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Social Network Correlates Of Food Availability In An Endangered Population Of Killer Whales, Orcinus Orca, Emma A. Foster, Daniel W. Franks, Lesley J. Morrell, Ken C. Balcomb, Kim M. Parsons, Astrid Van Ginneken, Darren P. Croft Jan 2012

Social Network Correlates Of Food Availability In An Endangered Population Of Killer Whales, Orcinus Orca, Emma A. Foster, Daniel W. Franks, Lesley J. Morrell, Ken C. Balcomb, Kim M. Parsons, Astrid Van Ginneken, Darren P. Croft

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

For the majority of social species, group composition is dynamic, and individuals are interconnected in a heterogeneous social network. Social network structure has far-reaching implications for the ecology of individuals and populations. However, we have little understanding of how ecological variables shape this structure. We used a long-term data set (1984e2007) to examine the relationship between food availability and social network structure in the endangered southern resident killer whales. During the summer months individuals in this population feed primarily on chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, which show annual variation in abundance. We tested the hypothesis that temporal variation in chinook …

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Coupling Planktonic Ecosystem And Fisheries Food Web Models For A Pelagic Ecosystem: Description And Validation For The Subarctic Pacific, Kelly A. Kearney, Charles Stock, Kerim Aydin, Jorge L. Sarmiento Jan 2012

Coupling Planktonic Ecosystem And Fisheries Food Web Models For A Pelagic Ecosystem: Description And Validation For The Subarctic Pacific, Kelly A. Kearney, Charles Stock, Kerim Aydin, Jorge L. Sarmiento

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

We provide a modeling framework that fully couples a one-dimensional physical mixed layer model, a biogeochemical model, and an upper trophic level fisheries model. For validation purposes, the model has been parameterized for the pelagic Eastern Pacific Subarctic Gyre ecosystem. This paper presents a thorough description of the model itself, as well as an ensemble-based parameterization process that allows the model to incorporate the high level of uncertainty associated with many upper trophic level predator-prey processes. Through a series of model architecture experiments, we demonstrate that the use of a consistent functional response for all predator-prey interactions, as well as …

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Starvation Causes Disturbance In Amino Acid And Fatty Acid Metabolism In Diporeia, Suman Maity, Amber Jannasch, Jiri Adamec, Thomas Nalepa, Tomas O. Höök, Maria S. Sepúlveda Jan 2012

Starvation Causes Disturbance In Amino Acid And Fatty Acid Metabolism In Diporeia, Suman Maity, Amber Jannasch, Jiri Adamec, Thomas Nalepa, Tomas O. Höök, Maria S. Sepúlveda

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The benthic amphipod Diporeia spp. was once the predominant macroinvertebrate in deep, offshore regions of the Laurentian Great Lakes. However, since the early 1990s, Diporeia populations have steadily declined across the area. It has been hypothesized that this decline is due to starvation from increasing competition for food with invasive dreissenid mussels. In order to gain a better understanding of the changes in Diporeia physiology during starvation, we applied two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time of flight mass spectrometry (GCXGC/TOF-MS) for investigating the responses in Diporeia metabolome during starvation. We starved Diporeia for 60 days and collected five organisms every …

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Health Status, Infection And Disease In California Sea Lions (Zalophus Californianus) Studied Using A Canine Microarray Platform And Machine-Learning Approaches, Annalaura Mancia, James C. Ryan, Robert W. Chapman, Qingzhong Wu, Gregory W. Warr, Frances M.D. Gulland, Frances M. Van Dolah Jan 2012

Health Status, Infection And Disease In California Sea Lions (Zalophus Californianus) Studied Using A Canine Microarray Platform And Machine-Learning Approaches, Annalaura Mancia, James C. Ryan, Robert W. Chapman, Qingzhong Wu, Gregory W. Warr, Frances M.D. Gulland, Frances M. Van Dolah

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Conservation biologists face many challenges in assessing health, immune status and infectious diseases in protected species. These challenges include unpredictable sample populations, diverse genetic and environmental backgrounds of the animals, as well as the practical, legal and ethical issues involved in experimentation. The use of whole genome scale transcriptomics with animal samples obtained in a minimally invasive manner is an approach that shows promise for health assessment. In this study we assessed the utility of a microarray to identify changes in gene expression predictive of health status by interrogating blood samples from California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) in …

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The Development Of A New Optical Total Suspended Matter Algorithm For The Chesapeake Bay, Michael Ondrusek, Eric Stengel, Christopher Kinkade, Ronald Vogel, Phillip Keegstra, Craig Hunter, Chunai Kim Jan 2012

The Development Of A New Optical Total Suspended Matter Algorithm For The Chesapeake Bay, Michael Ondrusek, Eric Stengel, Christopher Kinkade, Ronald Vogel, Phillip Keegstra, Craig Hunter, Chunai Kim

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Sediment loading is one of the primary threats to the health of the Chesapeake Bay.We have developed a high resolution (250 m) ocean color satellite tool to monitor sediment concentrations in the Bay. In situ optical and sediment sampling is used to develop a total suspended matter (TSM) algorithm for the Chesapeake Bay. The Coastal Optical Characterization Experiment (COCE) is part of an ongoing effort to optically characterize processes and to develop regional remote sensing ocean color algorithms in the coastalwaters. The goal is to characterize sediment concentrations and to develop a tool to track plumes cascading down the Bay …

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Water Properties In Chesapeake Bay From Modis-Aqua Measurements, Seunghyun Son, Menghua Wang Jan 2012

Water Properties In Chesapeake Bay From Modis-Aqua Measurements, Seunghyun Son, Menghua Wang

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

This study evaluates the performance of ocean color products derived from measurements of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) on the satellite Aqua using the standard near-infrared (NIR) and the shortwave infrared (SWIR)-based atmospheric correction algorithms in the Chesapeake Bay. The MODIS-Aquaderived normalized water-leaving radiances, nLw(λ), and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) data are comparedwith in situ radiometric measurements fromtheNASA SeaWiFS Bio-opticalArchive and Storage System(SeaBASS) database and Chl-a data from the Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Database. Results show that, using the NIR-SWIR combined ocean color data processing, improved nLw(λ) and Chl-a data products can be produced in …

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Prototype For Monitoring And Forecasting Fall Foliage Coloration In Real Time From Satellite Data, Xiaoyang Zhang, Mitchell D. Goldberg, Yunyue Yu Jan 2012

Prototype For Monitoring And Forecasting Fall Foliage Coloration In Real Time From Satellite Data, Xiaoyang Zhang, Mitchell D. Goldberg, Yunyue Yu

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

While determining vegetation phenology from the time series of historical satellite data has been widely investigated throughout the last decade, little effort has been devoted to real-time monitoring and shortterm forecasting. The latter is more important for numerical weather modeling, ecosystem forecasting, forest and crop management, and health risk warning. In this study we developed a prototype approach for the real-time monitoring and short-term forecasting of fall foliage status (including low coloration, moderate coloration, near-peak coloration, peak coloration, and post-peak coloration) using temporal satellite observations. The algorithm combined the climatology of vegetation phenology and temporally available satellite observations to establish …

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Prototype For Monitoring And Forecasting Fall Foliage Coloration In Real Time From Satellite Data, Xiaoyang Zhang, Mitchell D. Goldberg, Yunyue Yu Jan 2012

Prototype For Monitoring And Forecasting Fall Foliage Coloration In Real Time From Satellite Data, Xiaoyang Zhang, Mitchell D. Goldberg, Yunyue Yu

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

While determining vegetation phenology from the time series of historical satellite data has been widely investigated throughout the last decade, little effort has been devoted to real-time monitoring and shortterm forecasting. The latter is more important for numerical weather modeling, ecosystem forecasting, forest and crop management, and health risk warning. In this study we developed a prototype approach for the real-time monitoring and short-term forecasting of fall foliage status (including low coloration, moderate coloration, near-peak coloration, peak coloration, and post-peak coloration) using temporal satellite observations. The algorithm combined the climatology of vegetation phenology and temporally available satellite observations to establish …

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Mercury In The Gulf Of Mexico: Sources To Receptors, Reed Harris, Curtis Pollman, William Landing, David Evans, Donald Axelrad, David Hutchinson, Steven L. Morey, Darren Rumbold, Dmitry Dukhovskoy, Douglas H. Adams, Krish Vijayaraghavan, Christopher Holmes, R. Dwight Atkinson, Tom Myers, Elsie Sunderland Jan 2012

Mercury In The Gulf Of Mexico: Sources To Receptors, Reed Harris, Curtis Pollman, William Landing, David Evans, Donald Axelrad, David Hutchinson, Steven L. Morey, Darren Rumbold, Dmitry Dukhovskoy, Douglas H. Adams, Krish Vijayaraghavan, Christopher Holmes, R. Dwight Atkinson, Tom Myers, Elsie Sunderland

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) fisheries account for 41% of the U.S. marine recreational fish catch and 16% of the nation's marine commercial fish landings. Mercury (Hg) concentrations are elevated in some fish species in the Gulf, including king mackerel, sharks, and tilefish. All five Gulf states have fish consumption advisories based on Hg. Per-capita fish consumption in the Gulf region is elevated compared to the U.S. national average, and recreational fishers in the region have a potential for greater MeHg exposure due to the higher levels of fish consumption. Atmospheric we Hg deposition is estimated to be higher in the …

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Pharmaceuticals And Personal Care Products (Ppcps) In Treated Wastewater Discharges Into Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, Melanie Lea Hedgespeth, Yelena Sapozhnikova, Paul Pennington, Allan Clum, Andy Fairey, Edward Wirth Jan 2012

Pharmaceuticals And Personal Care Products (Ppcps) In Treated Wastewater Discharges Into Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, Melanie Lea Hedgespeth, Yelena Sapozhnikova, Paul Pennington, Allan Clum, Andy Fairey, Edward Wirth

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

This study assessed seasonal and regional trends of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) detected in monthly samples from two local wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Charleston, South Carolina, USA, over the period of one year. Surface water of Charleston Harbor was also analyzed to examine environmental distribution in an estuarine ecosystem. Of the 19 compounds examined, 11 were quantified in wastewater influent, 9 in effluent, and 7 in surface water. Aqueous concentrations of many PPCPs were reduced by >86% in wastewater effluent compared with influent, though some compounds showed low removal and greater effluent concentrations compared with influent (e.g. …

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Characterization Of Turbidity In Florida’S Lake Okeechobee And Caloosahatchee And St. Lucie Estuaries Using Modis-Aqua Measurements, Menghua Wang, Carl J. Nim, Seunghyun Son, Wei Shi Jan 2012

Characterization Of Turbidity In Florida’S Lake Okeechobee And Caloosahatchee And St. Lucie Estuaries Using Modis-Aqua Measurements, Menghua Wang, Carl J. Nim, Seunghyun Son, Wei Shi

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

This paper describes the use of ocean color remote sensing data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Aqua satellite to characterize turbidity in Lake Okeechobee and its primary drainage basins, the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries from 2002 to 2010. Drainage modification and agricultural development in southern Florida transport sediments and nutrients from watershed agricultural areas to Lake Okeechobee. As a result of development around Lake Okeechobee and the estuaries that are connected to Lake Okeechobee, estuarine conditions have also been adversely impacted, resulting in salinity and nutrient fluctuations. The measurement of water turbidity in lacustrine and …

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Sea-Level History Of Past Interglacial Periods From Uranium-Series Dating Of Corals, Curaçao, Leeward Antilles Islands, Daniel R. Muhs, John M. Pandolfi, Kathleen R. Simmons, R. Randall Schumann Jan 2012

Sea-Level History Of Past Interglacial Periods From Uranium-Series Dating Of Corals, Curaçao, Leeward Antilles Islands, Daniel R. Muhs, John M. Pandolfi, Kathleen R. Simmons, R. Randall Schumann

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Curaçao has reef terraces with the potential to provide sea-level histories of interglacial periods. Ages of the Hato (upper) unit of the “Lower Terrace” indicate that this reef dates to the last interglacial period, Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5.5. On Curaçao, this high sea stand lasted at least 8000 yr (~126 to ~118 ka). Elevations and age of this reef show that late Quaternary uplift rates on Curaçao are low, 0.026–0.054 m/ka, consistent with its tectonic setting. Ages of ~200 ka for corals from the older Cortalein unit of the Lower Terrace correlate this reef to MIS 7, with paleo-sea …

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A Brief History And Summary Of The Effects Of River Engineering And Dams On The Mississippi River System And Delta, Jason S. Alexander, Richard C. Wilson, W. Reed Green Jan 2012

A Brief History And Summary Of The Effects Of River Engineering And Dams On The Mississippi River System And Delta, Jason S. Alexander, Richard C. Wilson, W. Reed Green

United States Geological Survey: Water Reports and Publications

The United States Geological Survey Forecast Mekong project is providing technical assistance and information to aid management decisions and build science capacity of institutions in the Mekong River Basin. A component of this effort is to produce a synthesis of the effects of dams and other engineering structures on large-river hydrology, sediment transport, geomorphology, ecology, water quality, and deltaic systems. The Mississippi River Basin (MRB) of the United States was used as the backdrop and context for this synthesis because it is a continental scale river system with a total annual water discharge proportional to the Mekong River, has been …

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Soil Genesis On The Island Of Bermuda In The Quaternary: The Importance Of African Dust Transport And Deposition, Daniel R. Muhs, James R. Budahn, Joseph M. Prospero, Gary Skipp, Stanley R. Herwitz Jan 2012

Soil Genesis On The Island Of Bermuda In The Quaternary: The Importance Of African Dust Transport And Deposition, Daniel R. Muhs, James R. Budahn, Joseph M. Prospero, Gary Skipp, Stanley R. Herwitz

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The origin of terra rossa, red or reddish-brown, clay-rich soils overlying high-purity carbonate substrates, has intrigued geologists and pedologists for decades. Terra rossa soils can form from accumulation of insoluble residues during dissolution of the host limestones, addition of volcanic ash, or addition of externally derived, long-range-transported (LRT) aeolian particles. We studied soils and paleosols on high-purity, carbonate aeolianites of Quaternary age on Bermuda, where terra rossa origins have been debated for more than a century. Potential soil parent materials on this island include sand-sized fragments of local volcanic bedrock, the LRT, fine-grained (µm) component of distal loess from the …

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East Versus West: Organic Contaminant Differences In Brown Pelican (Pelecanus Occidentalis) Eggs From South Carolina, Usa And The Gulf Of California, Mexico, Stacy S. Vander Pol, Daniel W. Anderson, Patrick G.R. Jodice, Joyce E. Stuckey Jan 2012

East Versus West: Organic Contaminant Differences In Brown Pelican (Pelecanus Occidentalis) Eggs From South Carolina, Usa And The Gulf Of California, Mexico, Stacy S. Vander Pol, Daniel W. Anderson, Patrick G.R. Jodice, Joyce E. Stuckey

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) were listed as endangered in the United States in 1970, largely due to reproductive failure and mortality caused by organochlorine contaminants, such as DDT. The southeast population, P.o. carolinensis, was delisted in 1985, while the west coast population, P.o. californicus, was not delisted until 2009. As fish-eating coastal seabirds, brown pelicans may serve as a biomonitors. Organic contaminants were examined in brown pelican eggs collected from the Gulf of California in 2004 and South Carolina in 2005 using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Contaminants were compared using all individual data as well as …

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Critique On The Use Of The Standardized Avian Acute Oral Toxicity Test For First Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides, Nimish B. Vyas, Barnett A. Rattner Jan 2012

Critique On The Use Of The Standardized Avian Acute Oral Toxicity Test For First Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides, Nimish B. Vyas, Barnett A. Rattner

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Avian risk assessments for rodenticides are often driven by the results of standardized acute oral toxicity tests without regards to a toxicant’s mode of action and time course of adverse effects. First generation anticoagulant rodenticides (FGARs) generally require multiple feedings over several days to achieve a threshold concentration in tissue and cause adverse effects. This exposure regimen is much different than that used in the standardized acute oral toxicity test methodology. Median lethal dose values derived from standardized acute oral toxicity tests underestimate the environmental hazard and risk of FGARs. Caution is warranted when FGAR toxicity, physiological effects, and pharmacokinetics …

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Climate Change And Infectious Disease Dynamics, Raina K. Plowright, Paul C. Cross, Gary M. Tabor, Emily Almberg, Leslie Bienen, Peter J. Hudson Jan 2012

Climate Change And Infectious Disease Dynamics, Raina K. Plowright, Paul C. Cross, Gary M. Tabor, Emily Almberg, Leslie Bienen, Peter J. Hudson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The International Panel on Climate Change has made an unequivocal case that the earth's climate is changing in profound ways, and that human activities are contributing significantly to climate disruption (IPCC 2007). The weight of evidence demonstrates warming global temperatures, changing patterns of precipitation, and increasing climate variability, with more extreme events. Thus, the physical underpinnings of ecology are changing, with pervasive effects on disease dynamics. Interactions among environment, hosts, and pathogens drive disease processes, and climate change will influence every interaction in this triad, directly and indirectly.

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Sorta Situ: The New Reality Of Management Conditions For Wildlife Populations In The Absence Of "Wild" Spaces, Barbara A. Wolfe, Roberto F. Aguilar, A. Alonso Aguirre, Glenn H. Olsen, Evan S. Blumer Jan 2012

Sorta Situ: The New Reality Of Management Conditions For Wildlife Populations In The Absence Of "Wild" Spaces, Barbara A. Wolfe, Roberto F. Aguilar, A. Alonso Aguirre, Glenn H. Olsen, Evan S. Blumer

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The rate of species loss today is approaching catastrophic levels. Scientists project that over the next two decades, more than 1 million species of plants and animals will become extinct. E.O. Wilson has estimated that "the rate ofloss may exceed 50,000 a year, 137 a day ... this rate, while horrendous, is actually the minimal estimate, based on the species/area relationship alone" (Kellert and Wilson 1993, p. 16; Aguirre 2009). Ever-expanding communities, strained natural resources, changes in land use, and other anthropogenic drivers are compromising ecosystems and rapidly changing the landscape and the availability of "wild" spaces.

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Fire And The Invasive Annual Grass Microstegium Vimineum In Eastern Deciduous Forests, S. Luke Flory, Keith Clay, Sarah Emery, Joseph Robb Jan 2012

Fire And The Invasive Annual Grass Microstegium Vimineum In Eastern Deciduous Forests, S. Luke Flory, Keith Clay, Sarah Emery, Joseph Robb

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Non-native plant invasions have the potential to change natural and prescribed fire regimes by increasing fuel loads, continuity of fuels, and fuel composition, which may alter fire intensity, damage native species, and promote further invasions. In this project we sought to evaluate the interaction between fire and the invasive annual grass Microstegium vimineum in eastern deciduous forests. Our goal was to determine if invasions enhance fire intensity, including fire temperatures, flame heights, and fire duration, and negatively affect tree regeneration, and stimulate further invasions. We also sought to determine how prescribed fires and the timing of fires affect the density …

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Wildfire Regime Shifts In Temperate Forest Ecosystems: International Symposium In New Zealand, Tomas Veblen, Alan Tepley, Andres Holz Jan 2012

Wildfire Regime Shifts In Temperate Forest Ecosystems: International Symposium In New Zealand, Tomas Veblen, Alan Tepley, Andres Holz

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

This project consisted of organizing and executing a one-day symposium on “Wildfire Regime Shifts in Temperate Forest Ecosystems” in conjunction with the triennial meeting of the Southern Connection Congress. The VIIth Southern Connection Congress drew together more than 350 environmental scientists and resource managers for its triennial meeting in Dunedin, New Zealand from January 25 to 30, 2013. The Southern Connection Congress (SCC) is a meeting of interdisciplinary researchers and natural resource managers who are interested in the biota and ecosystems of the temperate latitudes of the southern hemisphere. Attendees are from a wide range of research and professional disciplines …

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Wildland Fire Suppression And Land Development In The Wildland/Urban Interface, Sheila Olmstead, Carolyn Kousky, Roger Sedjo Jan 2012

Wildland Fire Suppression And Land Development In The Wildland/Urban Interface, Sheila Olmstead, Carolyn Kousky, Roger Sedjo

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

This project has explored the hypothesis that public fire suppression in fire‐prone areas acts as a subsidy to landowners, incentivizing conversion of land to residential and commercial development. Landowners do not bear the full cost of their choice to build on land in fire‐prone areas, since they do not pay for suppression, though they reap all of the benefits, potentially resulting in economically inefficient levels of development. To test this hypothesis, we performed an econometric analysis of U.S. land use change between 1970 and 2000. Statistically, we identified the impacts of changes in fire suppression policy by exploiting a natural …

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To Burn Or Not To Burn Oriental Bittersweet: A Fire Manager’S Conundrum, Noel B. Pavlovic, Stacey A. Leicht-Young, Ralph Grundel, Scott A. Weyenberg, Neal Mulconrey Jan 2012

To Burn Or Not To Burn Oriental Bittersweet: A Fire Manager’S Conundrum, Noel B. Pavlovic, Stacey A. Leicht-Young, Ralph Grundel, Scott A. Weyenberg, Neal Mulconrey

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is an introduced liana (woody vine) that has invaded much of the Eastern United States and is expanding west into the Great Plains. In forests, it can girdle and damage canopy trees. At Indiana Dunes, we have discovered that it is invading non-forested dune habitats as well. Anecdotal evidence suggests that fire might facilitate its spread, but the relationship between fire and this aggressive invader is poorly understood. We investigated four areas important to fire management of oriental bittersweet, each of which we will briefly summarize here. 1) What fire temperatures cause seed mortality? For seeds, …

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Using Escaped Prescribed Fire Reviews To Improve Organizational Learning, Anne E. Black Dr., James Saveland Dr., Dave Thomas, Jennifer Ziegler Dr. Jan 2012

Using Escaped Prescribed Fire Reviews To Improve Organizational Learning, Anne E. Black Dr., James Saveland Dr., Dave Thomas, Jennifer Ziegler Dr.

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

The US wildland fire community has been interested in cultivating organizational learning to improve safety and overall performance for a number of years. A key focus has been on understanding the difference between culpability (to be guilty) and accountability (to explain) and on re-orienting review processes towards building a collective account of (as opposed to finding individual blame for) unwanted outcomes. A variety of innovative methodologies have been developed, yet until this project, there has been no systematic reflection to determine whether or how any of the existing review processes might be assisting organizational learning. Through a series of five …

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A Decision-Support System For Assessing The Impact Of Fire Management On Threatened And Endangered Species, Gordon Reeves, Rebecca Flitcroft, Lee E. Benda, Pete Bisson, Steve Wondzell, Jeff Falke, Kris Mcnyset, Ken Vance-Borland, Dan Miller Jan 2012

A Decision-Support System For Assessing The Impact Of Fire Management On Threatened And Endangered Species, Gordon Reeves, Rebecca Flitcroft, Lee E. Benda, Pete Bisson, Steve Wondzell, Jeff Falke, Kris Mcnyset, Ken Vance-Borland, Dan Miller

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Historically, wildfire was an important agent of change in landscapes across the western United States. Fires of varying magnitudes and extents contributed to a mosaic of dynamic landscape conditions. For the past century, fire management that focuses on fire suppression has effectively altered the composition of many vegetation communities across the landscape. Fire management and other landuse practices associated with natural resource use, agriculture, and residential development have changed the complexity of terrestrial landscapes. Aquatic systems have not been exempt from these changes: alterations in disturbance processes on the landscape have changed inputs into the stream environment, and practices such …

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A Fire Prevention Effectiveness Assessment For Multiple Ownerships, Jeffrey P. Prestemon Dr., Karen L. Abt, David T. Butry, Douglas S. Thomas, Sam Scranton, Scott L. Goodrick, Parker T. Mothershead, Terry K. Haimes, Susan Marzec, John Owens, Suzanne Romero, Reid Shelley, Loren Walker, Angela Yearwood Jan 2012

A Fire Prevention Effectiveness Assessment For Multiple Ownerships, Jeffrey P. Prestemon Dr., Karen L. Abt, David T. Butry, Douglas S. Thomas, Sam Scranton, Scott L. Goodrick, Parker T. Mothershead, Terry K. Haimes, Susan Marzec, John Owens, Suzanne Romero, Reid Shelley, Loren Walker, Angela Yearwood

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

This study first summarized findings of fire prevention education statistical modeling from the State of Florida from a study originally led by the Principal Investigator and two major collaborators (Karen Abt, USDA Forest Service, and David T. Butry, National Institute of Standards and Technology). The study next measured the statistical effects of wildfire prevention programs occurring on tribal lands administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, with primary involvement of major collaborator Sam Scranton (Bureau of Indian Affairs). Using first a binary variable indicating the presence or absence of a wildfire prevention program on lands managed by the tribe or …

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Affecting Risk: Improving Hazard Communication In The Wildland-Urban Interface, Melissa Wright Dr., Destiny Aman Jan 2012

Affecting Risk: Improving Hazard Communication In The Wildland-Urban Interface, Melissa Wright Dr., Destiny Aman

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Wildfire hazard is a growing problem in many areas of the United States, especially in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where homes and other structures border or intermingle with forests, shrubs and grasslands. Despite years of educational outreach by fire management officials promoting effective and affordable mitigation strategies, research shows that residents, especially seasonal residents and those new to an area, still tend to under-invest in mitigation, even when they perceive their risk to be high. Meanwhile, the social and economic costs of wildfire have increased with fire size and intensity and far exceed the costs of mitigation. This problem has …

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Age-Class Mosaics And Wind-Driven Fire: Further Fuel For The Debate, Jan L. Beyers, Philip J. Riggan, David Weise, Timothy Paysen, Marcia Narog Jan 2012

Age-Class Mosaics And Wind-Driven Fire: Further Fuel For The Debate, Jan L. Beyers, Philip J. Riggan, David Weise, Timothy Paysen, Marcia Narog

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

In 2006 the Santa Ana wind-driven Esperanza fire burned through the North Mountain Experimental Area (NMEA) and vicinity, including the scars of 10 previous fires. Multiple images of the fire’s progression were taken using PSW Research Station’s airborne FireMapper thermal-imaging system. Existing fuels data and historic NMEA maps plus new fire images were used to investigate relationships between vegetation history, fire behavior and severity, and fuel consumption. Soil samples were collected at a subset of fire severity sample points to assess seed bank survival. Coordinated documentation of vegetation recovery addressed the effects of age class and fire severity on chaparral …

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Assessing Fuels Treatments In Southern California National Forests In The Context Of Climate Change, Timothy J. Brown, Crystal A. Kolden, John T. Abatzoglou Jan 2012

Assessing Fuels Treatments In Southern California National Forests In The Context Of Climate Change, Timothy J. Brown, Crystal A. Kolden, John T. Abatzoglou

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

One of the key uncertainties in fuels treatments is their longevity under a changing climate. Several recent studies have assessed fuel treatment effectiveness during historic fires, and in many cases found the treatment less effective than desired, particularly during extreme or record conditions. In 2007, southern California experienced one of the most severe fire seasons to-date due to record low fuel moistures early in the fire season (a key driver of the two-month long Zaca fire) and historic Santa Ana winds late in the season (resulting in several large late October fires). Climate change projections for the region suggest that …

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Can Climate Change Increase Fire Severity Independent Of Fire Intensity?, Phil Van Mantgem, Marybeth Keifer, Rob Klinger, Eric Knapp Jan 2012

Can Climate Change Increase Fire Severity Independent Of Fire Intensity?, Phil Van Mantgem, Marybeth Keifer, Rob Klinger, Eric Knapp

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

We tested the idea that climate may affect forest fire severity independent of fire intensity. Pervasive warming can lead to chronic stress on forest trees (McDowell et al. 2008; Raffa et al. 2008), resulting in higher sensitivity to fire-induced damage (van Mantgem et al. 2003). Thus, there may be ongoing increases in fire severity (the number of trees killed), even when there is no change in fire intensity (the amount of heat released during a fire). We examined this question at a subcontinental scale by synthesizing existing information from plot-based prescribed fire monitoring databases across the western United States of …

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Phase 1 Of The Smoke And Emissions Model Intercomparison Project (Semip): Creation Of Semip And Evaluation Of Current Models, Narasimhan K. Larkin, Tara M. Strand, Stacy A. Drury, Sean M. Raffuse, Robert C. Solomon, Susan M. O'Neill, Neill Wheeler, Shihming Huang, Miriam Roring, Hilary R. Hafner Jan 2012

Phase 1 Of The Smoke And Emissions Model Intercomparison Project (Semip): Creation Of Semip And Evaluation Of Current Models, Narasimhan K. Larkin, Tara M. Strand, Stacy A. Drury, Sean M. Raffuse, Robert C. Solomon, Susan M. O'Neill, Neill Wheeler, Shihming Huang, Miriam Roring, Hilary R. Hafner

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Managers, regulators, and others often need information on the emissions from wildland fire and their expected smoke impacts. In order to create this information, combinations of models are utilized. The modeling steps follow a logical progression from fire activity through to emissions and dispersion. In general, several models and/or datasets are available for each modeling step, resulting in a large number of combinations that can be created to produce fire emissions or smoke impacts. Researchers, managers, and policy makers need information on how different model choices affect the resulting output, and guidance on what choices to make in selecting the …

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