern Temblor Range, are slightly older and finer grained than the Santa Margarita Formation. These units, containing well-graded sandstones, fining- and thinning-upward and coarsening- and thickening-upward sandstone sequences, thick-bedded tabular and channel-shaped sandstones, a mixture of shallow- and deep-water foraminifers, and a fan-shaped geometry in the subsurface, are interpreted as submarine fan deposits. Sedimentation associated with the Santa Margarita Formation was intimately related to the growing southern Temblor Range anticlinorium and the right-laterally shifting Salinian block along the San Andreas fault. Examples of control exerted on Santa Margarita sedimentation by the southern Temblor Range anticlinorium include the preferential accumulation of sediments along the flanks of the anticlinorium, thickening of strata on the downthrown side of the Recruit Pass fault and on flanks of selected anticlines, intraformational unconformities, and possible partial blockage of the eastward-prograding fan deltas by the Recruit Pass fault. East of the growing southern Temblor Range anticlinorium, the distal ends of the Santa Margarita submarine fans were deflected northwestward by the growing Buena Vista Hills anticline. Several examples of well-defined diachronous sedimentation, where conglomerates and sandstones of the Santa Margarita Formation occupy progressively higher stratigraphic levels in a northwest direction subparallel to the trace of the San Andreas fault, strongly imply that the Salinian basement terrane was shifting in a right-lateral sense during Santa Margarita sedimentation. Regional factors of importance in focusing conglomerate sedimentation on the southern Temblor Range locale for a 2- to 3-m.y. period in the late Mohnian were right-lateral oblique slip on the San Andreas fault, formation of the "big bend" in the San Andreas fault by left-lateral slip along the Garlock and White Wolf faults, and the partial overlap of the Salinian and Franciscan assemblage basement rocks.

California↗
USGS1989

Hydrological, morphometrical, and biological characteristics of the connecting rivers of the International Great Lakes: a review

The connecting channels of the Great Lakes are large rivers (1, 200-9, 900 m3 • s-1) with limited tributary drainage systems and relatively stable hydrology (about 2:1 ration of maximum to minimum flow). The rivers, from headwaters to outlet, are the St. Marys, St. Clair, Detroit, Niagara, and St. Lawrence. They share several characteristics with certain other large rivers: the fish stocks that historically congregated for spawning or feeding have been overfished, extensive channel modification have been made, and they have been used as a repository for domestic and industrial wastes and for hydroelectric energy generation. Levels of phosphorus, chlorophyll a, and particulate organic matter increase 3- to 5-fold from the St. Marys River to the St. Lawrence River. Biological communities dependent on nutrients in the water column, such as phytoplankton, periphyton, and zooplankton similarly increase progressively downstream through the system. The standing crop of emergent macrophytes is similar in all of the rivers, reflecting the relatively large nutrient pools in the sediments and atmosphere. Consequently, emergent macrophytes are an important source of organic matter (67% of total primary production) in the nutrient poor waters of the St. Marys River, whereas phytoplankton production dominates (76%) in the enriched St. Lawrence River. Submersed and emergent macrophytes and the associated periphyton are major producers of organic matter in the connecting channels. Another major source of organic matter (measured as ash free dry weight, AFDW) in the Detroit River is sewage, introduced at a rate of 26, 000 t per year. The production of benthos ranges from a low 5.4 g AFDW•m-2 in the Detroit River to a high of 15.5 g AFDW•m-2 in the St. Marys River. The rivers lack the organic transport from riparian sources upstream but receive large amounts of high quality phytoplankton and zooplankton from the Great Lakes.

Canadian Special Publication of Fisheries and Aqua↗
USGS1996

Hydrology and tree-distribution patterns of karst wetlands at Arnold Engineering Development Center, Tennessee

Flooding regimes, ground-water interactions, and tree distribution patterns were determined in seasonally flooded sinkhole wetlands at Arnold Engineering Development Center near Manchester, Tennessee. The wetlands are ecologically significant because they support coastal-plain plants and animals far from their typical ranges. Surface-water stage, ground-water levels, rainfall, and streamflow were monitored at or near five wetland sites. Sinking Pond, Willow Oak Swamp, and Westall Swamp are compound sinks with depths greater than 2.5 meters, visible internal drains, and complex bottom topography dominated by coalesced sinkholes and connecting channels. Tupelo Swamp and Goose Pond are karst pans with depths less than 1.5 meters, flat bottoms, and without visible internal drains. Stage rose and fell abruptly in the compound sinks. Maximum water depths ranged from 2.6 meters in Westall Swamp to 3.5 meters in Sinking Pond. Water levels in wells adjacent to Sinking Pond and Westall Swamp rose and fell abruptly, corresponding closely to surface-water stage throughout periods of high water. The two karst pans filled and drained more gradually, but remained flooded longer than the compound sinks. The maximum recorded water depths were 1.1 meters in Tupelo Swamp and 0.7 meter in Goose Pond. Water levels in nearby wells remained lower than the stage in the pans throughout the study period. Tree species were identified and the elevations and diameters of individual trees were measured along 10 transects. Two transects crossed Sinking Pond, two crossed Tupelo Swamp, and one crossed Willow Oak Swamp. The remaining five transects crossed intermittent drainageways that carry flow into or out of Sinking Pond. Transects through ponds had fewer trees but more basal area per unit area of land surface than did transects through channels. Water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica L.) dominated the interior of Tupelo Swamp and had minimal overlap in terms of elevation and flooding duration with other wetland trees that were confined to the pond's periphery. Overcup oak (Quercus lyrata Walt.) dominated the interior of Sinking Pond. Overlap between overcup oak and other wetland trees in terms of elevation and flooding frequency was minimal across the deeper Sinking Pond transect but was substantial across the shallow transect. Willow oak (Quercus phellos L.) dominated the interior of Willow Oak Swamp and had a relation to other wetland trees similar to that of overcup oak in the shallow Sinking Pond transect. Transects across broad swales had a relatively large degree of vertical zonation among wetland and upland tree species. Along transects through well defined channels, elevation distributions of wetland and some upland tree species were grouped near each other and near the distribution of land-surface elevations.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2026

Growth form and lifespan of herbaceous species mediate the role of traits in short-term drought response

Increased climate variability is expected to intensify short-term drought events. Plants have evolved stress tolerance strategies involving trade-offs in resource conservation, mycorrhizal collaboration and plant size, yet how these strategies promote drought resistance across different herbaceous plant groups remains unknown. Leveraging 63 globally distributed grassland and shrubland sites from the International Drought Experiment, we identified plant traits linked to drought resistance in 661 populations of 421 species after 1 year of extreme drought. We assessed how traits, site precipitation and drought severity affected cover change across growth forms and lifespans, and how trait–environment interactions influenced drought resistance. Across all species, leaf N (an acquisitive trait) was associated with drought resistance, whereas in forbs, drought resistance was also associated with a conservative root trait and plant size. In addition, interactions among traits mediated drought resistance; root traits predicted performance only in concert with other traits. Environmental variables influenced trait effects on drought resistance, notably for annuals in wetter sites, suggesting that drought-escape strategies in annuals may be advantageous only under mild stress. Our study highlights variability in traits that predict drought resistance across herbaceous plant groups, emphasizing the importance of species context, environmental stress and the selection of traits in research and management.

Nature Ecology and Evolution↗