Management and Limnology Interact to Drive Water Temperature Patterns in a Middle Rockies River‐Reservoir System

This study seeks to improve understanding of temperature patterns in reservoir outflows. We examined water temperatures in an irrigation storage reservoir, Island Park Reservoir, and its outflow, Henry’s Fork of the Snake River in eastern Idaho. Our objectives were to (1) quantify the extent to which daily temperature ranges in the reservoir outflow deviated from other reaches of the Henry’s Fork, and (2) test whether the reservoir’s net volume change during the summer — expressed as the volume of water remaining in the reservoir on September 1 — predicted mean summer temperature in the outflow. Two years of temperature data showed dampened diel temperature cycles in the reservoir outflow. Model selection with 17 years of climatic, hydrologic, and reservoir management variables found mean summer temperature in the outflow was best predicted by September 1 reservoir volume and average summer air temperature. Two years of weekly reservoir thermal profiles indicated large changes in reservoir volume eliminated cool hypolimnetic water and encouraged mixing, allowing warm epilimnetic water to be discharged into the outflow. Increases in future drought frequency and severity and increases in summer air temperatures could increase the frequency of occurrence of high mean summertime water temperatures in the outflow. Our study provides important information for local managers by quantifying influences on outflow temperatures and the downstream river ecosystem.     

Community cohesion after a natural disaster: insights from a Carlisle flood

This project analysed changes in community cohesion following a natural disaster. Data were collected from a flood‐affected community using a questionnaire survey. Analyses revealed that community cohesion was not predicted by the length of residence, or any other demographic characteristic of residents, but rather by a sense of community, community cognition and the degree of community participation. Cohesion alteration was not uniform, but varied along levels of hazard severity (degree of flood invasion). Cohesion increased in line with hazard severity at the initial flood stage, as residents recognised the importance of community unity and came together to cope with their losses. When the severity increased, residents transferred their focus to individual interests, which resulted in decreased cohesion. This project distinguishes itself in examining community cohesion in the wake of a natural disaster in the real world. Implications regarding community reconstruction and suggestions for hazard researchers are discussed accordingly.     

Integrating channel design and assessment methods based on sediment transport capacity in gravel bed streams

Natural channel design (NCD) and analytical channel design (ACD) are two competing approaches to stable channel design that share fundamental similarities in accounting for sediment transport processes with designs based on hybrid fluvial geomorphology and hydraulic engineering methods. In this paper, we highlight the linkage between ACD's capacity/supply ratio (CSR) and NCD's sediment capacity models (FLOWSED/POWERSED), illustrating how ACD and NCD have reached a point of convergent evolution within the stream restoration toolbox. We modified an existing CSR analytical spreadsheet tool which enabled us to predict relative channel stability using both conventional bed load transport equations and regional sediment regression curves. The stable channel design solutions based on measured data most closely matched the Parker (ACD) and/or Pagosa good/fair (NCD) relationships, which also showed the greatest CSR sensitivity in response to channel alterations. We found that CSR differences among the transport relationships became more extreme the further the design width deviated from the supply reach, suggesting that a stable upstream supply reach may serve as the best design analog. With this paper, we take a step toward resolving lingering controversy in the field of stream restoration, advancing the science and practice by reconciling key differences between ACD and NCD in the context of reach scale morphodynamics.     

Spatial and social connectivity of fish-eating “Resident” killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the northern North Pacific

The productive North Pacific waters of the Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea support a high density of fish-eating “Resident” type killer whales (Orcinus orca), which overlap in distribution with commercial fisheries, producing both direct and indirect interactions. To provide a spatial context for these interactions, we analyzed a 10-year dataset of 3,058 whale photo-identifications from 331 encounters within a large (linear ~4,000 km) coastal study area to investigate the ranging and social patterns of 532 individually identifiable whales photographed in more than one encounter. Although capable of large-scale movements (maximum 1,443 km), we documented ranges generally <200 km, with high site fidelity across summer sampling intervals and also re-sightings during a winter survey. Bayesian analysis of pair-wise associations identified four defined clusters, likely representing groupings of stable matrilines, with distinct ranging patterns, that combined to form a large network of associated whales that ranged across most of the study area. This provides evidence of structure within the Alaska stock of Resident killer whales, important for evaluating ecosystem and fisheries impacts. This network included whales known to depredate groundfish from longline fisheries, and we suggest that such large-scale connectivity has facilitated the spread of depredation.     

A Study of Computer-Based Task Performance Under Thermal Stress

A visual-visual dual computer task was designed to test the effect of the thermal environment on dual task performance. The temperatures selected for testing were 20 and 35 °C Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT). 34 volunteers were randomly assigned to 1 of the 2 temperature conditions. Individual differences in single task performance were controlled by equating the baselines of single task performance. Once individual differences in single task capacity were controlled, statistically significant differences in performance were demonstrated. Mean accuracy was computed over a 1-hr testing period in each temperature condition. Participants’ mean accuracy in the 35° condition (38.18%) was substantially lower than in the 20° condition (50.88%).     

Advanced in situ spectroscopic techniques and their applications in environmental biogeochemistry: introduction to the special section

Understanding the molecular-scale complexities and interplay of chemical and biological processes of contaminants at solid, liquid, and gas interfaces is a fundamental and crucial element to enhance our understanding of anthropogenic environmental impacts. The ability to describe the complexity of environmental biogeochemical reaction mechanisms relies on our analytical ability through the application and developmemnt of advanced spectroscopic techniques. Accompanying this introductory article are nine papers that either review advanced in situ spectroscopic methods or present original research utilizing these techniques. This collection of articles summarizes the challenges facing environmental biogeochemistry, highlights the recent advances and scientific gaps, and provides an outlook into future research that may benefit from the use of in situ spectroscopic approaches. The use of synchrotron-based techniques and other methods are discussed in detail, as is the importance to integrate multiple analytical approaches to confirm results of complementary procedures or to fill data gaps. We also argue that future direction in research will be driven, in addition to recent analytical developments, by emerging factors such as the need for risk assessment of new materials (i.e., nanotechnologies) and the realization that biogeochemical processes need to be investigated in situ under environmentally relevant conditions.     

Perceptions of Ranchers About Medusahead (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Taeniatherum caput-medusae</Emphasis> (L.) Nevski) Management on Sagebrush Steppe Rangelands

Medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski) is an exotic annual grass invading rangelands in the western United States. Medusahead is a serious management concern because it decreases biodiversity, reduces livestock forage production, and degrades the ecological function of rangelands. Despite the obvious importance of ranchers as partners in preventing and managing medusahead in rangelands, little is known about their perceptions and behaviors concerning medusahead management. We present the results of a survey of ranchers operating on sagebrush steppe rangeland in a three-county area in southeast Oregon encompassing over 7.2 million ha. The primary objective of this research was to determine if the presence of medusahead on a ranch influenced its operator’s perceptions and behaviors concerning invasive plant control and prevention. Ranchers operating on medusahead-infested rangeland were more likely to indicate increased awareness and concern about medusahead and the potential for its continued expansion. Ranchers operating on rangeland invaded by medusahead were also more likely to indicate use of measures to prevent the spread of medusahead and other invasive plants on rangeland, interest in educational opportunities concerning invasive annual grass management, and plans for controlling invasive annual grasses in the future. This study revealed an alarming trend in which individuals are less likely to implement important prevention measures and participate in education opportunities to improve their knowledge of invasive plants until they directly experience the negative consequences of invasion. Information campaigns on invasive plants and their impacts may rectify this problem; however, appropriate delivery methods are critical for success. Web- or computer-based invasive plant information and tools were largely unpopular among ranchers, whereas traditional forms of information delivery including brochures/pamphlets and face-to-face interaction were preferred. However, in the future web- or computer-based information may become more popular as ranchers become more familiar with them.     

Non-invasive measurement of carbon monoxide burden in Guatemalan children and adults following wood-fired temazcal (sauna-bath) use

The use of wood-fired steam baths, or temazcales, is a potentially dangerous source of CO exposure in Guatemalan Highland communities where adults and children use them regularly for bathing, relaxation, and healing purposes. Physical characteristics of children predispose them to absorb CO faster than adults, placing them at greater exposure and health risks. Efforts to quantify temazcal exposures across all age groups, however, have been hampered by the limitations in exposure measurement methods. In this pilot study we measured COHb levels in children and adults following use of the temazcal using three field-based, non-invasive CO measurement methods: CO-oximetry, exhaled breath, and by estimation of COHb using micro-environmental concentrations and time diaries. We then performed a brief comparison of methods. Average CO concentrations measured during temazcal use were 661 ± 503 ppm, approximately 10 times the 15 min WHO guideline. Average COHb levels for all participants ranged from 12-14% (max of 30%, min 2%), depending on the method. COHb levels measured in children were not significantly different from adults despite the fact that they spent 66% less time exposed. COHb measured by CO-oximetry and exhaled breath had good agreement, but precision of the former was affected substantially by random instrument error. The version of the field CO-oximeter device used in this pilot could be useful in screening for acute CO exposure events in children but may lack the precision for monitoring the burden from less extreme, but more day-to-day CO exposures (e.g. indoor solid fuel use). In urban settings, health effects in children and adults have been associated with chronic exposure to ambient CO concentrations much lower than measured in this study. Future research should focus on reducing exposure from temazcales through culturally appropriate modifications to their design and practices, and targeted efforts to educate communities on the health risks they pose and actions they can take to reduce this risk.     

Elevated temperature and light enhance progression and spread of black band disease on staghorn corals of the Great Barrier Reef

Rates of progression and transmission of black band disease (BBD) on the staghorn coral, Acropora muricata, were compared between months for seasonal in situ studies and between temperature treatments in experimental aquaria manipulations at Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). In situ field experiments demonstrated that BBD progressed along branches approximately twice as fast (1.7–2.4 times) during the austral summer month of January (0.99 ± 0.04 cm/day) than in the cooler months of July (0.58 ± 0.04 cm/day) and May (0.41 ± 0.07 cm/day). Transmission of BBD between colonies was also accelerated in warmer months, with signs of infection becoming visible 1.2 days earlier in January compared to May. The greater seawater temperatures by ∼2 to 3°C and light intensities by up to 650 μE/m²/s in January, suggest that rates of progression and transmission of BBD are linked to one or both of these parameters. Manipulative experiments in summer provide corroborative evidence that elevated temperatures increase rates of BBD progression, with the disease progressing 1.3 times more rapidly in the 32°C elevated temperature treatment than in the 30°C ambient treatment (1.17 ± 0.06 cm/day versus 0.92 ± 0.07 cm/day; F _2,6 = 7.66, P = 0.022). In contrast, although a trend for greatest BBD progression was measured in elevated temperature treatments of 29°C (0.46 ± 0.07 cm/day) and 31°C (0.52 ± 0.06 cm/day) in winter, these rates did not differ significantly (F _3,7 = 1.72, P = 0.249) from those measured for the ambient 27°C treatment (0.37 ± 0.06 cm/day) or the field controls (0.41 ± 0.09 cm/day). The lower rates of BBD progression in the 31°C winter treatment (0.52 ± 0.06 cm/day) than in the 30°C (0.92 ± 0.07 cm/day) summer treatment, may have been a response to 28-fold decreased light irradiance in the former, suggesting that high irradiance in combination with elevated temperatures may promote progression of BBD. Results from this study indicate that the impact of elevated temperature on BBD progression is complex with a combination of environmental factors including temperature and light playing key roles in progression and transmission of the disease.