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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: 1308

Pleistocene glaciations of the Rocky Mountains Pleistocene glaciations of the Rocky Mountains

This chapter presents the status of Rocky Mountain glacial studies in 1965 and progress from that time to the present. The Rocky Mountains and the adjacent Basin and Range of the United States consist of about 100 ranges distributed in a northwest trending belt 2,000 km long and 200–800 km wide. In 1965, Rocky Mountain glacial subdivisions and correlations are closely linked with those...
Authors
Kenneth L. Pierce

Grizzly bear Ursus arctos Grizzly bear Ursus arctos

No abstract available.
Authors
C.C. Schwartz, S.D. Miller, M.A. Haroldson

Mitochondrial phylogeography of moose (Alces alces) in North America Mitochondrial phylogeography of moose (Alces alces) in North America

Nucleotide variation was assessed from the mitochondrial control region of North American moose (Alces alces) to test predictions of a model of range expansion by stepping-stone dispersal and to determine whether patterns of genetic variation support the current recognition of 4 subspecies. Haplotypes formed a star phylogeny indicative of a recent expansion of populations. Values of...
Authors
Kris J. Hundertmark, R. Terry Bowyer, Gerald F. Shields, Charles C. Schwartz

Characterizing grazing disturbance in semiarid ecosystems across broad spatial scales using multiple indices. Characterizing grazing disturbance in semiarid ecosystems across broad spatial scales using multiple indices.

Although management and conservation strategies continue to move toward broader spatial scales and consideration of many taxonomic groups simultaneously, researchers have struggled to characterize responses to disturbance at these scales. Most studies of disturbance by feral grazers investigate effects on only one or two ecosystem elements across small spatial scales, limiting their...
Authors
Erik A. Beever, Robin J. Tausch, Peter F. Brussard

Large carnivores, moose, and humans: A changing paradigm of predator management in the 21st century Large carnivores, moose, and humans: A changing paradigm of predator management in the 21st century

We compare and contrast the evolution of human attitudes toward large carnivores between Europe and North America. In general, persecution of large carnivores began much earlier in Europe than North America. Likewise, conservation programs directed at restoration and recovery appeared in European history well before they did in North America. Together, the pattern suggests there has been...
Authors
Charles C. Schwartz, J. E. Swenson, Sterling D. Miller

Amphibian breeding and climate change: The importance of snow in the mountains Amphibian breeding and climate change: The importance of snow in the mountains

The breeding phenologies of ectotherms are inextricably linked to weather, and amphibians in some temperate locations may have been breeding earlier in recent years in response to warmer spring temperatures (Beebee 1995: Forchhammer et al. 1998; Gibbs & Breisch 2001). Directional change in the timing of breeding resulting from climate change may have consequences for the fitness of...
Authors
P. Stephen Corn

Lessons from the fires of 2000: Post-fire heterogeneity in ponderosa pine forests Lessons from the fires of 2000: Post-fire heterogeneity in ponderosa pine forests

We evaluate burn-severity patterns for six burns that occurred in the southern Rocky Mountains and the Colorado Plateau in 2000. We compare the results of two data sources: Burned Area Rehabilitations Teams (BAER) and a spatial burnseverity model derived from satellite imagery (the Normalized Burn Ratio; NBR). BAER maps tended to overestimate area of severe burns and underestimate area...
Authors
Natasha B. Kotliar, Sandra L. Haire, Carl H. Key

Climate variability and change in high elevation regions: Past, present & future Climate variability and change in high elevation regions: Past, present & future

This special issue of Climatic Change contains a series of research and review articles, arising from papers that were presented and discussed at a workshop held in Davos, Switzerland on 25–28 June 2001. The workshop was titled ‘Climate Change at High Elevation Sites: Emerging Impacts’, and was convened to reprise an earlier conference on the same subject that was held in Wengen...
Authors
Henry F. Diaz, Martin Grosjean, Lisa J. Graumlich

Mapping vegetation in Yellowstone National Park using spectral feature analysis of AVIRIS data Mapping vegetation in Yellowstone National Park using spectral feature analysis of AVIRIS data

Knowledge of the distribution of vegetation on the landscape can be used to investigate ecosystem functioning. The sizes and movements of animal populations can be linked to resources provided by different plant species. This paper demonstrates the application of imaging spectroscopy to the study of vegetation in Yellowstone National Park (Yellowstone) using spectral feature analysis of...
Authors
Raymond F. Kokaly, Don G. Despain, Roger N. Clark, K. Eric Livo

Genetic variation in black bears in Arkansas and Louisiana using microsatellite DNA markers Genetic variation in black bears in Arkansas and Louisiana using microsatellite DNA markers

In the 1950s and 1960s, translocation projects reintroduced black bears (Ursus americanus) from Minnesota and Manitoba to Arkansas and Louisiana. Today, several geographically disconnected populations exist in Arkansas and Louisiana, but their origins are unclear. Some populations may represent a separate subspecies, U. a. luteolus, which is federally protected. We characterized 5...
Authors
Ildiki Csiki, Cynthia Lam, Audie Key, Erica Coulter, Joseph D. Clark, Richard M. Pace, Kimberly G. Smith, Douglas D. Rhoads

Hydrothermal and tectonic activity in northern Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming Hydrothermal and tectonic activity in northern Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park is the site of one of the world's largest calderas. The abundance of geothermal and tectonic activity in and around the caldera, including historic uplift and subsidence, makes it necessary to understand active geologic processes and their associated hazards. To that end, we here use an extensive grid of high-resolution seismic reflection profiles (∼450 km) to...
Authors
S. Y. Johnson, W. J. Stephenson, L. A. Morgan, Wayne C. Shanks, K. L. Pierce

Exploration and discovery in Yellowstone Lake: Results from high-resolution sonar imaging, seismic reflection profiling, and submersible studies Exploration and discovery in Yellowstone Lake: Results from high-resolution sonar imaging, seismic reflection profiling, and submersible studies

Discoveries from multi-beam sonar mapping and seismic reflection surveys of the northern, central, and West Thumb basins of Yellowstone Lake provide new insight into the extent of post-collapse volcanism and active hydrothermal processes occurring in a large lake environment above a large magma chamber. Yellowstone Lake has an irregular bottom covered with dozens of features directly...
Authors
L. A. Morgan, Wayne C. Shanks, D. A. Lovalvo, S. Y. Johnson, W. J. Stephenson, K. L. Pierce, S. S. Harlan, C. A. Finn, G. Lee, M. Webring, B. Schulze, J. Duhn, R. Sweeney, L. Balistrieri
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