Geology Commons^™

Investigating Endocrine And Physiological Parameters Of Captive American Kestrels Exposed By Diet To Selected Organophosphate Flame Retardants, Kimberly J. Fernie, Vince Palace, Lisa E. Peters, Nil Basu, Robert J. Letcher, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Sandra L. Schultz, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Barnett A. Rattner

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Organophosphate triesters are high production volume

additive flame retardants (OPFRs) and plasticizers. Shown to accumulate

in abiotic and biotic environmental compartments, little is known about the

risks they pose. Captive adult male American kestrels (Falco sparverius) were

fed the same dose (22 ng OPFR/g kestrel/d) daily (21 d) of tris(2-

butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP), tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP),

tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP), or tris(1,2-dichloro-2-propyl)

phosphate (TDCIPP). Concentrations were undetected in tissues (renal,

hepatic), suggesting rapid metabolism. There were no changes in glutathione

status, indicators of hepatic oxidative status, or the cholinergic system (i.e.,

cerebrum, plasma cholinesterases; cerebrum muscarinic, nicotinic receptors).

Modest …

Use Of Terrestrial Field Studies In The Derivation Of Bioaccumulation Potential Of Chemicals, Nico W. Van Den Brink, Jennifer A. Arblaster, Sarah R. Bowman, Jason M. Conder, John E. Elliott, Mark S. Johnson, Derek C.G. Muir, Tiago Natal-Da-Luz, Barnett A. Rattner, Bradley E. Sample, Richard F. Shore

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Field-based studies are an essential component of research addressing the behavior of organic chemicals, and a unique line of evidence that can be used to assess bioaccumulation potential in chemical registration programs and aid in development of associated laboratory and modeling efforts. To aid scientific and regulatory discourse on the application of terrestrial field data in this manner, this article provides practical recommendations regarding the generation and interpretation of terrestrial field data. Currently, biota-to-soil-accumulation factors (BSAFs), biomagnification factors (BMFs), and bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) are the most suitable bioaccumulation metrics that are applicable to bioaccumulation assessment evaluations and able to be …

Estimating Relative Sea-Level Rise And Submergence Potential At A Coastal Wetland, Donald R. Cahoon

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

A tide gauge records a combined signal of the vertical change (positive or negative) in the level of both the sea and the land to which the gauge is affixed; or relative sealevel change, which is typically referred to as relative sea-level rise (RSLR). Complicating this situation, coastal wetlands exhibit dynamic surface elevation change (both positive and negative), as revealed by surface elevation table (SET) measurements, that is not recorded at tide gauges. Because the usefulness of RSLR is in the ability to tie the change in sea level to the local topography, it is important that RSLR be calculated …

Global Change And Conservation Triage On National Wildlife Refuges, Fred Johnson, Mitchell J. Eaton, Gerard Mcmahon, Raye Nilius, Michael R. Bryant, Dave Case, Julien Martin, Nathan J. Wood, Laura Taylor

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the United States play an important role in the adaptation of social-ecological systems to climate change, land-use change, and other global-change processes. Coastal refuges are already experiencing threats from sea-level rise and other change processes that are largely beyond their ability to influence, while at the same time facing tighter budgets and reduced staff. We engaged in workshops with NWR managers along the U.S. Atlantic coast to understand the problems they face from global-change processes and began a multidisciplinary collaboration to use decision science to help address them. We are applying a values-focused approach to …

Geology In Environmental Management, Michael A. Kruge

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

From the geological perspective, the two overriding environmental management concerns are the destructive impact of hazardous natural events on human health and property and the deleterious impact of human activity on the natural environment. The knowledge derived from the geological sciences serves as the basis for a more enlightened approach to the reduction of unnecessary risk involved in the siting and construction of buildings and transportation networks, as well as the extraction of natural resources and waste management. Armed with such knowledge along with political sensitivity, environmental managers will have opportunities for positive social impact in negotiating the challenges as …

Geologic, Geotechnical, And Geophysical Investigation Of A Shallow Landslide, Eastern Kentucky, Matthew M. Crawford, Junfeng Zhu, Steven E. Webb

Report of Investigations--KGS

In eastern Kentucky, landslides occur in colluvial soils or at the colluvium-bedrock contact, and are commonly triggered by heavy rainfall. These slides occur particularly where steep slopes and weak rocks combine with various methods of slope modification. Landslides can damage roadways, infrastructure, and residences, and mitigation costs can exceed $10 million per year.

The Meadowview landslide in Boyd County was investigated to assess the geologic conditions, extent, and behavior of a rainfall-triggered landslide in eastern Kentucky and evaluate the use of electrical resistivity as a tool to characterize a shallow colluvial landslide. Although this type of landslide is common in …

Sea Level And Turbidity Controls On Mangrove Soil Surface Elevation Change, Catherine E. Lovelock, Maria Fernanda Adame, Vicki Bennion, Matthew Hayes, Ruth Reef, Nadia Santini, Donald R. Cahoon

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Increases in sea level are a threat to seaward fringing mangrove forests if levels of inundation exceed the physiological tolerance of the trees; however, tidal wetlands can keep pace with sea level rise if soil surface elevations can increase at the same pace as sea level rise. Sediment accretion on the soil surface and belowground production of roots are proposed to increase with increasing sea level, enabling intertidal habitats to maintain their position relative to mean sea level, but there are few tests of these predictions in mangrove forests. Here we used variation in sea level and the availability of …

Training Conservation Practitioners To Be Better Decision Makers, Fred Johnson, Mitchell J. Eaton, James H. Williams, Gitte H. Jensen, Jesper Madsen

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Traditional conservation curricula and training typically emphasizes only one part of systematic decision making (i.e., the science), at the expense of preparing conservation practitioners with critical skills in values-setting, working with decision makers and stakeholders, and effective problem framing. In this article we describe how the application of decision science is relevant to conservation problems and suggest how current and future conservation practitioners can be trained to be better decision makers. Though decision-analytic approaches vary considerably, they all involve: (1) properly formulating the decision problem; (2) specifying feasible alternative actions; and (3) selecting criteria for evaluating potential outcomes. Two approaches …

Comparison Of The Ground-Motion Attenuation Relationship Between The Wenchuan, China, Area And The Central And Eastern United States, Jiwei Feng, Zhenming Wang, Edward W. Woolery, Shanyou Li

Report of Investigations--KGS

An M_w-7.9 earthquake occurred in Wenchuan, China, in 2008, along the Longmenshan Fault, which is located on the western border of the South China stable continental region. A detailed comparison of the Wenchuan ground-motion attenuation relationships with the relationships for the central and eastern United States (also a stable continental region) showed that the ground-motion prediction equation for the Wenchuan area is similar to those for the central and eastern United States. Thus, the strong-motion records from the Wenchuan earthquake can be used for constraining the ground-motion prediction equation and engineering analysis for the central and eastern United …

The Geologic Context Of Landslide And Rockfall Maintenance Costs In Kentucky, Bethany L. Overfield, Daniel I. Carey, Gerald A. Weisenfluh, Rebecca Wang, Matthew M. Crawford

Report of Investigations--KGS

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet maintenance cost data for landslides and rockfalls were associated with geology along Kentucky roadways in a three-phase study. Work-order costs collected over 7 yr were divided into 1-mi segments, and the segment midpoints were assigned to geologic formation. Formations that were expensive to maintain were not necessarily those that were the most frequently repaired and vice versa. Costs and frequency of repair were greater in eastern and northern Kentucky, where slope and relief are greater than in other parts of the state and shale-bearing geologic units prevail.

Molecular Level Characterization Of Diatom-Associated Biopolymers That Bind 234th, ²³³Pa, ²¹°Pb, And 7be In Seawater: A Case Study With Phaeodactylum Tricornutum, Chia-Ying Chuang, Peter H. Santschi, Chen Xu, Yuelu Jiang, Yi-Fang Ho, Patrick G. Hatcher

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

In order to investigate the importance of biogenic silica associated biopolymers on the scavenging of radionuclides, the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum was incubated together with the radionuclides Th-234, Pa-233, Pb-210, and Be-7 during their growth phase. Normalized affinity coefficients were determined for the radionuclides bound with different organic compound classes (i.e., proteins, total carbohydrates, uronic acids) in extracellular (nonattached and attached exopolymeric substances), intracellular (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid and sodium dodecyl sulfate extractable), and frustule embedded biopolymeric fractions (BF). Results indicated that radionuclides were mostly concentrated in frustule BF. Among three measured organic components, Uronic acids showed the strongest affinities to …

At-Grade Stabilization Structure Impact On Surface Water Quality Of An Agricultural Watershed, Kyle R. Minks, Matthew D. Ruark, Birl Lowery, Fred W. Madison, Dennis Frame, Todd D. Stuntebeck, Matthew J. Komiskey, George J. Kraft

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Decades of farming and fertilization of farm land in the unglaciated/Driftless Area (DA) of southwestern Wisconsin have resulted in the build-up of P and to some extent, N, in soils. This build-up, combined with steep topography and upper and lower elevation farming (tiered farming), exacerbates problems associated with runoff and nutrient transport in these landscapes. Use of an at-grade stabilization structure (AGSS) as an additional conservation practice to contour strip cropping and no-tillage, proved to be successful in reducing organic and sediment bound N and P within an agricultural watershed located in the DA. The research site was designed as …

Interactive Effects Of Climate Change With Nutrients, Mercury, And Freshwater Acidification On Key Taxa In The North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative Region, Alfred E. Pinkney, Charles T. Driscoll, David C. Evers, Michael J. Hooper, Jeffrey Horan, Jess W. Jones, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Harold G. Marshall, Andrew Milliken, Barnett A. Rattner, John Schmerfeld, Donald W. Sparling

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative LCC (NA LCC) is a public–private partnership that provides information to support conservation decisions that may be affected by global climate change (GCC) and other threats. The NA LCC region extends from southeast Virginia to the Canadian Maritime Provinces. Within this region, the US National Climate Assessment documented increases in air temperature, total precipitation, frequency of heavy precipitation events, and rising sea level, and predicted more drastic changes. Here, we synthesize literature on the effects of GCC interacting with selected contaminant, nutrient, and environmental processes to adversely affect natural resources within this region. Using …

Global Change And Conservation Triage On National Wildlife Refuges, Fred Johnson, Mitchell J. Eaton, Gerard Mcmahon, Raye Nilius, Michael R. Bryant, Dave Case, Julien Martin, Nathan Wood, Laura Taylor

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the United States play an important role in the adaptation of social-ecological systems to climate change, land-use change, and other global-change processes. Coastal refuges are already experiencing threats from sea-level rise and other change processes that are largely beyond their ability to influence, while at the same time facing tighter budgets and reduced staff. We engaged in workshops with NWR managers along the U.S. Atlantic coast to understand the problems they face from global-change processes and began a multidisciplinary collaboration to use decision science to help address them. We are applying a values-focused approach to …

A Bird’S- Eye View Of The Usa National Phenology Network: An Off-The-Shelf Monitoring Program, Jherime Kellerman, Caroline A. F. Enquist, Diana L. Humple, Nathaniel E. Seavy, Alyssa Rosemartin, Renée L. Cormier, Lorianne Barnett

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Phenology is central to the biology and ecology of organisms and highly sensitive to climate. Differential responses to climate change are impacting phenological synchrony of inter- acting species, which has been implicated in the decline of migratory birds that rely on seasonal resources. However, few studies explicitly measure phenology of seasonal habitat resources on the breeding and wintering grounds and at stopover sites. While avian monitoring methods are widely standardized, methods of monitoring resource phenology can be highly variable and difficult to integrate. The USA National Phenology Network (USA- NPN) has developed standardized plant and animal phenology protocols and a …

Trace Element Behavior During Coal Combustion: Insights From Cadmium And Zinc Isotope Analysis, Fotios Fouskas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Due to its low cost and abundance, coal has been pervasively used in recent decades to meet large energy demands worldwide. Coal combustion provides the dominant electrical source in the U.S and produces over 100 million tons of coal combustion products (CCPs) per year domestically. The disposal/beneficial use of CCPs has the potential to release toxic trace elements, including cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn), into the environment. High temperature combustion of coal changes both physical states and chemical properties of Cd and Zn compounds in CCPs. Related processes such as evaporation and condensation, can lead to mass-dependent fractionation of Cd …

Dynamic Surface Water-Groundwater Exchange In Tidal Freshwater Zones: Insights From The Christina River Basin (Delaware, Usa), Cole T. Musial

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

In coastal rivers, tides can propagate for tens to hundreds of kilometers inland beyond the saltwater line. Yet the influence of tides on river-aquifer connectivity and solute transport in tidal freshwater zones (TFZs) is largely unknown. We estimate that along the TFZ of White Clay Creek (Delaware, USA), more than 17% of river water exchanges through hyporheic and riparian storage zones due to tidal pumping alone. Additional hyporheic processes such as flow through bedforms likely contribute even more exchange. The turnover length associated with the tidal pumping process is 39 km, similar to turnover lengths for all hyporheic exchange processes …

The Environmental Effects Of Coal Fires, Trent Garrison

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

There are thousands of subterranean coal fires in the world that, because of incomplete combustion, emit a wide variety of volatile and semivolatile organic compounds to the atmosphere, water, and soil at concentrations that could pose health risks to humans and wildlife. The main goals of this study were to (1) review methods that are used to characterize physical and chemical characteristics of coal-fire sites, (2) determine relationships between gas emissions and physical and chemical characteristics of coal-fire sites, using a combination of regression and multivariate statistical methods, and (3) determine the concentrations of volatile and semivolatile organic compounds in …

Geologic Map Of The Welcome Quadrangle And An Adjacent Part Of The Wells Quadrangle, Elko County, Nevada, Allen J. Mcgrew, Arthur W. Snoke

Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

Located in central Elko County, the Welcome and adjacent part of the Wells quadrangles expose a remarkable array of critical relationships for understanding the geologic history of the State of Nevada and the interior of the southwestern U.S. Cordillera. Covering the northern end of the East Humboldt Range and adjacent Clover Valley and Clover Hill, this map includes the northern terminus of the Ruby Mountains-East Humboldt Range metamorphic core complex. The oldest rocks in the State of Nevada (the gneiss complex of Angel Lake), and Nevada’s only exposures of Archean rock, form the core of a multikilometer scale, southward-closing recumbent …

Developing A 30-M Grassland Productivity Estimation Map For Central Nebraska Using 250-M Modis And 30-M Landsat-8 Observations, Yingxin Gu, Bruce K. Wylie

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Accurately estimating aboveground vegetation biomass productivity is essential for local ecosystem assessment and best land management practice. Satellite-derived growing season time-integrated Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GSN) has been used as a proxy for vegetation biomass productivity. A 250-m grassland biomass productivity map for the Greater Platte River Basin had been developed based on the relationship between Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) GSN and Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) annual grassland productivity. However, the 250-m MODIS grassland biomass productivity map does not capture detailed ecological features (or patterns) andmay result in only generalized estimation of the regional total productivity. Developing a high …

Radiocarbon Dating Of Late Quaternary Sediments Using Fossil Gastropod Shells, Jeffrey S. Pigati, John P. Mcgeehin, Daniel R. Muhs

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Terrestrial gastropods are one of the most successful groups of organisms on Earth. Their distribution includes all continents except Antarctica, and they occupy exceptionally diverse habitats, from marshes and wet meadows to alpine forests and Arctic tundra. Their shells are also commonly preserved in Quaternary deposits and potentially could be used for ¹⁴C dating. However, terrestrial gastropods are known to ingest limestone and incorporate the old carbon in their shells, resulting in apparent ages that are often too old. Recent studies have shown that many small (<1 cm diameter) terrestrial gastropods avoid this “limestone problem” even when living in areas in which carbonate rocks are readily available. However, the shells must also behave as closed systems with respect to carbon if their ages are to be considered reliable. Our latest work has been aimed at testing if small gastropod shells do, in fact, remain closed systems in late Quaternary deposits over a wide array of climate conditions across North America. Our results demonstrate that ages derived from Succineidae shells are identical to wood and charcoal ages in loess in Alaska, glacial deposits in the upper Midwest, loess in the Great Plains, and paleowetlands in the desert southwest. Moreover, Succineidae shell ages routinely fall within permitted limits set by stratigraphic boundaries, require less interpretation than humic acid ages that are commonly used in loess studies, can provide additional stratigraphic coverage to previous dating efforts, and maintain stratigraphic order more often than luminescence ages from the same stratigraphic intervals. Thus, we conclude that fossil Succineidae shells, and shells of a few other small gastropods, can be used for ¹⁴C dating regardless of the local lithology, past climate, or environmental …

Late Quaternary Sea-Level History And The Antiquity Of Mammoths (Mammuthus Exilis And Mammuthus Columbi), Channel Islands National Park, California, Usa, Daniel R. Muhs, Kathleen R. Simmons, Lindsey T. Groves, John Mcgeehin, R. Randall Schumann, Larry D. Agenbroad

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Fossils of Columbian mammoths (Mammuthus columbi) and pygmymammoths (Mammuthus exilis) have been reported from Channel Islands National Park, California. Most date to the last glacial period (Marine Isotope Stage [MIS] 2), but a tusk of M. exilis (or immature M. columbi) was found in the lowest marine terrace of Santa Rosa Island. Uranium-series dating of corals yielded ages from 83.8 ± 0.6 ka to 78.6 ± 0.5 ka, correlating the terrace withMIS 5.1, a time of relatively high sea level.Mammoths likely immigrated to the islands by swimming during the glacial periodsMIS 6 (~150 ka) orMIS 8 (~250 ka),when sea levelwas …

Sea Level, Paleogeography, And Archeology On California's Northern Channel Islands, Leslie Reeder- Myers, Jon Erlandson, Daniel R. Muhs, Torben Rick

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Sea-level rise during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene inundated nearshore areas in many parts of the world, producing drastic changes in local ecosystems and obscuring significant portions of the archeological record. Although global forces are at play, the effects of sea-level rise are highly localized due to variability in glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) effects. Interpretations of coastal paleoecology and archeology require reliable estimates of ancient shorelines that account for GIA effects. Here we build on previous models for California's Northern Channel Islands, producing more accurate late Pleistocene and Holocene paleogeographic reconstructions adjusted for regional GIA variability. This region has …

Corn Belt Soil Carbon And Macronutrient Budgets With Projected Sustainable Stover Harvest, Zhengxi Tan, Shuguang Liu

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Corn (Zea mays L.) stover has been identified as a prime feedstock for biofuel production in the U.S. Corn Belt because of its perceived abundance and availability, but long-term stover harvest effects on regional nutrient budgets have not been evaluated. We defined the minimum stover requirement (MSR) to maintain current soil organic carbon levels and then estimated current and future soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) budgets for various stover harvest scenarios. Analyses for 2006 through 2010 across the entire Corn Belt indicated that currently, 28 Tg or 1.6 Mgha^-1 of stover could be sustainably …

The Distribution Of Selected Elements And Minerals In Soil Of The Conterminous United States, Laurel Woodruff, William F. Cannon, David B. Smith, Federico Solano

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey initiated a low-density (1 site per 1600 km², 4857 sites) geochemical andmineralogical survey of soil of the conterminous United States as part of the North American Soil Geochemical Landscapes Project. Three soil samples were collected, if possible, from each site; (1) a sample from a depth of 0 to 5 cm, (2) a composite of the soil A-horizon, and (3) a deeper sample from the soil C-horizon or, if the top of the C-horizon was at a depth greater than 100 cm, from a depth of approximately 80–100 cm. The <2 mm fraction of each sample was analysed for a suite of 45 major and trace elements following near-total multi-acid digestion. The major mineralogical components in samples from the soil A- and C-horizons were determined by a quantitative X-ray diffraction method using Rietveld refinement. Sampling ended in 2010 and chemical and mineralogical analyses were completed in May 2013.Maps of the conterminous United States showing predicted element and mineral concentrations were interpolated from actual soil data for each soil sample type by an inverse distance weighted (IDW) technique using ArcGIS software. Regional- and national-scale map patterns for selected elements and minerals apparent in interpolated maps are described here in the context of soil-forming factors and possible human inputs. These patterns can be related to (1) soil parent materials, for example, in the distribution of quartz, (2) climate impacts, for example, in the distribution of feldspar and kaolinite, (3) soil age, for example, in the distribution of carbonate in young glacial deposits, and (4) possible anthropogenic loading of phosphorus (P) and lead (Pb) to surface soil. This new geochemical and mineralogical data set for the conterminous United States represents a major step forward from prior national-scale soil geochemistry data and provides a robust soil data framework for the United States now and into the future.

Toxicity Reference Values For Chlorophacinone And Their Application For Assessing Anticoagulant Rodenticide Risk To Raptors, Barnett A. Rattner, Katherine E. Horak, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Sandra L. Schultz, Susan Knowles, Benjamin G. Abbo, Steven F. Volker

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Despite widespread use and benefit, there are

growing concerns regarding hazards of second-generation

anticoagulant rodenticides to non-target wildlife which

may result in expanded use of first-generation compounds,

including chlorophacinone (CPN). The toxicity of CPN

over a 7-day exposure period was investigated in American

kestrels (Falco sparverius) fed either rat tissue mechanically-

amended with CPN, tissue from rats fed Rozol bait

(biologically-incorporated CPN), or control diets (tissue

from untreated rats or commercial bird of prey diet)

ad libitum. Nominal CPN concentrations in the formulated

diets were 0.15, 0.75 and 1.5 µg/g food wet weight, and

measured concentrations averaged 94 …

Decadal Re-Evaluation Of Contaminant Exposure And Productivity Of Ospreys (Pandion Haliaetus) Nesting In Chesapeake Bay Regions Of Concern, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Barnett A. Rattner, Peter C. Mcgowan, Robert C. Hale, Sandra L. Schultz, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Mary Ann Ottinger

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The last large-scale ecotoxicological study of ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) in Chesapeake Bay was conducted in 2000-2001 and focused on U.S. EPA-designated Regions of Concern (ROCs; Baltimore Harbor/ Patapsco, Anacostia/middle Potomac, and Elizabeth Rivers). In 2011-2012, ROCs were re-evaluated to determine spatial and temporal trends in productivity and contaminants. Concentrations of p,p'-DDE were low in eggs and below the threshold associated with eggshell thinning. Eggs from the Anacostia/ middle Potomac Rivers had lower total PCB concentrations in 2011 than in 2000; however, concentrations remained unchanged in Baltimore Harbor. Polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants declined by 40%, and five alternative …

A Simple Web-Based Tool To Compare Freshwater Fish Data Collected Using Afs Standard Methods, Scott A. Bonar, Norman Mercado-Silva, Matt Rahr, Yuta T. Torrey, Averill Cate Jr.

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The American Fisheries Society (AFS) recently published Standard Methods for Sampling North American Freshwater Fishes. Enlisting the expertise of 284 scientists from 107 organizations throughout Canada, Mexico, and the United States, this text was developed to facilitate comparisons of fish data across regions or time. Here we describe a user-friendly web tool that automates among-sample comparisons in individual fish condition, population length-frequency distributions, and catch per unit effort (CPUE) data collected using AFS standard methods. Currently, the web tool (1) provides instantaneous summaries of almost 4,000 data sets of condition, length frequency, and CPUE of common freshwater fishes collected …

Using Particle Size Analysis To Separate The Deposition Of A Bonebed And Artifact At The Wenas Creek Mammoth Site, Genevieve Brown

All Master's Theses

The 2005 discovery of a 17,000 year old mammoth bonebed in close proximity to a possible artifact at the Wenas Creek Mammoth Site (WCMS) brought with it the question of whether the bones and artifact were actually deposited together. If the two are associated, the WCMS would qualify as a Pre-Clovis site, a title given to just a handful of proven archaeological sites in North America, though claimed for numerous more. A close interval particle size analysis was performed on 2 column samples from the WCMS with the intention of identifying microstratification that would separate the bonebed from the artifact. …

Quantifying Channel Responses To The Removal Of The Glines Canyon Dam In The Middle Reach Of The Elwha River, Washington, Bryon J. Free

All Master's Theses

Four different study sites throughout the middle reach of the Elwha River were monitored before, during, and after the dam removal process over a period of two years from 2012-2014. The complexity of the river geometry was a major factor in the ability of the river to trap and accumulate the new influx of woody debris and sediment from the dam removal, which influenced the response of the river channel. The change that occurred was quantified by using repeat Terrestrial LiDAR (TLS), sediment distribution surveys, and large woody debris mapping techniques. The morphologic changes that occurred during this time were …