Earth Sciences Commons^™

The Prairie Post Quarterly Newsletter Of The High Plains Regional Climate Center- October 2015, Martha Shulski, Natalie Umphlett, Bill Sorensen, Glen Roebke, Crystal J. Stiles

Prairie Post: Quarterly Newsletter of the High Plains Regional Climate Center

Inside this issue:

Message from the director........................................1

Staff spotlight...........................1

New website design and products.....................................2

Training workshops................3

AWDN information.................4

Update on regional climate conditions and El Niño..........4

Research highlight..................5

Outreach/engagement.........5

Recent and upcoming travel and activities.............................6

Landslides And Megathrust Splay Faults Captured By The Late Holocene Sediment Record Of Eastern Prince William Sound, Alaska, Shaun P. Finn, Lee M. Liberty, Peter J. Haeussler, Thomas L. Pratt

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present new marine seismic‐reflection profiles and bathymetric maps to characterize Holocene depositional patterns, submarine landslides, and active faults beneath eastern and central Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska, which is the eastern rupture patch of the 1964 M_w 9.2 earthquake. We show evidence that submarine landslides, many of which are likely earthquake triggered, repeatedly released along the southern margin of Orca Bay in eastern PWS. We document motion on reverse faults during the 1964 Great Alaska earthquake and estimate late Holocene slip rates for these growth faults, which splay from the subduction zone megathrust. Regional bathymetric lineations help define …

Cordilleran Front Range Structural Features In Northwest Montana Interpreted From Vintage Seismic 2 Reflection Data, Mason Porter

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Industry seismic reflection data were collected in 1983 in the Rocky Mountain Cordillera front ranges of northwest Montana. These seismic profiles represent 160 km of deep reflection data that cross the eastern Purcell anticlinorium, Rocky Mountain Trench (RMT), Rocky Mountain Basal Detachment (RMBD), and Lewis thrust. We have reprocessed these data using modern processing techniques including refraction statics, pre-stack time migration (PSTM), and pre- and post-stack depth migration. The RMT contains Tertiary fill to 1 km depth and the RMT fault system has a minimum of 3-4 km of normal displacement. The RMT and Flathead fault systems are interpreted to …

Investigation Of Ambient Seismic Noise Using Seismic Interferometry In Western Montana, Natalia Krzywosz

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Passive seismic interferometry is a process by which ambient noise data recorded at different seismic stations can be cross-correlated to estimate Green's functions. In the past, both surface waves and body waves have successfully been extracted by cross-correlation of ambient noise data on both regional and global scales. In this study, I have generated Matlab code to simulate an application of seismic interferometry on a synthetic model with pre-defined layers and p-wave velocities. For areas with known velocity models, the Matlab code produced in this study can be used to generate synthetic seismograms, and model the effects of cross-correlation on …

A Hydrogeophysical Investigation Of Logan, Mt Using Electrical Techniques And Seismic Refraction Tomography, Taylor Stipe

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Logan, Montana USA is located on the Gallatin River, one of the three rivers forming the headwaters of the Missouri River. Previous hydrogeological studies have determined that the location at Logan is a possible pinch-point for the local Gallatin watershed where shallow groundwater is expected to discharge into the Gallatin River. However, groundwater monitoring wells indicate dry Tertiary sediments overlying bedrock, suggesting surface and groundwater systems are disconnected. We performed shallow seismic refraction, electrical resistivity, spontaneous potential, and electromagnetic surveys to investigate the groundwater system in the study area. Geophysical measurements were obtained near the Gallatin River and close to …

Seasonal And Diurnal Cycles Of Liquid Water In Snow—Measurements And Modeling, A. Heilig, C. Mitterer, L. Schmid, N. Wever, J. Schweizer, H.-P. Marshall, O. Eisen

CGISS Publications and Presentations

Evaluating and improving snow models and outflow predictions for hydrological applications is hindered by the lack of continuous data on bulk volumetric liquid water content (��_w) and storage capacity of the melting snowpack. The combination of upward looking ground-penetrating radar and conventional snow height sensors enable continuous, nondestructive determinations of ��_w in natural snow covers from first surficial wetting until shortly before melt out. We analyze diurnal and seasonal cycles of ��_w for 4 years in a flat study site and for three melt seasons on slopes and evaluate model simulations for two different water …

Droughtscape, Fall 2015, Kelly Smith

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

Contents

Director’s column.

NDMC 20th anniversary 2

Employment opportunity

Third quarter 2015 climate summary

Third quarter 2015 impacts summary

Workshop in Ethiopia

San Antonio multi-hazard tournament

Healthy soil is drought buffer

U2U Award

Cost-benefit analysis for utilities managing drought

NDMC helps with rural poll questions on climate

Introducing our post-docs

South Korean visitors

The Rise Of Fire: Fossil Charcoal In Late Devonian Marine Shales As An Indicator Of Expanding Terrestrial Ecosystems, Fire, And Atmospheric Change, Susan M. Rimmer, Sarah J. Hawkins, Andrew C. Scott, Walter L. Cressler Iii

Earth & Space Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Laboratory Manual For Introductory Geology, Bradley Deline, Randa Harris, Karen Tefend

Geological Sciences and Geography Open Textbooks

This textbook is a comprehensive lab manual for the core curriculum Introductory Geosciences classes with both informational content and laboratory exercises. Topics include basic laws and theories in Geology, the Earth's interior and plate tectonics, water and climate change, igneous rocks and volcanoes, and earthquakes.

Accessible files with optical character recognition (OCR) and auto-tagging provided by the Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation.

The Unusual 3d Interplay Of Basement Fault Reactivation And Fault-Propagation-Fold Development: A Case Study Of The Laramide-Age Stillwell Anticline, West Texas (Usa), Benjamin E. Surpless, Nicola Hill, Cara Beasley

Earth and Environmental Geosciences Faculty Research

Subsurface fault geometries have a systematic influence on folds formed above those faults. We use the extraordinarily well-exposed fold geometries of the Laramide-age Stillwell anticline in west Texas (USA) to develop a strain-predictive model of fault-propagation fold formation. The anticline is a 10-km long, NW-trending, NE-vergent, asymmetric fold system with an axis that displays a map-view left-stepping, en echelon pattern. We integrated field observations, geologic and structural data, cross-sections, and 2D kinematic modeling to establish an unusual 3D two-stage model of contractional fold formation, including: 1) reverse reactivation of a pre-existing, NW-striking, SW-dipping, left-stepping, en echelon normal fault system in …

Effects Of Changes In Moisture Source And The Upstream Rainout On Stable Isotopes In Precipitation – A Case Study In Nanjing, Eastern China, Y. Tang, H. Pang, W. Zhang, Y. Li, Shuang-Ye Wu, S. Hou

Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

In the Asian monsoon region, variations in the stable isotopic composition of speleothems have often been attributed to the "amount effect". However, an increasing number of studies suggest that the "amount effect" in local precipitation is insignificant or even non-existent. To explore this issue further, we examined the variability of daily stable isotopic composition (δ18O) in precipitation from September 2011 to November 2014 in Nanjing, eastern China. We found that intra-seasonal variations of δ18O during summer were not significantly correlated with local rainfall amount but could be linked to changes in the moisture source location and rainout processes in the …

Spatial Variability Of Subsurface Soil Conditions Causing Roadway Settlements, Ömer Bilgin, Kevin Arens, Mark Salveter, Alexander Dettloff

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

Settlement of problematic soils constituting the roadway subgrade may result in pavement distress and structural failure, requiring periodic pavement patching and resurfacing. Many of these problems occur as a result of the settlement of soft cohesive and organic soils. Due to the extent of roadway projects and the limited frequency of boring locations, spatial variability of subsurface soil conditions, and sometimes due to an inadequate extent of exploration, these problematic soils may not be identified suitably during subsurface explorations. An extensive subsurface exploration program was implemented for detailed characterization of subsurface conditions for a relatively short section of an existing …

Water Quality In The Río Pastaza Watershed A Comparative Study Of Ríos Topo, Zuñag, And Pastaza And The Impact Of The Topo Hydroelectric Project Using Macroinvertebrates As Bioindicators, Jesse Vega-Perkins

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Ríos Zuñag, Pastaza, and Topo flow through one of the rainiest and water-rich places in Ecuador. Río Zuñag is a relatively small, pristine montane river and Río Pastaza is a relatively large, contaminated river that receives the untreated wastewater of many communities. Río Topo’s unique watershed and gradient allow it to be home to many plants that have adapted to its unique environment, including the hyperendemic liverwort Myriocolea irrorata. However, in recent years, all of the water of Río Topo has been sold by the state of Ecuador to be developed for hydroelectric projects (HEP). The first of these …

Source-Specific Molecular Signatures For Light-Absorbing Organic Aerosols, Amanda Susan Willoughby

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Organic aerosols (OA) are universally regarded as an important component of the atmosphere based on quantitative significance as well as the far-reaching impact they have on global climate forcing and human health. Despite the acknowledged importance, OA amounts and impacts remain the largest uncertainties regarding radiative forcing estimates. Incomplete chemical characterization of aerosol organic matter (OM) and a lack of concrete source apportionment is a major source of this uncertainty. The primary focus of this study is to provide much needed molecular details regarding ambient OA from key emission sources, and establish links between molecular and optical properties.

Complete chemical …

Aulacoseira Stevensiae Sp. Nov. (Coscinodiscophyceae, Bacillariophyta), A New Diatom From Ho Ba Bê, Bac Kan Province, Northern Viêt Nam, D. Marie Weide

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

A new species of Aulacoseira Thwaites is described from piston core samples from Ho Ba Bê in the karst region of northern Viêt Nam. Although it closely resembles Aulacoaseira subborealis (Nygaard) Denys, Muylaert & Krammer, A. stevensiae Weide sp. nov. is designated a new species based mainly on morphological differences in the spines, including invariably inclined spines that are rounded, differences in the Ringleiste, areola pattern and overall size. Aulacoseira stevensiae is present throughout a core that spans the last 500 years. It was a major component of the diatom community, but the populations have recently decreased, possibly being outcompeted …

Post-Mississippian Tectonic Evolution Of The Nemaha Tectonic Zone And Midcontinent Rift System, Se Nebraska And N Kansas, Caroline M. Burberry, R. Matthew Joeckel, Jesse T. Korus

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The geologic structures of the central Midcontinent of the USA are largely buried and known only from geophysical datasets, coupled with sparse well control and limited outcrop. Such unconstrained geophysical models preclude a deeper assessment of possible continental interior seismic hazards, which have the potential to cause appreciable damage. Within the study area in southeastern Nebraska and northeastern Kansas is an area of elevated seismic risk, with a spatial relationship to the Nemaha Tectonic Zone and the Midcontinent Rift System. Using sequential restorations of three published cross sections within Nebraska and Kansas this study demonstrates that the Nemaha Tectonic Zone …

A Joint Receiver Function And Gravity Study Of Crustal Structure Beneath The Incipient Okavango Rift, Botswana, Youqiang Yu, Kelly H. Liu, Cory A. Reed, Moikwathai Moidaki, Kevin Mickus, Estella A. Atekwana, Stephen S. Gao

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Rifting incorporates the fundamental processes concerning the breakup of continental lithosphere and plays a significant role in the formation and evolution of sedimentary basins. In order to decipher the characteristics of rifting at its earliest stage, we conduct the first teleseismic crustal study of one of the world's youngest continental rifts, the Okavango Rift Zone (ORZ), where the magma has not yet breached the surface. Results from receiver function stacking and gravity modeling indicate that the crust/mantle boundary beneath the ORZ is uplifted by 4-5 km, and the initiation of the ORZ is closely related to lithospheric stretching. Possible decompression …

Validation Experiments On Finite Element Models Of An Ostrich (Struthio Camelus) Cranium, Andrew R. Cuff, Jen A. Bright, Emily J. Rayfield

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

The first finite element (FE) validation of a complete avian cranium was performed on an extant palaeognath, the ostrich (Struthio camelus). Ex-vivo strains were collected from the cranial bone and rhamphotheca. These experimental strains were then compared to convergence tested, specimen-specific finite element (FE) models. The FE models contained segmented cortical and trabecular bone, sutures and the keratinous rhamphotheca as identified from micro-CT scan data. Each of these individual materials was assigned isotropic material properties either from the literature or from nanoindentation, and the FE models compared to the ex-vivo results. The FE models generally replicate the location …

A New Taeniolabidoid Multituberculate (Mammalia) From The Middle Puercan Of The Nacimiento Formation, New Mexico, And A Revision Of Taeniolabidoid Systematics And Phylogeny, Thomas E. Williamson, Stephen L. Brusatte, Ross Secord, Sarah Shelley

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Multituberculates were amongst the most abundant and taxonomically diverse mammals of the late Mesozoic and the Paleocene, reaching their zenith in diversity and body size in the Paleocene. Taeniolabidoidea, the topic of this paper, includes the largest known multituberculates, which possess highly complex cheek teeth adapted for herbivory. A new specimen from the early Paleocene (middle Puercan; biochron Pu2) of the Nacimiento Formation, New Mexico represents a new large-bodied taeniolabidoid genus and species, Kimbetopsalis simmonsae. A phylogenetic analysis to examine the relationships within Taeniolabidoidea that includes new information from Kimbetopsalis gen. et sp. nov. and gen. nov. and …

North-Central Nebraska Geology: Niobrara River Valley In Brown, Cherry, And Keya Paha Counties, R. M. Joeckel, L. M. Howard, S. T. Tucker

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Geology Of The Steens Area, Jane Claire Dirks-Edmunds

Jane Claire Dirks-Edmunds Documents

This document is part of a larger discussion in the Dr. Jane Claire Dirks-Edmunds Papers on the geology of Steens Mountain, a large fault-block mountain in Harney County, Oregon. Often confused for a mountain range because of its size and scope, Steens Mountain lies near the Oregon-Nevada border.

For a full-text searchable version of this document, refer to the Additional Files below.

Synthesis Panel Presentation & Discussion, Ernie Estevez, Susan Bell, Shawn M. Landry, Aaron Brown, Lindsay Cross, Holly Greening

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Aerial Exposure On Preservation Of Low-Temperature Calothrix Biosignatures In Silica Sinter From Queen's Laundry, Yellowstone National Park, Usa, Shana Kendall

Dissertations and Theses

Mineral-depositing hydrothermal ecosystems, such as the hot springs in Yellowstone National Park, provide an unparalleled opportunity to document how microbial biosignatures form and contribute to the body of evidence indicative of the microbial inhabitants of active hot springs. Mineralization of microbial communities in silica-depositing hot springs can result in the preservation of microbial biofacies in the geologic record. To determine the effects of prolonged aerial exposure on the preservation potential of mid-to-low temperature cyanobacteria dominated microbial communities that are typically permineralized in the siliceous sinter, modern biofacies samples of such communities were collected from the active and inactive parts of …

Using Fish Population Metrics To Compare The Effects Of Artificial Reef Density, Catheline Y. M. Froehlich, Richard Kline

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Artificial reefs continue to be added as habitat throughout the world, yet questions remain about how reef design affects fish diversity and abundance. In the present study, the effects of reef density were assessed for fish communities and sizes of economically valuable Lutjanus campechanus 13 km off Port Mansfield, Texas, at a reef composed of more than 4000 concrete culverts. The study spanned from May to June in 2013 and 2014, and sites sampled included natural reefs, bare areas, and varying culvert patch density categories, ranging from 1–190 culverts. Abundances of adults and species evenness of juvenile populations differed between …

Eastern Tropical Pacific Climate And El Niño Variability During The Past Millennium, Gerald Thomas Rustic

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has been implicated in large-scale climate shifts of the past millennia, but paleoclimate records from the dynamically vital eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean (EEP) spanning the past millennium are sparse. This has limited our understanding of tropical Pacific dynamics, leaving questions regarding the source of ENSO variability unanswered. Here I seek to address some of these questions regarding relationship between ENSO and tropical Pacific mean state, and the relationship between the tropical Pacific and large-scale climate. Mean EEP sea surface temperature (SST) for the past millennium was reconstructed using Mg/Ca ratios in Globigerinoides ruber from …

Effects Of Aerosol On Cloud Water Path: Statistical Method A Potential Source For Divergence In Observation-Based Correlative Studies, Ousmane Sy Savane

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Divergence between correlative studies involving aerosol and cloud proxies has been thought of in the past as the results of varying physical mechanisms. Although models have supported the existence of variable correlations, from an observational standpoint it is difficult to attribute with confidence the correlations to specific physical mechanisms. We explore a methodology to assess the correlation between cloud water path (CWP) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) using MODIS Aqua retrieved aerosol and cloud properties for regions dominated by different types of aerosol: Non Absorbing Aerosol Dominated Region over land (NAADR_Land), Non Absorbing Aerosol Dominated Region over Ocean (NAADR_Marine), Absorbing …

U.S. Drought Monitor, September 29, 2015, Eric Luebehusen

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for September 29, 2015 (9/29/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Geology & Geography News, Georgia Southern University

Earth, Environment & Sustainability: News & Publications (2013-2021)

• Researchers Rescue Sea Turtle

Coastal Ice-Core Record Of Recent Northwest Greenland Temperature And Sea-Ice Concentration, Erich C. Osterberg, Robert L. Hawley, Gifford Wong, Ben Kopec, David Ferris, Jennifer Howley

Dartmouth Scholarship

Coastal ice cores provide an opportunity to investigate regional climate and sea-ice variability in the past to complement hemispheric-scale climate reconstructions from ice-sheet-interior ice cores. Here we describe robust proxies of Baffin Bay temperature and sea-ice concentration from the coastal 2Barrel ice core collected in the Thule region of northwest Greenland. Over the 1990–2010 record, 2Barrel annually averaged methanesulfonic acid (MSA) concentrations are significantly correlated with May–June Baffin Bay sea-ice concentrations and summer temperatures. Higher MSA is observed during warmer years with less sea ice, indicative of enhanced primary productivity in Baffin Bay. Similarly, 2Barrel annually averaged deuterium excess (d-excess) …

Screening Of Olive Cultivars For Tolerance To Fusicladium Oleagineum In South Africa, Zakhele Cyril Msimango

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

This study evaluated commercial olive cultivars for resistance to olive leaf spot (OLS). A growth chamber trial was undertaken with one temperature treatment (16°C) applied during inoculation while a relative humidity (RH) of above 80% was maintained. Plants were kept for 48 hours at 99% RH after inoculation and then moved to shade netted area for disease development at a temperature of 25±5°C. The results were used for categorizing the eight olive cultivars evaluated in this study according to their OLS susceptibility. ‘Frantoio’ was categorized as most tolerant; ‘Nandi’ and ‘Leccino’ were found to be moderately tolerant, and ‘Nocellara …