Publications
Below is a list of available NOROCK peer reviewed and published science. If you are in search of a specific publication and cannot find it below or through a search, please contact twojtowicz@usgs.gov.
Filter Total Items: 1216
Estimating occupancy in large landscapes: evaluation of amphibian monitoring in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem
Monitoring of natural resources is crucial to ecosystem conservation, and yet it can pose many challenges. Annual surveys for amphibian breeding occupancy were conducted in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks over a 4-year period (2006–2009) at two scales: catchments (portions of watersheds) and individual wetland sites. Catchments were selected in a stratified random sample with habitat qu
Authors
William R. Gould, Debra A. Patla, Rob Daley, Paul Stephen Corn, Blake R. Hossack, Robert E. Bennetts, Charles R. Peterson
Genetic variation in westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchusclarkii lewisi: implications for conservation
Twenty-five populations of westslope cutthroat trout from throughout their native range were genotyped at 20 microsatellite loci to describe the genetic structure of westslope cutthroat trout. The most genetic diversity (heterozygosity, allelic richness, and private alleles) existed in populations from the Snake River drainage, while populations from the Missouri River drainage had the least. Neig
Authors
Daniel P. Drinan, Steven T. Kalinowski, Ninh V. Vu, Bradley B. Shepard, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Matthew R. Campbell
Potential use of weather radar to study movements of wintering waterfowl
To protect and restore wintering waterfowl habitat, managers require knowledge of routine wintering waterfowl movements and habitat use. During preliminary screening of Doppler weather radar data we observed biological movements consistent with routine foraging flights of wintering waterfowl known to occur near Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Louisiana. During the winters of 2004–2005 an
Authors
Lori A. Randall, Robert H. Diehl, Barry C. Wilson, Wylie C. Barrow, Clinton W. Jeske
Seasonal movements of non-native lake trout in a connected lake and river system
Non-native lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush (Walbaum), threaten native salmonid populations in the western United States. Effective management of lake trout requires understanding movements within connected lake and river systems. This study determined the seasonal movements of subadult lake trout in the Flathead River upstream of Flathead Lake, Montana, USA using radio telemetry. The spatiotempor
Authors
Clint C. Muhlfeld, J. Joseph Giersch, Brian Marotz
Playing by new rules: altered climates are affecting some pikas dramatically and rapidly
No abstract available.
Authors
Erik A. Beever, Jennifer L. Wilkening
Native fish conservation areas: A vision for large-scale conservation of native fish communities
The status of freshwater fishes continues to decline despite substantial conservation efforts to reverse this trend and recover threatened and endangered aquatic species. Lack of success is partially due to working at smaller spatial scales and focusing on habitats and species that are already degraded. Protecting entire watersheds and aquatic communities, which we term "native fish conservation a
Authors
Jack E. Williams, Richard N. Williams, Russell F. Thurow, Leah Elwell, David P. Philipp, Fred A. Harris, Jeffrey L. Kershner, Patrick J. Martinez, Dirk Miller, Gordon H. Reeves, Christopher A. Frissell, James R. Sedell
A loess–paleosol record of climate and glacial history over the past two glacial–interglacial cycles (~ 150 ka), southern Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Loess accumulated on a Bull Lake outwash terrace of Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 6 (MIS 6) age in southern Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The 9 m section displays eight intervals of loess deposition (Loess 1 to Loess 8, oldest), each followed by soil development. Our age-depth model is constrained by thermoluminescence, meteoric 10Be accumulation in soils, and cosmogenic 10Be surface exposure ages. We use
Authors
Kenneth L. Pierce, Daniel R. Muhs, Maynard A. Fosberg, Shannon A. Mahan, Joseph G. Rosenbaum, Joseph M. Licciardi, Milan J. Pavich
The unusual nature of recent snowpack declines in the North American cordillera
In western North America, snowpack has declined in recent decades, and further losses are projected through the 21st century. Here, we evaluate the uniqueness of recent declines using snowpackreconstructions from 66 tree-ring chronologies in key runoff-generating areas of the Colorado, Columbia, and Missouri River drainages. Over the past millennium, late 20th century snowpack reductions are almos
Authors
Gregory T. Pederson, Stephen T. Gray, C.A. Woodhouse, Julio L. Betancourt, Daniel B. Fagre, Jeremy S. Littell, Emma Watson, B.H. Luckman, Lisa J. Graumlich
The distribution and abundance ofa nuisance native alga, Didymosphenia geminata,in streams of Glacier National Park: Climate drivers and management implications
Didymosphenia geminata (didymo) is a freshwater alga native to North America, including Glacier National Park, Montana. It has long been considered a cold-water species, but has recently spread to lower latitudes and warmer waters, and increasingly forms large blooms that cover streambeds. We used a comprehensive monitoring data set from the National Park Service (NPS) and USGS models of stream te
Authors
Clint C. Muhlfeld, Leslie A. Jones, E. William Schweiger, Isabel W. Ashton, Loren L. Bahls
Examination of brine contamination risk to aquatic resources from petroleum development in the Williston Basin
U.S. Geological Survey scientists and cooperating partners are examining the potential risk to aquatic resources (for example, wetlands, streams) by contamination from saline waters (brine) produced by petroleum development in the Williston Basin of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The primary goals of this study are to provide a science-based approach to assess potential risk of brine con
Authors
Robert A. Gleason, Joanna N. Thamke, Bruce D. Smith, Brian A. Tangen, Tara L. Chesley-Preston, Todd M. Preston
Ecoregional-scale monitoring within conservation areas, in a rapidly changing climate
Long-term monitoring of ecological systems can prove invaluable for resource management and conservation. Such monitoring can: (1) detect instances of long-term trend (either improvement or deterioration) in monitored resources, thus providing an early-warning indication of system change to resource managers; (2) inform management decisions and help assess the effects of management actions, as wel
Authors
Erik A. Beever, Andrea Woodward
Climate change links fate of glaciers and an endemic alpine invertebrate
Climate warming in the mid- to high-latitudes and high-elevation mountainous regions is occurring more rapidly than anywhere else on Earth, causing extensive loss of glaciers and snowpack. However, little is known about the effects of climate change on alpine stream biota, especially invertebrates. Here, we show a strong linkage between regional climate change and the fundamental niche of a rare a
Authors
Clint C. Muhlfeld, J. Joseph Giersch, F. Richard Hauer, Gregory T. Pederson, Gordon Luikart, Douglas P. Peterson, Christopher C. Downs, Daniel B. Fagre