Interannual variability of western North Pacific SST anomalies and its impact on North Pacific and North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jae-Heung; An, Soon-Il; Kug, Jong-Seong

2017-12-01

In this study, the interannual variability of sea surface temperature (SST) and its atmospheric teleconnection over the western North Pacific (WNP) toward the North Pacific/North America during boreal winter are investigated. First, we defined the WNP mode as the first empirical orthogonal function (EOF) mode of SST anomalies over the WNP region (100-165°E, 0-35°N), of which the principle component time-series are significantly correlated with several well-known climate modes such as the warm pool mode which is the second EOF mode of the tropical to North Pacific SST anomalies, North Pacific oscillation (NPO), North Pacific gyre oscillation (NPGO), and central Pacific (CP)-El Niño at 95% confidence level, but not correlated with the eastern Pacific (EP)-El Niño. The warm phase of the WNP mode (sea surface warming) is initiated by anomalous southerly winds through reduction of wind speed with the background of northerly mean winds over the WNP during boreal winter, i.e., reduced evaporative cooling. Meanwhile, the atmospheric response to the SST warming pattern and its diabatic heating further enhance the southerly wind anomaly, referred to the wind-evaporation-SST (WES) feedback. Thus, the WNP mode is developed and maintained through winter until spring, when the northerly mean wind disappears. Furthermore, it is also known that anomalous upper-level divergence associated with WNP mode leads to the NPO-like structure over the North Pacific and the east-west pressure contrast pattern over the North America through Rossby wave propagation, impacting the climate over the North Pacific and North America.

Linking a sea level pressure anomaly dipole over North America to the central Pacific El Niño

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Ruiqiang; Li, Jianping; Tseng, Yu-heng; Sun, Cheng; Zheng, Fei

2017-08-01

This study demonstrates the close connection between the north-south dipole pattern of sea level pressure anomalies over northeastern North America to the western tropical North Atlantic, referred to as the North American dipole (NAD), and the central Pacific (CP)-type El Niño a year later. In contrast to other ENSO precursors, such as the North Pacific Oscillation (NPO) and Pacific-North America (PNA) pattern, the NAD appears more closely related to the CP-type El Niño than to the eastern Pacific (EP)-type El Niño, indicating that the NAD may serve as a unique precursor for the CP El Niño. The wintertime NAD induces sea surface temperature anomalies in the northern tropical Atlantic (NTA), which subsequently play an important role in developing the CP El Niño-like pattern in the tropical Pacific over the course of the following year. It appears that the NAD influence on CP El Niño involves air-sea interaction over several major basins, including the subtropical/tropical Pacific and the NTA. Additional analysis indicates that the correlation of either the NAD index or the NPO index with the CP El Niño state a year later depends on the status of the other index. When the wintertime NAD index is of the opposite sign to the simultaneous NPO index, the correlation of the NAD or NPO index with the Niño4 index becomes much weaker.

Arctic-North Pacific Coupled Impacts on the Late Autumn Cold in North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sung, Mi-Kyung; Kim, Baek-Min; Baik, Eun-Hyuk; Lim, Young-Kwon; Kim, Seong-Joong

2016-01-01

The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is known to bring an anomalously cold (warm) period to southeastern (northwestern) North America during the cold season of its positive phase through a Rossby wave linkage. This study provides evidence that the remote connection between the North Pacific and the downstream temperature over central North America is strengthened by the warm arctic conditions over the Chukchi and East Siberian Sea, especially in the late autumn season. The modulation effect of the Arctic manifests itself as an altered Rossby wave response to a transient vorticity forcing that results from an equatorward storm track shift, which is induced collaboratively by the PDO and the warm Arctic. This observational finding is supported by two independent modeling experiments: 1) an idealized coupled GCM experiment being nudged toward the warm arctic surface condition and 2) a simple stationary wave model (SWM) experiment forced by transient eddy forcing.

Tree-ring records of near-Younger Dryas time in central North America - Preliminary results from the Lincoln quarry site, central Illinois, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Panyushkina, Irina P.; Leavitt, Steven W.; Wiedenhoeft, A.; Noggle, S.; Curry, B.; Grimm, E.

2004-01-01

The abrupt millennial-scale changes associated with the Younger Dryas (YD) event ("chronozone") near the dawn of the Holocene are at least hemispheric, if not global, in extent. Evidence for the YD cold excursion is abundant in Europe but fairly meager in central North America. We are engaged in an investigation of high-resolution environmental changes in mid-North America over several millennia (about 10,000 to 14,000 BP) during the Late Glacial-Early Holocene transition, including the YD interval. Several sites containing logs or stumps have been identified and we are in the process of initial sampling or re-sampling them for this project. Here, we report on a site in central Illinois containing a deposit of logs initially thought to be of YD age preserved in alluvial sands. The assemblage of wood represents hardwood (angiosperm) trees, and the ring-width characteristics are favorable to developing formal tree-ring chronologies. However, 4 new radiocarbon dates indicate deposition of wood may have taken place over at least 8000 14C yr (6000-14,000 BP). This complicates the effort to develop a single floating chronology of several hundred years at this site, but it may provide wood from a restricted region over a long period of time from which to develop a sequence of floating chronologies, the timing of deposition and preservation of which could be related to paleoclimatic events and conditions.

Waterbird conservation for the Americas: The North American waterbird conservation plan, version 1

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kushlan, James A.; Steinkamp, Melanie J.; Parsons, Katharine C.; Capp, Jack; Cruz, Martin Acosta; Coulter, Malcolm; Davidson, Ian; Dickson, Loney; Edelson, Naomi; Elliot, Richard; Erwin, R. Michael; Hatch, Scott A.; Kress, Stephen; Milko, Robert; Miller, Steve; Mills, Kyra L.; Paul, Richard; Phillips, Roberto; Saliva, Jorge E.; Syderman, Bill; Trapp, John; Wheeler, Jennifer; Wohl, Kenton D.

2002-01-01

The North American Waterbird Conservation Plan (the Plan) is the product of an independent partnership of individuals and institutions having interest and responsibility for conservation of waterbirds and their habitats in the Americas. This partnership - Waterbird Conservation for the Americas - was created to support a vision in which the distribution, diversity, and abundance of populations and habitats of breeding, migratory, and nonbreeding waterbirds are sustained or restored throughout the lands and waters of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.The Plan provides a continental-scale framework for the conservation and management of 210 species of waterbirds, including seabirds, coastal waterbirds, wading birds, and marshbirds utilizing aquatic habitats in 29 nations throughout North America, Central America, the islands and pelagic waters of the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic, the U.S.-associated Pacific Islands and pelagic inland and pelagic waters of the Pacific. Birds as familiar as herons, loons, pelicans, and gulls, as well as the lesser known albatrosses, petrels, auks, and rails are among the species considered in the Plan. These birds' dependence on aquatic habitats such as wooded swamps, stream corridors, salt marshes, barrier islands, continental shelf waters and open pelagic waters make them especially vulnerable to the myriad threats facing water and wetland resources globally. In addition, the congregatory behavior of many waterbirds increases population risks by concentrating populations in limited areas.

GIS Representation of Coal-Bearing Areas in North, Central, and South America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tewalt, Susan J.; Kinney, Scott A.; Merrill, Matthew D.

2008-01-01

Worldwide coal consumption and international coal trade are projected to increase in the next several decades (Energy Information Administration, 2007). A search of existing literature indicates that in the Western Hemisphere, coal resources are known to occur in about 30 countries. The need exists to be able to depict these areas in a digital format for use in Geographic Information System (GIS) applications at small scales (large areas) and in visual presentations. Existing surficial geology GIS layers of the appropriate geologic age have been used as an approximation to depict the extent of coal-bearing areas in North, Central, and South America, as well as Greenland (fig. 1). Global surficial geology GIS data were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for use in world petroleum assessments (Hearn and others, 2003). These USGS publications served as the major sources for the selection and creation of polygons to represent coal-bearing areas. Additional publications and maps by various countries and agencies were also used as sources of coal locations. GIS geologic polygons were truncated where literature or hardcopy maps did not indicate the presence of coal. The depicted areas are not adequate for use in coal resource calculations, as they were not adjusted for geologic structure and do not include coal at depth. Additionally, some coal areas in Central America could not be represented by the mapped surficial geology and are shown only as points based on descriptions or depictions from scientific publications or available maps. The provided GIS files are intended to serve as a backdrop for display of coal information. Three attributes of the coal that are represented by the polygons or points include geologic age (or range of ages), published rank (or range of ranks), and information source (published sources for age, rank, or physical location, or GIS geology base).

Cold-water fishes and climate change in North America

Treesearch

J. E. Williams; Daniel Isaak; J. Imhof; D. A. Hendrickson; J. R. McMillan

2015-01-01

Trout, salmon, grayling and whitefishes (Salmonidae) are among the most ecologically and economically important fishes. They also are among the most vulnerable to global warming, and increasing drought, floods, and wildfires. In North America, salmonids occur from central Mexico northward along coastal regions and mountainous interiors to the Arctic Plains. A...

Arctic-midlatitude weather linkages in North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Overland, James E.; Wang, Muyin

2018-06-01

There is intense public interest in whether major Arctic changes can and will impact midlatitude weather such as cold air outbreaks on the central and east side of continents. Although there is progress in linkage research for eastern Asia, a clear gap is conformation for North America. We show two stationary temperature/geopotential height patterns where warmer Arctic temperatures have reinforced existing tropospheric jet stream wave amplitudes over North America: a Greenland/Baffin Block pattern during December 2010 and an Alaska Ridge pattern during December 2017. Even with continuing Arctic warming over the past decade, other recent eastern US winter months were less susceptible for an Arctic linkage: the jet stream was represented by either zonal flow, progressive weather systems, or unfavorable phasing of the long wave pattern. The present analysis lays the scientific controversy over the validity of linkages to the inherent intermittency of jet stream dynamics, which provides only an occasional bridge between Arctic thermodynamic forcing and extended midlatitude weather events.

A GPS Modeling Study of Earthquakes and Deformation in Northern Central America and along the Middle America Trench: 1999 to 2017

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellis, Andria P.

Northern Central America is a tectonically complicated region prone to hazardous earthquakes due to the confluence of the Motagua-Polochic fault zone with the Middle America trench and strike-slip faults in the Central America volcanic arc. These three major fault zones converge at the western end of the Caribbean plate where the Cocos plate subducts under the North America and Caribbean plates. Literature from the 1970s and 1980s focused on whether a discrete North America-Caribbean-Cocos plate triple junction existed, and how the relative motions of the upper North America and Caribbean plates were accommodated. The discovery of a fourth major crustal block, the Central America forearc sliver, from seismic and geodetic observations made a three-plate triple junction geometrically impossible and introduced a new set of questions related to how deformation of the upper plate accommodates relative movements between the Caribbean plate, North America plate, and Central America forearc sliver where they intersect in the upper plate. My dissertation uses GPS and numerical modeling to measure and quantify earthquake transients and crustal deformation related to fault interactions in northern Central America and consists of three related chapters. The first chapter of my dissertation is a geodetic study of a M w = 7.4 subduction zone earthquake that occurred in 2012 offshore from our Guatemala GPS (Global Positioning System) network. For this study, I inverted coseismic site offsets and postseismic amplitudes to determine best-fitting coseismic and afterslip rupture distributions on the Middle America trench. I also determined the maximum likely viscoelastic deformation for the earthquake to test whether the transient postseismic deformation was dominated by fault afterslip or viscoelastic flow. This work was published in Geophysical Journal International in January 2015. The second chapter of my dissertation derives a new 200+ site GPS velocity field for northern

78 FR 2287 - Daimler Buses North America, Inc., a Subsidiary of Daimler North America Corp, Including On-Site...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-10

... subsidiary of Daimler North America Corp., including on-site leased workers from Noramtec, First Choice... America, Inc., a Subsidiary of Daimler North America Corp, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Noramtec, First Choice Staffing, Staff Works, and Mr. Santo Lamarco From Wurth Revcar Fasteners, Inc., Oriskany...

Accommodation of missing shear strain in the Central Walker Lane, western North America: Constraints from dense GPS measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bormann, Jayne M.; Hammond, William C.; Kreemer, Corné; Blewitt, Geoffrey

2016-04-01

We present 264 new interseismic GPS velocities from the Mobile Array of GPS for Nevada Transtension (MAGNET) and continuous GPS networks that measure Pacific-North American plate boundary deformation in the Central Walker Lane. Relative to a North America-fixed reference frame, northwestward velocities increase smoothly from ∼4 mm/yr in the Basin and Range province to 12.2 mm/yr in the central Sierra Nevada resulting in a Central Walker Lane deformation budget of ∼8 mm/yr. We use an elastic block model to estimate fault slip and block rotation rates and patterns of deformation from the GPS velocities. Right-lateral shear is distributed throughout the Central Walker Lane with strike-slip rates generally <1.5 mm/yr predicted by the block model, but extension rates are highest near north-striking normal faults found along the Sierra Nevada frontal fault system and in a left-stepping, en-echelon series of asymmetric basins that extend from Walker Lake to Lake Tahoe. Neotectonic studies in the western Central Walker Lane find little evidence of strike-slip or oblique faulting in the asymmetric basins, prompting the suggestion that dextral deformation in this region is accommodated through clockwise block rotations. We test this hypothesis and show that a model relying solely on the combination of clockwise block rotations and normal faulting to accommodate dextral transtensional strain accumulation systematically misfits the GPS data in comparison with our preferred model. This suggests that some component of oblique or partitioned right-lateral fault slip is needed to accommodate shear in the asymmetric basins of the western Central Walker Lane. Present-day clockwise vertical axis rotation rates in the Bodie Hills, Carson Domain, and Mina Deflection are between 1-4°/Myr, lower than published paleomagnetic rotation rates, suggesting that block rotation rates have decreased since the Late to Middle Miocene.

78 FR 15349 - Trade Mission to Central America in Conjunction With the Trade Americas-Opportunities in Central...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-11

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Trade Mission to Central America in Conjunction With the Trade Americas--Opportunities in Central America Conference; July 15-19, 2013 AGENCY... (USFCS) is organizing a trade mission to Central America, in conjunction with the Trade Americas...

BETR North America: A regionally segmented multimedia contaminant fate model for North America

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

MacLeod, M.; Woodfine, D.G.; Mackay, D.

We present the Berkeley-Trent North American contaminant fate model (BETR North America), a regionally segmented multimedia contaminant fate model based on the fugacity concept. The model is built on a framework that links contaminant fate models of individual regions, and is generally applicable to large, spatially heterogeneous areas. The North American environment is modeled as 24 ecological regions, within each region contaminant fate is described using a 7 compartment multimedia fugacity model including a vertically segmented atmosphere, freshwater, freshwater sediment, soil, coastal water and vegetation compartments. Inter-regional transport of contaminants in the atmosphere, freshwater and coastal water is described usingmore » a database of hydrological and meteorological data compiled with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) techniques. Steady-state and dynamic solutions to the 168 mass balance equations that make up the linked model for North America are discussed, and an illustrative case study of toxaphene transport from the southern United States to the Great Lakes Basin is presented. Regionally segmented models such as BETR North America can provide a critical link between evaluative models of long-range transport potential and contaminant concentrations observed in remote regions. The continent-scale mass balance calculated by the model provides a sound basis for evaluating long-range transport potential of organic pollutants, and formulation of continent scale management and regulatory strategies for chemicals.« less

Ensemble-based diagnosis of the large-scale processes associated with multiple high-impact weather events over North America during late October 2007

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, B. J.; Bosart, L. F.; Keyser, D.

2013-12-01

During late October 2007, the interaction between a deep polar trough and Tropical Cyclone (TC) Kajiki off the eastern Asian coast perturbed the North Pacific jet stream and resulted in the development of a high-amplitude Rossby wave train extending into North America, contributing to three concurrent high-impact weather events in North America: wildfires in southern California associated with strong Santa Ana winds, a cold surge into eastern Mexico, and widespread heavy rainfall (~150 mm) in the south-central United States. Observational analysis indicates that these high-impact weather events were all dynamically linked with the development of a major high-latitude ridge over the eastern North Pacific and western North America and a deep trough over central North America. In this study, global operational ensemble forecasts from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) obtained from The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment (THORPEX) Interactive Grand Global Ensemble (TIGGE) archive are used to characterize the medium-range predictability of the large-scale flow pattern associated with the three events and to diagnose the large-scale atmospheric processes favorable, or unfavorable, for the occurrence of the three events. Examination of the ECMWF forecasts leading up to the time period of the three high-impact weather events (~23-25 October 2007) indicates that ensemble spread (i.e., uncertainty) in the 500-hPa geopotential height field develops in connection with downstream baroclinic development (DBD) across the North Pacific, associated with the interaction between TC Kajiki and the polar trough along the eastern Asian coast, and subsequently moves downstream into North America, yielding considerable uncertainty with respect to the structure, amplitude, and position of the ridge-trough pattern over North America. Ensemble sensitivity analysis conducted for key sensible weather parameters corresponding to the three high

Developments in Impact Assessment in North America

EPA Science Inventory

Beginning with a background of recent global developments in this area, this presentation will focus on how global research has impacted North America and how North America is providing additional developments to address the issues of the global economy. Recent developments inc...

Discovery of new Ohbayashinema spp. (nematoda: heligomosomoidea) in Ochotona princeps and O. cansus (lagomorpha: ochotonidae) from western North America and central Asia, with considerations of historical biogeography

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Three new species of Ohbayashinema (Nematoda, Heligmosomoidea) are described from localities in western North America and central Asia. Two of these species, Ohbayashinema nearctica n. sp and O. aspeira n. sp. are parasitic in American pika, Ochotona princeps. Ohbayashinema nearctica is differentiat...

Status of soil acidification in North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fenn, M.E.; Huntington, T.G.; Mclaughlin, S.B.; Eagar, C.; Gomez, A.; Cook, R.B.

2006-01-01

Forest soil acidification and depletion of nutrient cations have been reported for several forested regions in North America, predominantly in the eastern United States, including the northeast and in the central Appalachians, but also in parts of southeastern Canada and the southern U.S. Continuing regional inputs of nitrogen and sulfur are of concern because of leaching of base cations, increased availability of soil Al, and the accumulation and ultimate transmission of acidity from forest soils to streams. Losses of calcium from forest soils and forested watersheds have now been documented as a sensitive early indicator and a functionally significant response to acid deposition for a wide range of forest soils in North America. For red spruce, a clear link has been established between acidic deposition, alterations in calcium and aluminum supplies and increased sensitivity to winter injury. Cation depletion appears to contribute to sugar maple decline on some soils, specifically the high mortality rates observed in northern Pennsylvania over the last decade. While responses to liming have not been systematically examined in North America, in a study in Pennsylvania, restoring basic cations through liming increased basal area growth of sugar maple and levels of calcium and magnesium in soil and foliage. In the San Bernardino Mountains in southern California near the west coast, the pH of the A horizon has declined by at least 2 pH units (to pH 4.0-4.3) over the past 30 years, with no detrimental effects on bole growth; presumably, because of the Mediterranean climate, base cation pools are still high and not limiting for plant growth.

Endemism in the moss flora of North America.

PubMed

Carter, Benjamin E; Shaw, Blanka; Shaw, A Jonathan

2016-04-01

Identifying regions of high endemism is a critical step toward understanding the mechanisms underlying diversification and establishing conservation priorities. Here, we identified regions of high moss endemism across North America. We also identified lineages that contribute disproportionately to endemism and document the progress of efforts to inventory the endemic flora. To understand the documentation of endemic moss diversity in North America, we tabulated species publication dates to document the progress of species discovery across the continent. We analyzed herbarium specimen data and distribution data from the Flora of North America project to delineate major regions of moss endemism. Finally, we surveyed the literature to assess the importance of intercontinental vs. within-continent diversification for generating endemic species. Three primary regions of endemism were identified and two of these were further divided into a total of nine subregions. Overall endemic richness has two peaks, one in northern California and the Pacific Northwest, and the other in the southern Appalachians. Description of new endemic species has risen steeply over the last few decades, especially in western North America. Among the few studies documenting sister species relationships of endemics, recent diversification appears to have played a larger role in western North America, than in the east. Our understanding of bryophyte endemism continues to grow rapidly. Large continent-wide data sets confirm early views on hotspots of endemic bryophyte richness and indicate a high rate of ongoing species discovery in North America. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

Echinococcus multilocularis in North America: the great unknown.

PubMed

Massolo, Alessandro; Liccioli, Stefano; Budke, Christine; Klein, Claudia

2014-01-01

Over the last decade, studies have begun to shed light on the distribution and genetic characterization of Echinococcus multilocularis, the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis (AE), in North America. Recent findings indicate that the parasite is likely expanding its range in the central region of the United States and Canada and that invasions of European strains might have occurred. In our review, we present the available data on E. multilocularis infections in wild and domestic animals and humans in North America and emphasize the lack of knowledge on the distribution of the parasite in wild and domestic hosts. Furthermore, we stress the need to better understand the complexity of host communities and their roles in shaping the transmission and distribution of the parasite. We hypothesize that a lack of knowledge about AE by North American physicians might result in the misdiagnosis of cases and an underestimation of disease incidence. The endemic presence of the parasite in urban areas and a recent human case in Alberta, Canada, suggest that the scientific community may need to reconsider the local public health risks, re-assess past cases that might have been overlooked and increase surveillance efforts to identify new cases of human AE. © A. Massolo et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2014.

Echinococcus multilocularis in North America: the great unknown

PubMed Central

Massolo, Alessandro; Liccioli, Stefano; Budke, Christine; Klein, Claudia

2014-01-01

Over the last decade, studies have begun to shed light on the distribution and genetic characterization of Echinococcus multilocularis, the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis (AE), in North America. Recent findings indicate that the parasite is likely expanding its range in the central region of the United States and Canada and that invasions of European strains might have occurred. In our review, we present the available data on E. multilocularis infections in wild and domestic animals and humans in North America and emphasize the lack of knowledge on the distribution of the parasite in wild and domestic hosts. Furthermore, we stress the need to better understand the complexity of host communities and their roles in shaping the transmission and distribution of the parasite. We hypothesize that a lack of knowledge about AE by North American physicians might result in the misdiagnosis of cases and an underestimation of disease incidence. The endemic presence of the parasite in urban areas and a recent human case in Alberta, Canada, suggest that the scientific community may need to reconsider the local public health risks, re-assess past cases that might have been overlooked and increase surveillance efforts to identify new cases of human AE. PMID:25531581

Molecular Phylogenetics of Aedes japonicus, a Disease Vector That Recently Invaded Western Europe, North America, and the Hawaiian Islands

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-01

the scourge of dengue fever in Central and South America , if not in North America (Gratz 2004, Paupy et al. 2009) , and has become the primary...North America , and the Hawaiian Islands EMILIE C. CAMERON,1 RICHARD C. WILKERSON,2 MOTOYOSHI MOGI,3 ICHIRO MIYAGI,4 TAKAKO TOMA,4 HEUNG-CHUL KIM,5 AND...japonicus The genus Aedes (Diptera: Culicidae) includes the principal vectors of yellow fever, dengue , and aperi- odic lymphatic filariasis (Foster

Estimating emissions from fires in North America for air quality modeling.

Treesearch

Christine Wiedinmyer; Brad Quayle; Chris Geron; Angie Belote; Don McKenzie; Xiaoyang Zhang; Susan O' Neill; Kristina Klos Wynne

2006-01-01

Fires contribute substantial emissions of trace gases and particles to the atmosphere. These emissions can impact air quality and even climate. We have developed a modeling framework to estimate the emissions from fires in North and parts of Central America (10-71 ˚N and 55-175 ˚W) by taking advantage of a combination of complementary satellite and...

A review of the genus Agapetus Curtis (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae) in eastern and central North America, with description of 12 new species

USGS Publications Warehouse

Etnier, David A.; Parker, Charles R.; Baxter, John T.; Long, Todd M.

2010-01-01

Twenty-nine species of caddisflies in the genus Agapetus Curtis in eastern and central North America are reviewed. Twelve are described as new species: Agapetus aphallus (known only from females); Agapetus baueri, Agapetus flinti, Agapetus harrisi, Agapetus hesperus, Agapetus ibis, Agapetus kirchneri, Agapetus meridionalis, Agapetus pegram, Agapetus ruiteri, Agapetus stylifer, and Agapetus tricornutus. Agapetus rossi Denning 1941 is recognized as a junior subjective synonym of Agapetus walkeri (Betten and Mosely 1940), new synonym. A key to males is provided, and species’ distributions are mapped.

North Central IPM Center

Science.gov Websites

) solutions, based in the North Central region. North Central IPM Center Invasive Plants in Trade Working webpage to learn about the North Central IPM Center's grants program and other IPM-related funding Tribal IPM Urban Ag IPM Partners In IPM Working Groups Critical Issues Projects North Central IPM

Early human use of anadromous salmon in North America at 11,500 y ago.

PubMed

Halffman, Carrin M; Potter, Ben A; McKinney, Holly J; Finney, Bruce P; Rodrigues, Antonia T; Yang, Dongya Y; Kemp, Brian M

2015-10-06

Salmon represented a critical resource for prehistoric foragers along the North Pacific Rim, and continue to be economically and culturally important; however, the origins of salmon exploitation remain unresolved. Here we report 11,500-y-old salmon associated with a cooking hearth and human burials from the Upward Sun River Site, near the modern extreme edge of salmon habitat in central Alaska. This represents the earliest known human use of salmon in North America. Ancient DNA analyses establish the species as Oncorhynchus keta (chum salmon), and stable isotope analyses indicate anadromy, suggesting that salmon runs were established by at least the terminal Pleistocene. The early use of this resource has important implications for Paleoindian land use, economy, and expansions into northwest North America.

Early human use of anadromous salmon in North America at 11,500 y ago

PubMed Central

Halffman, Carrin M.; Potter, Ben A.; McKinney, Holly J.; Finney, Bruce P.; Rodrigues, Antonia T.; Yang, Dongya Y.; Kemp, Brian M.

2015-01-01

Salmon represented a critical resource for prehistoric foragers along the North Pacific Rim, and continue to be economically and culturally important; however, the origins of salmon exploitation remain unresolved. Here we report 11,500-y-old salmon associated with a cooking hearth and human burials from the Upward Sun River Site, near the modern extreme edge of salmon habitat in central Alaska. This represents the earliest known human use of salmon in North America. Ancient DNA analyses establish the species as Oncorhynchus keta (chum salmon), and stable isotope analyses indicate anadromy, suggesting that salmon runs were established by at least the terminal Pleistocene. The early use of this resource has important implications for Paleoindian land use, economy, and expansions into northwest North America. PMID:26392548

A phylogeny of Astyanax (Characiformes: Characidae) in Central and North America.

PubMed

Schmitter-Soto, Juan J

2016-05-06

A phylogeny is presented for 34 species of Astyanax, 27 of them once included within A. aeneus or A. fasciatus in Central America and Mexico, based on 52 morphological characters (mostly osteological, but also pigmentation and meristics), with three outgroups. Monophyly is not supported for A. aeneus s. lat., as Brazilian species such as A. fasciatus s. str. and others occur also within that clade. There were only five resolved clades, three of them including both Brazilian and Central American species, one purely Nicaraguan, and one for central-northern Mexico and Texas. Coincidence with previous cladistic hypotheses is only partial. The genus Bramocharax Gill is not recovered, and thus confirmed as a synonym of Astyanax Baird & Girard. The findings point at a more complex biogeographic history of the region than usually recognized.

Are there trends towards drier hydrological conditions in Central America?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidalgo, H. G.

2013-12-01

A summary of hydrological projections at the end of the century from 30 General Circulation Models (GCMs) is presented; and several hydrometeorological parameters are analyzed to validate if there are hydroclimatological trends during the observational period (1982-2005) consistent with the GCMs results. At the end of the century the median of 30 GCM simulations projects a drier future for Tegucigalpa and San Jose, with a marked increment in evapotranspiration in the first half of the rainy season along with reductions of soil moisture. With respect to the observations (1982-2005): 1) the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index showed negative trends in the North Pacific coast of Costa Rica, the border of Honduras and Nicaragua, and especially in southern Mexico (except the Yucatan Peninsula). Positive trends were found in the several parts of Central America, 2) the Palmer Drought Severity Index showed strong and consistent trends from Nicaragua to the North of Central America and southern Mexico (not including Yucatan), consistent with the direction of GCM projections; 3) negative precipitation trends in satellite data were found in Nicaragua, with strong trends in its Caribbean coast; 4) NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis precipitation showed strong negative trends in northern Central America, the Central Valley, the Dry Pacific of Costa Rica and the South-Pacific coast of Nicaragua, all consistent with the direction of GCM projections; and 5) station data showed no significant trends however, and 6) Reanalysis' temperature showed positive trends in southern Mexico (not including Yucatan) and negative trends in El Salvador. It can be concluded that several trends in drought indexes and precipitation are consistent with the future projected by the GCMs; that is, with some exceptions some of the trends were validated towards a drier future for the region, especially in the northern part.

Population size of snowy plovers breeding in North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thomas, Susan M.; Lyons, James E.; Andres, Brad A.; T-Smith, Elise Elliot; Palacios, Eduardo; Cavitt, John F.; Royle, J. Andrew; Fellows, Suzanne D.; Maty, Kendra; Howe, William H.; Mellink, Eric; Melvin, Stefani; Zimmerman, Tara

2012-01-01

Snowy Plovers (Charadrius nivosus) may be one of the rarest shorebirds in North America yet a comprehensive assessment of their abundance and distribution has not been completed. During 2007 and 2008, 557 discrete wetlands were surveyed and nine additional large wetland complexes sampled in México and the USA. From these surveys, a population of 23,555 (95% CI = 17,299 – 29,859) breeding Snowy Plovers was estimated. Combining the estimate with information from areas not surveyed, the total North American population was assessed at 25,869 (95% CI = 18,917 – 32,173). Approximately 42% of all breeding Snowy Plovers in North America resided at two sites (Great Salt Lake, Utah, and Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma), and 33% of all these were on wetlands in the Great Basin (including Great Salt Lake). Also, coastal habitats in central and southern Texas supported large numbers of breeding plovers. New breeding sites were discovered in interior deserts and highlands and along the Pacific coast of México; approximately 9% of the North American breeding population occurred in México. Because of uncertainties about effects of climate change and current stresses to breeding habitats, the species should be a management and conservation priority. Periodic monitoring should be undertaken at important sites to ensure high quality habitat is available to support the Snowy Plover population.

Regional trends in aquatic recovery from acidification in North America and Europe

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stoddard, J.L.; Jeffries, D.S.; Lukewille, A.; Clair, T.A.; Dillon, P.J.; Driscoll, C.T.; Forsius, M.; Johannessen, M.; Kahl, J.S.; Kellogg, J.H.; Kemp, A.; Mannlo, J.; Monteith, D.T.; Murdoch, Peter S.; Patrick, S.; Rebsdorl, A.; Skjelkvale, B.L.; Stainton, M.P.; Traaen, T.; Van Dam, H.; Webster, K.E.; Wleting, J.; Wllander, A.

1999-01-01

Rates of acidic deposition from the atmosphere ('acid rain') have decreased throughout the 1980s and 1990s across large portions of North America and Europe. Many recent studies have attributed observed reversals in surface-water acidification at national and regional scales to the declining deposition. To test whether emissions regulations have led to widespread recovery in surface-water chemistry, we analysed regional trends between 1980 and 1995 in indicators of acidification (sulphate, nitrate and base-cation concentrations, and measured (Gran) alkalinity) for 205 lakes and streams in eight regions of North America and Europe. Dramatic differences in trend direction and strength for the two decades are apparent. In concordance with general temporal trends in acidic deposition, lake and stream sulphate concentrations decreased in all regions with the exception of Great Britain all but one of these regions exhibited stronger downward trends in the 1990s than in the 1980s. In contrast, regional declines in lake and stream nitrate concentrations were rare and, when detected, were very small. Recovery in alkalinity, expected wherever strong regional declines in sulphate concentrations have occurred, was observed in all regions of Europe, especially in the 1990s, but in only one region (of five) in North America. We attribute the lack of recovery in three regions (south/central Ontario, the Adirondack/Catskill mountains and midwestern North America) to strong regional declines in base-cation concentrations that exceed the decreases in sulphate concentrations.

Mineralogical maturity in dunefields of North America, Africa and Australia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Muhs, D.R.

2004-01-01

Studies of dunefields in central and western North America show that mineralogical maturity can provide new insights into the origin and evolution of aeolian sand bodies. Many of the world's great sand seas in Africa, Asia and Australia are quartz-dominated and thus can be considered to be mineralogically mature. The Algodones (California) and Parker (Arizona) dunes in the southwestern United States are also mature, but have inherited a high degree of mineralogical maturity from quartz-rich sedimentary rocks drained by the Colorado River. In Libya, sediments of the Zallaf sand sea, which are almost pure quartz, may have originated in a similar fashion. The Fort Morgan (Colorado) and Casper (Wyoming) dunefields in the central Great Plains of North America, and the Namib sand sea of southern Africa have an intermediate degree of mineralogical maturity because their sources are large rivers that drained both unweathered plutonic and metamorphic rocks and mature sedimentary rocks. Mojave Desert dunefields in the southwestern United States are quite immature because they are in basins adjacent to plutonic rocks that were their sources. Other dunefields in the Great Plains of North America (those in Nebraska and Texas) are more mature than any possible source sediments and therefore reflect mineralogical evolution over time. Such changes in composition can occur because of either of two opposing long-term states of the dunefield. In one state, dunes are stable for long periods of time and chemical weathering depletes feldspars and other weatherable minerals in the sediment body. In the other state, which is most likely for the Great Plains, abrasion and ballistic impacts deplete the carbonate minerals and feldspars because the dunes are active for longer periods than they are stable. ?? 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Skylab photography applied to geologic mapping in northwestern Central America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rose, W. I., Jr.; Johnson, D. J.; Hahn, G. A.; Johns, G. W.

1975-01-01

Two photolineation maps of southwestern Guatemala and Chiapas were made from S190 photographs along a ground track from Acajutla, El Salvador to San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico. The maps document a structural complexity spanning the presumed triple junction of the Cocos, Americas, and Caribbean plates. The Polochic fault zone, supposedly the Americas-Caribbean plate boundary, is a sharply delineated feature across western Guatemala. Westward of the Mexican border it splays into a large number of faults with NW to SW trends. The structural pattern is quite different to the north (Americas plate) and to the south (Caribbean plate) of the Polochic fault, though both areas are dominated by NW-trending lineations. Within the Central American volcanic chain, the lineation patterns support the segmented model of the Benioff Zone, by showing a concentration of transverse lineations in the predicted locations, most notably NE-trending elements near Quezaltenango, Guatemala. The structural pattern obtained from the maps are compared to patterns described on recently published maps of more southerly parts of Central America, to begin a synthesis of the structure of the convergent plate boundary.

Range expansion by Passer montanus in North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burnett, J.L.; Roberts, C.P.; Allen, Craig R.; Brown, M.B.; Moulton, M.P.

2017-01-01

Passer montanus became established in a small area of central North America following its introduction in 1870. P. montanus underwent minimal range expansion in the first 100 years following introduction. However, the North American population of P. montanus is now growing in size and expanding in geographic distribution, having expanded approximately 125 km to the north by 1970. We quantify the distance of spread by P. montanus from its introduction site in the greater St. Louis, Missouri-Illinois, USA area, using distributional (presence) data from the National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count surveys for the period of 1951 to 2014. Linear regressions of the average annual range center of P. montanus confirmed significant shifts to the north at a rate of 3.3 km/year (P < 0.001) km/year. Linear regressions of the linear and angular distance of range center indicates significant northern movement (change in angle of mean range center; P < 0.001) since 1951. Our results quantify the extent of a northward range expansion, and suggesting a probable spread of this species northward.

Northeastern North America as a potential refugium for boreal forests in a warming climate.

PubMed

D'Orangeville, L; Duchesne, L; Houle, D; Kneeshaw, D; Côté, B; Pederson, N

2016-06-17

High precipitation in boreal northeastern North America could help forests withstand the expected temperature-driven increase in evaporative demand, but definitive evidence is lacking. Using a network of tree-ring collections from 16,450 stands across 583,000 km(2) of boreal forests in Québec, Canada, we observe a latitudinal shift in the correlation of black spruce growth with temperature and reduced precipitation, from negative south of 49°N to largely positive to the north of that latitude. Our results suggest that the positive effect of a warmer climate on growth rates and growing season length north of 49°N outweighs the potential negative effect of lower water availability. Unlike the central and western portions of the continent's boreal forest, northeastern North America may act as a climatic refugium in a warmer climate. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

7 CFR 319.56-25 - Papayas from Central America and South America.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 5 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Papayas from Central America and South America. 319.56-25 Section 319.56-25 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) ANIMAL AND... Vegetables § 319.56-25 Papayas from Central America and South America. Commercial consignments of the Solo...

7 CFR 319.56-25 - Papayas from Central America and South America.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 5 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Papayas from Central America and South America. 319.56-25 Section 319.56-25 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) ANIMAL AND... Vegetables § 319.56-25 Papayas from Central America and South America. Commercial consignments of the Solo...

7 CFR 319.56-25 - Papayas from Central America and South America.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 5 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Papayas from Central America and South America. 319.56-25 Section 319.56-25 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) ANIMAL AND... Vegetables § 319.56-25 Papayas from Central America and South America. Commercial consignments of the Solo...

7 CFR 319.56-25 - Papayas from Central America and South America.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 5 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Papayas from Central America and South America. 319.56-25 Section 319.56-25 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) ANIMAL AND... Vegetables § 319.56-25 Papayas from Central America and South America. Commercial consignments of the Solo...

Snow cover and temperature relationships in North America and Eurasia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foster, J.; Owe, M.; Rango, A.

1983-01-01

In this study the snow cover extent during the autumn months in both North America and Eurasia has been related to the ensuing winter temperature as measured at several locations near the center of each continent. The relationship between autumn snow cover and the ensuing winter temperatures was found to be much better for Eurasia than for North America. For Eurasia the average snow cover extent during the autumn explained as much as 52 percent of the variance in the winter (December-February) temperatures compared to only 12 percent for North America. However, when the average winter snow cover was correlated with the average winter temperature it was found that the relationship was better for North America than for Eurasia. As much as 46 percent of the variance in the winter temperature was explained by the winter snow cover in North America compared to only 12 percent in Eurasia.

Recent and projected future climatic suitability of North America for the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus.

PubMed

Ogden, Nicholas H; Milka, Radojević; Caminade, Cyril; Gachon, Philippe

2014-12-02

Since the 1980s, populations of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus have become established in south-eastern, eastern and central United States, extending to approximately 40°N. Ae. albopictus is a vector of a wide range of human pathogens including dengue and chikungunya viruses, which are currently emerging in the Caribbean and Central America and posing a threat to North America. The risk of Ae. albopictus expanding its geographic range in North America under current and future climate was assessed using three climatic indicators of Ae. albopictus survival: overwintering conditions (OW), OW combined with annual air temperature (OWAT), and a linear index of precipitation and air temperature suitability expressed through a sigmoidal function (SIG). The capacity of these indicators to predict Ae. albopictus occurrence was evaluated using surveillance data from the United States. Projected future climatic suitability for Ae. albopictus was obtained using output of nine Regional Climate Model experiments (RCMs). OW and OWAT showed >90% specificity and sensitivity in predicting observed Ae. albopictus occurrence and also predicted moderate to high risk of Ae. albopictus invasion in Pacific coastal areas of the Unites States and Canada under current climate. SIG also well predicted observed Ae. albopictus occurrence (ROC area under the curve was 0.92) but predicted wider current climatic suitability in the north-central and north-eastern United States and south-eastern Canada. RCM output projected modest (circa 500 km) future northward range expansion of Ae. albopictus by the 2050s when using OW and OWAT indicators, but greater (600-1000 km) range expansion, particularly in eastern and central Canada, when using the SIG indicator. Variation in future possible distributions of Ae. albopictus was greater amongst the climatic indicators used than amongst the RCM experiments. Current Ae. albopictus distributions were well predicted by simple climatic indicators

Hardwoods of North America

Treesearch

H. A. Alden

1995-01-01

This report describes 53 taxa of hardwoods of North America, which are organized alphabetically by genus. Descriptions include scientific name, trade name, distribution, tree characteristics, wood characteristics (general, weight, mechanical properties, drying, shrinkage, working properties, durability, preservation, toxicity and uses) and additional sources for...

46 CFR 42.03-15 - The Great Lakes of North America.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false The Great Lakes of North America. 42.03-15 Section 42.03... VOYAGES BY SEA Application § 42.03-15 The Great Lakes of North America. (a) The term “Great Lakes of North America” means those waters of North America which are defined in § 42.05-40, and in the exception in...

46 CFR 42.03-15 - The Great Lakes of North America.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false The Great Lakes of North America. 42.03-15 Section 42.03... VOYAGES BY SEA Application § 42.03-15 The Great Lakes of North America. (a) The term “Great Lakes of North America” means those waters of North America which are defined in § 42.05-40, and in the exception in...

46 CFR 42.03-15 - The Great Lakes of North America.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false The Great Lakes of North America. 42.03-15 Section 42.03... VOYAGES BY SEA Application § 42.03-15 The Great Lakes of North America. (a) The term “Great Lakes of North America” means those waters of North America which are defined in § 42.05-40, and in the exception in...

46 CFR 42.03-15 - The Great Lakes of North America.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false The Great Lakes of North America. 42.03-15 Section 42.03... VOYAGES BY SEA Application § 42.03-15 The Great Lakes of North America. (a) The term “Great Lakes of North America” means those waters of North America which are defined in § 42.05-40, and in the exception in...

46 CFR 42.03-15 - The Great Lakes of North America.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false The Great Lakes of North America. 42.03-15 Section 42.03... VOYAGES BY SEA Application § 42.03-15 The Great Lakes of North America. (a) The term “Great Lakes of North America” means those waters of North America which are defined in § 42.05-40, and in the exception in...

Atlas of Relations Between Climatic Parameters and Distributions of Important Trees and Shrubs in North America - Ecoregions of North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, Robert S.; Anderson, Katherine H.; Pelltier, Richard T.; Shafer, Sarah L.; Bartlein, Patrick J.

2007-01-01

Climate is the primary factor controlling the continental-scale distribution of plant species, although the relations between climatic parameters and species' ranges are only now beginning to be quantified. This volume examines the relations between climate and the distributions of (1) Kuchler's 'potential natural vegetation' categories for the 48 contiguous States of the United States of America, (2) Bailey's ecoregions of North America, and (3) World Wildlife Fund's ecoregions of North America. For these analyses, we employed a 25-kilometer equal-area grid of modern climatic and bioclimatic parameters for North America, coupled with presence-absence data for the occurrence of each ecoregion under the three classification systems under consideration. The resulting relations between climate and ecoregion distributions are presented in graphical and tabular form. Presentation of ecoregion-climate relations here is intended to be useful for a greater understanding of ecosystem evolution, ecosystem dynamics, and potential effects of future climate change on ecoregions.

Ground Motion Characteristics of Induced Earthquakes in Central North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atkinson, G. M.; Assatourians, K.; Novakovic, M.

2017-12-01

The ground motion characteristics of induced earthquakes in central North America are investigated based on empirical analysis of a compiled database of 4,000,000 digital ground-motion records from events in induced-seismicity regions (especially Oklahoma). Ground-motion amplitudes are characterized non-parametrically by computing median amplitudes and their variability in magnitude-distance bins. We also use inversion techniques to solve for regional source, attenuation and site response effects. Ground motion models are used to interpret the observations and compare the source and attenuation attributes of induced earthquakes to those of their natural counterparts. Significant conclusions are that the stress parameter that controls the strength of high-frequency radiation is similar for induced earthquakes (depth of h 5 km) and shallow (h 5 km) natural earthquakes. By contrast, deeper natural earthquakes (h 10 km) have stronger high-frequency ground motions. At distances close to the epicenter, a greater focal depth (which increases distance from the hypocenter) counterbalances the effects of a larger stress parameter, resulting in motions of similar strength close to the epicenter, regardless of event depth. The felt effects of induced versus natural earthquakes are also investigated using USGS "Did You Feel It?" reports; 400,000 reports from natural events and 100,000 reports from induced events are considered. The felt reports confirm the trends that we expect based on ground-motion modeling, considering the offsetting effects of the stress parameter versus focal depth in controlling the strength of motions near the epicenter. Specifically, felt intensity for a given magnitude is similar near the epicenter, on average, for all event types and depths. At distances more than 10 km from the epicenter, deeper events are felt more strongly than shallow events. These ground-motion attributes imply that the induced-seismicity hazard is most critical for facilities in

North America carbon dioxide sources and sinks: magnitude, attribution, and uncertainty

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

King, Anthony W.; Hayes, Daniel J.; Huntzinger, Deborah N.

2012-12-01

North America is both a source and sink of atmospheric CO2. Sources, predominately fossil-fuel combustion in the United States along with contributions from deforestation in Mexico, add CO2 to the atmosphere. Most North America ecosystems, particularly regrowing forests in the United States, are sinks for atmospheric CO2. CO2 is removed from the atmosphere in photosynthesis, converted into biomass and stored as carbon in vegetation, soil and wood products. Fossil-fuel emissions dominate the North American source-sink balance. North America is a net source of atmospheric CO2 with ecosystem sinks balancing approximately 35% of fossil-fuel CO2 emissions from North America.

Anaglyph, North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

This anaglyph (stereoscopic view) of North America was generated with data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). It is best viewed at or near full resolution with anaglyph glasses. For this broad view the resolution of the data was first reduced to 30 arcseconds (about 928 meters north-south and 736 meters east-west in central North America), matching the best previously existing global digital topographic data set called GTOPO30. The data were then resampled to a Mercator projection with approximately square pixels (about one kilometer, or 0.6 miles, on each side). Even at this decreased resolution the variety of landforms comprising the North American continent is readily apparent.

Active tectonics (structural deformation of the Earth's crust) along and near the Pacific North American plate boundary creates the great topographic relief seen along the Pacific coast. Earth's crustal plates converge in southern Mexico and in the northwest United States, melting the crust and producing volcanic cones. Along the California coast, the plates are sliding laterally past each other, producing a pattern of slices within the San Andreas fault system. And, where the plates are diverging, the crust appears torn apart as one huge tear along the Gulf of California (northwest Mexico), and as the several fractures comprising the Basin and Range province (in and around Nevada).

Across the Great Plains, erosional patterns dominate, with stream channels surrounding and penetrating the remnants of older smooth slopes east of the Rocky Mountains. This same erosion process is exposing the bedrock structural patterns of the Black Hills in South Dakota and the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. Lateral erosion and sediment deposition by the Mississippi River has produced the flatlands of the lower Mississippi Valley and the Mississippi Delta.

To the north, evidence of the glaciers of the last ice age is widely found, particularly east of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and

Spatiotemporal distribution of Holocene populations in North America

PubMed Central

Chaput, Michelle A.; Kriesche, Björn; Betts, Matthew; Martindale, Andrew; Kulik, Rafal; Schmidt, Volker; Gajewski, Konrad

2015-01-01

As the Cordilleran and Laurentide Ice Sheets retreated, North America was colonized by human populations; however, the spatial patterns of subsequent population growth are unclear. Temporal frequency distributions of aggregated radiocarbon (14C) dates are used as a proxy of population size and can be used to track this expansion. The Canadian Archaeological Radiocarbon Database contains more than 35,000 14C dates and is used in this study to map the spatiotemporal demographic changes of Holocene populations in North America at a continental scale for the past 13,000 y. We use the kernel method, which converts the spatial distribution of 14C dates into estimates of population density at 500-y intervals. The resulting maps reveal temporally distinct, dynamic patterns associated with paleodemographic trends that correspond well to genetic, archaeological, and ethnohistoric evidence of human occupation. These results have implications for hypothesizing and testing migration routes into and across North America as well as the relative influence of North American populations on the evolution of the North American ecosystem. PMID:26351683

Mites associated with Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman (Scolytidae: Coleoptera) in Central America and Mexico

Treesearch

John C. Moser; Robert C. Wilkinson; Edgar W. Clark

1974-01-01

The pine forests of central and North America continually suffer economic damage from the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman 1868***, and associated bark beetles. The most severe epidemic in the history of this insect occured in Honduras from 1962 to 1965 (1, 2). Then and subsequently, studies aimed at determining the biology and...

INTEX-NA: Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment - North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Hanwant B.; Jacob, D.; Pfister, L.; Hipskind, R. Stephen (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

characterizing Atlantic-outflow and Pacific-inflow, INTEX-NA will characterize air masses transported between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. INTEX-NA will be the first continental scale inflow, outflow, and transformation experiment to be performed over North America. It will provide the most comprehensive observational data set to date to understand the O3/NOX/HOX/aerosol photochemical system and the carbon cycle. One of the critical needs of the carbon cycle research is to obtain large-scale vertical and horizontal concentration gradients of CO2, throughout the troposphere over continental source/sink regions. INTEX-NA is ideally suited to perform this role. Coastal and continental operational sites will allow us to develop a curtain profile of greenhouse gases (e. g. CO2,) and other key pollutants across North America. Such information is central to our quantitative understanding of chemical budgets on the continental scale. We expect to provide a number of satellite under-flights over land and water to test and validate observations from the appropriate satellite platform (e. g. Aura). We plan to develop strong collaborations with other national and international observational programs. Results from INTEX-NA should directly benefit the development of environmental policy for air quality and climate change.

North America [Chapter 5

Treesearch

Ronald L. Trosper; Fred Clark; Patrica Gerez-Fernandez; Frank Lake; Deborah McGregor; Charles M. Peters; Silvia Purata; Teresa Ryan; Alan Thomson; Alan E. Watson; Stephen Wyatt

2012-01-01

The colonial history of North America presents a contrast between Mexico and the two predominantly English-speaking countries, the United States and Canada. In Mexico, indigenous and other local communities own considerable forested lands, a consequence of the Mexican Revolution of the early twentieth century. In the United States, forest land is now primarily in...

Ungulate predation and ecological roles of wolves and coyotes in eastern North America.

PubMed

Benson, John F; Loveless, Karen M; Rutledge, Linda Y; Patterson, Brent R

2017-04-01

Understanding the ecological roles of species that influence ecosystem processes is a central goal of ecology and conservation biology. Eastern coyotes (Canis latrans) have ascended to the role of apex predator across much of eastern North America since the extirpation of wolves (Canis spp.) and there has been considerable confusion regarding their ability to prey on ungulates and their ecological niche relative to wolves. Eastern wolves (C. lycaon) are thought to have been the historical top predator in eastern deciduous forests and have previously been characterized as deer specialists that are inefficient predators of moose because of their smaller size relative to gray wolves (C. lupus). We investigated intrinsic and extrinsic influences on per capita kill rates of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and moose (Alces alces) during winter by sympatric packs of eastern coyotes, eastern wolves, and admixed canids in Ontario, Canada to clarify the predatory ability and ecological roles of the different canid top predators of eastern North America. Eastern coyote ancestry within packs negatively influenced per capita total ungulate (deer and moose combined) and moose kill rates. Furthermore, canids in packs dominated by eastern coyote ancestry consumed significantly less ungulate biomass and more anthropogenic food than packs dominated by wolf ancestry. Similar to gray wolves in previous studies, eastern wolves preyed on deer where they were available. However, in areas were deer were scarce, eastern wolves killed moose at rates similar to those previously documented for gray wolves at comparable moose densities across North America. Eastern coyotes are effective deer predators, but their dietary flexibility and low kill rates on moose suggest they have not replaced the ecological role of wolves in eastern North America. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

The North America tapestry of time and terrain

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barton, Kate E.; Howell, David G.; Vigil, Jose F.

2003-01-01

The North America Tapestry of Time and Terrain (1:8,000,000 scale) is a product of the US Geological Survey in the I-map series (I-2781). This map was prepared in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Canada and the Mexican Consejo Recursos de Minerales. This cartographic Tapestry is woven from a geologic map and a shaded relief image. This digital combination reveals the geologic history of North America through the interrelation of rock type, topography and time. Regional surface processes as well as continent-scale tectonic events are exposed in the three dimensions of space and the fourth dimension, geologic time. The large map shows the varying age of bedrock underlying North America, while four smaller maps show the distribution of four principal types of rock: sedimentary, volcanic, plutonic and metamorphic.This map expands the original concept of the 2000 Tapestry of Time and Terrain, by José F. Vigil, Richard J. Pike and David G. Howell, which covered the conterminous United States. The U.S. Tapestry poster and website have been popular in classrooms, homes, and even the Google office building, and we anticipate the North America Tapestry will have a similarly wide appeal, and to a larger audience.

78 FR 60270 - BP America Inc., BP Corporation North America Inc., BP America Production Company, and BP Energy...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-01

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. IN13-15-000] BP America Inc., BP Corporation North America Inc., BP America Production Company, and BP Energy Company; Notice of Designation of Commission Staff as Non-Decisional With respect to an order issued by the Commission on August...

The potential distribution of invading Helicoverpa armigera in North America: is it just a matter of time?

PubMed

Kriticos, Darren J; Ota, Noboru; Hutchison, William D; Beddow, Jason; Walsh, Tom; Tay, Wee Tek; Borchert, Daniel M; Paula-Moraes, Silvana V; Paula-Moreas, Silvana V; Czepak, Cecília; Zalucki, Myron P

2015-01-01

Helicoverpa armigera has recently invaded South and Central America, and appears to be spreading rapidly. We update a previously developed potential distribution model to highlight the global invasion threat, with emphasis on the risks to the United States. The continued range expansion of H. armigera in Central America is likely to change the invasion threat it poses to North America qualitatively, making natural dispersal from either the Caribbean islands or Mexico feasible. To characterise the threat posed by H. armigera, we collated the value of the major host crops in the United States growing within its modelled potential range, including that area where it could expand its range during favourable seasons. We found that the annual value of crops that would be exposed to H. armigera totalled approximately US$78 billion p.a., with US$843 million p.a. worth growing in climates that are optimal for the pest. Elsewhere, H. armigera has developed broad-spectrum pesticide resistance; meaning that if it invades the United States, protecting these crops from significant production impacts could be challenging. It may be cost-effective to undertake pre-emptive biosecurity activities such as slowing the spread of H. armigera throughout the Americas, improving the system for detecting H. armigera, and methods for rapid identification, especially distinguishing between H. armigera, H. zea and potential H. armigera x H. zea hybrids. Developing biological control programs, especially using inundative techniques with entomopathogens and parasitoids could slow the spread of H. armigera, and reduce selective pressure for pesticide resistance. The rapid spread of H. armigera through South America into Central America suggests that its spread into North America is a matter of time. The likely natural dispersal routes preclude aggressive incursion responses, emphasizing the value of preparatory communication with agricultural producers in areas suitable for invasion by H

The Potential Distribution of Invading Helicoverpa armigera in North America: Is It Just a Matter of Time?

PubMed Central

Kriticos, Darren J.; Ota, Noboru; Hutchison, William D.; Beddow, Jason; Walsh, Tom; Tay, Wee Tek; Borchert, Daniel M.; Paula-Moreas, Silvana V.; Czepak, Cecília; Zalucki, Myron P.

2015-01-01

Helicoverpa armigera has recently invaded South and Central America, and appears to be spreading rapidly. We update a previously developed potential distribution model to highlight the global invasion threat, with emphasis on the risks to the United States. The continued range expansion of H. armigera in Central America is likely to change the invasion threat it poses to North America qualitatively, making natural dispersal from either the Caribbean islands or Mexico feasible. To characterise the threat posed by H. armigera, we collated the value of the major host crops in the United States growing within its modelled potential range, including that area where it could expand its range during favourable seasons. We found that the annual value of crops that would be exposed to H. armigera totalled approximately US$78 billion p.a., with US$843 million p.a. worth growing in climates that are optimal for the pest. Elsewhere, H. armigera has developed broad-spectrum pesticide resistance; meaning that if it invades the United States, protecting these crops from significant production impacts could be challenging. It may be cost-effective to undertake pre-emptive biosecurity activities such as slowing the spread of H. armigera throughout the Americas, improving the system for detecting H. armigera, and methods for rapid identification, especially distinguishing between H. armigera, H. zea and potential H. armigera x H. zea hybrids. Developing biological control programs, especially using inundative techniques with entomopathogens and parasitoids could slow the spread of H. armigera, and reduce selective pressure for pesticide resistance. The rapid spread of H. armigera through South America into Central America suggests that its spread into North America is a matter of time. The likely natural dispersal routes preclude aggressive incursion responses, emphasizing the value of preparatory communication with agricultural producers in areas suitable for invasion by H

Intercontinental transport of pollution from North America to Europe: Airborne trace gas measurements over Central and Northern Europe during CONTRACE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huntrieser, H.; Schlager, H.; Heland, J.; Forster, C.; Stohl, A.; Lawrence, M.; Arnold, F.; Aufmhoff, H.; Cooper, O.

2003-04-01

The CONTRACE project investigates the uplift of pollution in frontal systems (warm conveyor belts) over North America and the transport of these air masses to Europe. The first airborne field experiment was carried out from Southern Germany in fall 2001. The DLR research aircraft Falcon was equipped with a complex instrumentation to measure NO, NOy, CO, CO2, O3, J(NO2), acetone, SO2, ions, H2O2, formaldehyde, NMHC, J(O1D) and particles. An extensive set of chemical and meteorological forecast products, including trajectory calculations, was developed and used in combination with satellite images to plan the flights. A passive tracer for surface emissions (CO) was included in the forecast models to separate the regional and intercontinental transport of polluted air masses. For the first time it succeeded to guide the Falcon aircraft into pollution plumes transported all the way from North America (NA). On 22nd November a complex chemical weather situation was predicted for Central Europe with lifting of European emissions into the lower troposphere ahead of an approaching cold front and simultaneously, the advection of a pollution plume from Eastern NA in mid tropospheric layers. Similar CO mixing ratios were observed in both plumes making it difficult to distinguish the two plumes without additional trace gas information. The European pollution plume was characterized by large enhancements in the CO (150 ppbv) and NOy (6 ppbv) mixing ratios. The NOy/CO ratio was 0.135 (typical value for fresh emissions). In comparison the estimated NOy/CO ratio for the NA pollution plume was 0.010 which indicate a tracer age of 4 days. The observed CO and NOy mixing ratios in this plume were 160 ppbv and 1 ppbv. The two plumes were also characterized by very different O3/CO relationships. In the plume from NA a positive O3/CO slope was observed indicating photochemical ozone production (O3 mixing ratios up to 50 ppbv were observed). Most likely O3 was produced photochemically in

Two new genera of metalmark butterflies of North and Central America (Lepidoptera, Riodinidae)

PubMed Central

Trujano-Ortega, Marysol; García-Vázquez, Uri Omar; Callaghan, Curtis J.; Ávalos-Hernández, Omar; Luis-Martínez, Moisés Armando; Llorente-Bousquets, Jorge Enrique

2018-01-01

Abstract Two new genera of Riodinidae (Insecta: Lepidoptera) are described, Neoapodemia Trujano-Ortega, gen. n. (Neoapodemia nais (W. H. Edwards, 1876), comb. n., N. chisosensis Freeman, 1964, comb. n.) and Plesioarida Trujano-Ortega & García-Vázquez, gen. n. (Plesioarida palmerii palmerii (W. H. Edwards, 1870), comb. n., P. palmerii arizona (Austin, [1989]), comb. n., P. palmerii australis (Austin, [1989]), comb. n., P. hepburni hepburni (Godman & Salvin, 1886), comb. n., P. hepburni remota (Austin, 1991), comb. n., P. murphyi (Austin, [1989]), comb. n., P. hypoglauca hypoglauca (Godman & Salvin, 1878), comb. n., P. hypoglauca wellingi (Ferris, 1985), comb. n., P. walkeri (Godman & Salvin, 1886), comb. n., P. selvatica (De la Maza & De la Maza, 2017), comb. n.). Neoapodemia Trujano-Ortega, gen. n. is distributed in the southwestern USA and northeastern Mexico, while Plesioarida Trujano-Ortega & García-Vázquez, gen. n. is present from the southern USA to Central America. Species of these genera were previously classified as Apodemia C. Felder & R. Felder but molecular and morphological evidence separate them as new taxa. Morphological diagnoses and descriptions are provided for both new genera, including the main distinctive characters from labial palpi, prothoracic legs, wing venation and genitalia, as well as life history traits. A molecular phylogeny of one mitochondrial gene (COI) and two nuclear genes (EF-1a and wg) are also presented of most species of Apodemia, Neoapodemia Trujano-Ortega, gen. n., Plesioarida Trujano-Ortega & García-Vázquez, gen. n., and sequences of specimens from all tribes of Riodinidae. We compare the characters of Apodemia, Neoapodemia Trujano-Ortega, gen. n. and Plesioarida Trujano-Ortega & García-Vázquez, gen. n. and discuss the differences that support the description of these new taxa. This is a contribution to the taxonomy of the Riodinidae of North America of which the generic diversity is greater than previously

Qualitative Effects of Monovalent Vaccination Against Rotavirus: A Comparison of North America and South America.

PubMed

Young, Glenn; Shim, Eunha; Ermentrout, G Bard

2015-10-01

Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe gastroenteritis in young children worldwide. The introduction of vaccination programs has led to a significant reduction in number of hospitalizations due to rotavirus in North and South American countries. Little work has been done, however, to examine the differential impact of vaccination as a function of strain distribution and strain-specific vaccine efficacy. We developed a two-strain epidemiological model of rotavirus transmission, and used it to examine the effects of a monovalent vaccine (Rotarix) on the qualitative behaviors of infection levels in a population. For contrast, we parameterized our model with strain distribution data from North America and from South America. In all cases, the introduction of the vaccine led to significant decreases in the prevalence of primary infection due to both strains for a decade or more, after which the overall prevalence recovers to near pre-vaccination levels. The prevalence of G1P[8] is significantly higher in North America (73 % of all rotavirus infections) compared to that in South America (34 %). Our model predicts that the introduction of Rotarix might result in major strain replacement in regions such as North America where the prevalence of G1P[8] is relatively high, due to higher efficacy of Rotarix against infection caused by G1P[8], while regions with lower prevalence of G1P[8], such as South America, are not susceptible to major strain replacement.

Patterns of admixture and population structure in native populations of Northwest North America.

PubMed

Verdu, Paul; Pemberton, Trevor J; Laurent, Romain; Kemp, Brian M; Gonzalez-Oliver, Angelica; Gorodezky, Clara; Hughes, Cris E; Shattuck, Milena R; Petzelt, Barbara; Mitchell, Joycelynn; Harry, Harold; William, Theresa; Worl, Rosita; Cybulski, Jerome S; Rosenberg, Noah A; Malhi, Ripan S

2014-08-01

The initial contact of European populations with indigenous populations of the Americas produced diverse admixture processes across North, Central, and South America. Recent studies have examined the genetic structure of indigenous populations of Latin America and the Caribbean and their admixed descendants, reporting on the genomic impact of the history of admixture with colonizing populations of European and African ancestry. However, relatively little genomic research has been conducted on admixture in indigenous North American populations. In this study, we analyze genomic data at 475,109 single-nucleotide polymorphisms sampled in indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest in British Columbia and Southeast Alaska, populations with a well-documented history of contact with European and Asian traders, fishermen, and contract laborers. We find that the indigenous populations of the Pacific Northwest have higher gene diversity than Latin American indigenous populations. Among the Pacific Northwest populations, interior groups provide more evidence for East Asian admixture, whereas coastal groups have higher levels of European admixture. In contrast with many Latin American indigenous populations, the variance of admixture is high in each of the Pacific Northwest indigenous populations, as expected for recent and ongoing admixture processes. The results reveal some similarities but notable differences between admixture patterns in the Pacific Northwest and those in Latin America, contributing to a more detailed understanding of the genomic consequences of European colonization events throughout the Americas.

Patterns of Admixture and Population Structure in Native Populations of Northwest North America

PubMed Central

Verdu, Paul; Pemberton, Trevor J.; Laurent, Romain; Kemp, Brian M.; Gonzalez-Oliver, Angelica; Gorodezky, Clara; Hughes, Cris E.; Shattuck, Milena R.; Petzelt, Barbara; Mitchell, Joycelynn; Harry, Harold; William, Theresa; Worl, Rosita; Cybulski, Jerome S.; Rosenberg, Noah A.; Malhi, Ripan S.

2014-01-01

The initial contact of European populations with indigenous populations of the Americas produced diverse admixture processes across North, Central, and South America. Recent studies have examined the genetic structure of indigenous populations of Latin America and the Caribbean and their admixed descendants, reporting on the genomic impact of the history of admixture with colonizing populations of European and African ancestry. However, relatively little genomic research has been conducted on admixture in indigenous North American populations. In this study, we analyze genomic data at 475,109 single-nucleotide polymorphisms sampled in indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest in British Columbia and Southeast Alaska, populations with a well-documented history of contact with European and Asian traders, fishermen, and contract laborers. We find that the indigenous populations of the Pacific Northwest have higher gene diversity than Latin American indigenous populations. Among the Pacific Northwest populations, interior groups provide more evidence for East Asian admixture, whereas coastal groups have higher levels of European admixture. In contrast with many Latin American indigenous populations, the variance of admixture is high in each of the Pacific Northwest indigenous populations, as expected for recent and ongoing admixture processes. The results reveal some similarities but notable differences between admixture patterns in the Pacific Northwest and those in Latin America, contributing to a more detailed understanding of the genomic consequences of European colonization events throughout the Americas. PMID:25122539

Fossil and genomic evidence constrains the timing of bison arrival in North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Froese, Duane; Stiller, Mathias; Heintzman, Peter D.; Reyes, Alberto V.; Zazula, Grant D.; Soares, André E. R.; Meyer, Matthias; Hall, Elizabeth; Jensen, Britta J. L.; Arnold, Lee J.; MacPhee, Ross D. E.; Shapiro, Beth

2017-03-01

The arrival of bison in North America marks one of the most successful large-mammal dispersals from Asia within the last million years, yet the timing and nature of this event remain poorly determined. Here, we used a combined paleontological and paleogenomic approach to provide a robust timeline for the entry and subsequent evolution of bison within North America. We characterized two fossil-rich localities in Canada’s Yukon and identified the oldest well-constrained bison fossil in North America, a 130,000-y-old steppe bison, Bison cf. priscus. We extracted and sequenced mitochondrial genomes from both this bison and from the remains of a recently discovered, ˜120,000-y-old giant long-horned bison, Bison latifrons, from Snowmass, Colorado. We analyzed these and 44 other bison mitogenomes with ages that span the Late Pleistocene, and identified two waves of bison dispersal into North America from Asia, the earliest of which occurred ˜195-135 thousand y ago and preceded the morphological diversification of North American bison, and the second of which occurred during the Late Pleistocene, ˜45-21 thousand y ago. This chronological arc establishes that bison first entered North America during the sea level lowstand accompanying marine isotope stage 6, rejecting earlier records of bison in North America. After their invasion, bison rapidly colonized North America during the last interglaciation, spreading from Alaska through continental North America; they have been continuously resident since then.

Fossil and genomic evidence constrains the timing of bison arrival in North America

PubMed Central

Stiller, Mathias; Zazula, Grant D.; Meyer, Matthias; Hall, Elizabeth; Jensen, Britta J. L.; Arnold, Lee J.

2017-01-01

The arrival of bison in North America marks one of the most successful large-mammal dispersals from Asia within the last million years, yet the timing and nature of this event remain poorly determined. Here, we used a combined paleontological and paleogenomic approach to provide a robust timeline for the entry and subsequent evolution of bison within North America. We characterized two fossil-rich localities in Canada’s Yukon and identified the oldest well-constrained bison fossil in North America, a 130,000-y-old steppe bison, Bison cf. priscus. We extracted and sequenced mitochondrial genomes from both this bison and from the remains of a recently discovered, ∼120,000-y-old giant long-horned bison, Bison latifrons, from Snowmass, Colorado. We analyzed these and 44 other bison mitogenomes with ages that span the Late Pleistocene, and identified two waves of bison dispersal into North America from Asia, the earliest of which occurred ∼195–135 thousand y ago and preceded the morphological diversification of North American bison, and the second of which occurred during the Late Pleistocene, ∼45–21 thousand y ago. This chronological arc establishes that bison first entered North America during the sea level lowstand accompanying marine isotope stage 6, rejecting earlier records of bison in North America. After their invasion, bison rapidly colonized North America during the last interglaciation, spreading from Alaska through continental North America; they have been continuously resident since then. PMID:28289222

Fossil and genomic evidence constrains the timing of bison arrival in North America.

PubMed

Froese, Duane; Stiller, Mathias; Heintzman, Peter D; Reyes, Alberto V; Zazula, Grant D; Soares, André E R; Meyer, Matthias; Hall, Elizabeth; Jensen, Britta J L; Arnold, Lee J; MacPhee, Ross D E; Shapiro, Beth

2017-03-28

The arrival of bison in North America marks one of the most successful large-mammal dispersals from Asia within the last million years, yet the timing and nature of this event remain poorly determined. Here, we used a combined paleontological and paleogenomic approach to provide a robust timeline for the entry and subsequent evolution of bison within North America. We characterized two fossil-rich localities in Canada's Yukon and identified the oldest well-constrained bison fossil in North America, a 130,000-y-old steppe bison, Bison cf. priscus We extracted and sequenced mitochondrial genomes from both this bison and from the remains of a recently discovered, ∼120,000-y-old giant long-horned bison, Bison latifrons , from Snowmass, Colorado. We analyzed these and 44 other bison mitogenomes with ages that span the Late Pleistocene, and identified two waves of bison dispersal into North America from Asia, the earliest of which occurred ∼195-135 thousand y ago and preceded the morphological diversification of North American bison, and the second of which occurred during the Late Pleistocene, ∼45-21 thousand y ago. This chronological arc establishes that bison first entered North America during the sea level lowstand accompanying marine isotope stage 6, rejecting earlier records of bison in North America. After their invasion, bison rapidly colonized North America during the last interglaciation, spreading from Alaska through continental North America; they have been continuously resident since then.

Detrital zircon geochronology of quartzose metasedimentary rocks from parautochthonous North America, east-central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dusel-Bacon, Cynthia; Holm-Denoma, Christopher S.; Jones, James V.; Aleinikoff, John N.; Mortensen, James K.

2017-01-01

We report eight new U-Pb detrital zircon ages for quartzose metasedimentary rocks from four lithotectonic units of parautochthonous North America in east-central Alaska: the Healy schist, Keevy Peak Formation, and Sheep Creek Member of the Totatlanika Schist in the northern Alaska Range, and the Butte assemblage in the northwestern Yukon-Tanana Upland. Excepting 1 of 3 samples from the Healy schist, all have dominant detrital zircon populations of 1.9–1.8 Ga and a subordinate population of 2.7–2.6 Ga. Three zircons from Totatlanika Schist yield the youngest age of ca. 780 Ma. The anomalous Healy schist sample has abundant 1.6–0.9 Ga detrital zircon, as well as populations at 2.0–1.8 Ga and 2.7–2.5 Ga that overlap the ages from the rest of our samples; it has a minimum age population of ca. 1007 Ma.Detrital zircon age populations from all but the anomalous sample are statistically similar to those from (1) other peri-Laurentian units in east-central Alaska; (2) the Snowcap assemblage in Yukon, basement of the allochthonous Yukon-Tanana terrane; (3) Neoproterozoic to Ordovician Laurentian passive margin strata in southern British Columbia, Canada; and (4) Proterozoic Laurentian Sequence C strata of northwestern Canada. Recycling of zircon from the Paleoproterozoic Great Bear magmatic zone in the Wopmay orogen and its Archean precursors could explain both the Precambrian zircon populations and arc trace element signatures of our samples. Zircon from the anomalous Healy schist sample resembles that in Nation River Formation and Adams Argillite in eastern Alaska, suggesting recycling of detritus in those units.

The conquering of North America: dated phylogenetic and biogeographic inference of migratory behavior in bee hummingbirds.

PubMed

Licona-Vera, Yuyini; Ornelas, Juan Francisco

2017-06-05

Geographical and temporal patterns of diversification in bee hummingbirds (Mellisugini) were assessed with respect to the evolution of migration, critical for colonization of North America. We generated a dated multilocus phylogeny of the Mellisugini based on a dense sampling using Bayesian inference, maximum-likelihood and maximum parsimony methods, and reconstructed the ancestral states of distributional areas in a Bayesian framework and migratory behavior using maximum parsimony, maximum-likelihood and re-rooting methods. All phylogenetic analyses confirmed monophyly of the Mellisugini and the inclusion of Atthis, Calothorax, Doricha, Eulidia, Mellisuga, Microstilbon, Myrmia, Tilmatura, and Thaumastura. Mellisugini consists of two clades: (1) South American species (including Tilmatura dupontii), and (2) species distributed in North and Central America and the Caribbean islands. The second clade consists of four subclades: Mexican (Calothorax, Doricha) and Caribbean (Archilochus, Calliphlox, Mellisuga) sheartails, Calypte, and Selasphorus (incl. Atthis). Coalescent-based dating places the origin of the Mellisugini in the mid-to-late Miocene, with crown ages of most subclades in the early Pliocene, and subsequent species splits in the Pleistocene. Bee hummingbirds reached western North America by the end of the Miocene and the ancestral mellisuginid (bee hummingbirds) was reconstructed as sedentary, with four independent gains of migratory behavior during the evolution of the Mellisugini. Early colonization of North America and subsequent evolution of migration best explained biogeographic and diversification patterns within the Mellisugini. The repeated evolution of long-distance migration by different lineages was critical for the colonization of North America, contributing to the radiation of bee hummingbirds. Comparative phylogeography is needed to test whether the repeated evolution of migration resulted from northward expansion of southern sedentary

Tomographic images of subducted oceans matched to the accretionary records of orogens - Case study of North America and relevance to Central Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sigloch, Karin; Mihalynuk, Mitchell G.; Hosseini, Kasra

2016-04-01

Accretionary orogens are the surface record of subduction on the 100-million-year timescale; they aggregate buoyant crustal welts that resisted subduction. The other record of subduction is found in the deep subsurface: oceanic lithosphere preserved in the mantle that records ocean basin closure between successive generations of arcs. Seismic tomography maps out these crumpled paleo-oceans down to the core-mantle boundary, where slab accumulates. One such accumulation of enormous scale is under Eastern Asia, recording the assembly of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). Deep CAOB slab has hardly been explored because tomographic image resolution in the lowermost mantle is limited, but this is rapidly improving. We present new images of the CAOB slabs from our P-wave tomography that includes core-diffracted waves as a technical novelty. The previous slab blur sharpens into the type of elongated geometries expected to trace paleo-trench lines. Since the North American Cordillera is younger than the CAOB (mostly <200 m.y. versus ~650-250 m.y.), its slabs have descended only to mid-mantle depths (<2000 km), where tomographic resolution is much better. Hence we can make a detailed, spatiotemporal match between 3-D slab geometries and the accretion history of the Cordillera - a blueprint for continental-scale investigations in other accretionary orogens, including what may become possible for the CAOB. Lower-mantle slabs beneath North America reveal evolving configurations of arc-trench positions back to the breakup of Pangea. These can be combined with quantitative plate reconstructions to show where and when the westward-drifting continent overrode pre-existing, intra-oceanic subduction zones, and accreted their associated arcs and basement terranes in Jurassic and Cretaceous times. Tectonic predictions from this "tomographic time machine" can be checked against the geological record. To demonstrate, we propose a resolution to the longstanding debate of how and when

The Asian-Bering-North American teleconnection: seasonality, maintenance, and climate impact on North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Bin; Lin, H.; Wu, Z. W.; Merryfield, W. J.

2018-03-01

The Asian-Bering-North American (ABNA) teleconnection index is constructed from the normalized 500-hPa geopotential field by excluding the Pacific-North American pattern contribution. The ABNA pattern features a zonally elongated wavetrain originating from North Asia and flowing downstream across Bering Sea and Strait towards North America. The large-scale teleconnection is a year-round phenomenon that displays strong seasonality with the peak variability in winter. North American surface temperature and temperature extremes, including warm days and nights as well as cold days and nights, are significantly controlled by this teleconnection. The ABNA pattern has an equivalent barotropic structure in the troposphere and is supported by synoptic-scale eddy forcing in the upper troposphere. Its associated sea surface temperature anomalies exhibit a horseshoe-shaped structure in the North Pacific, most prominent in winter, which is driven by atmospheric circulation anomalies. The snow cover anomalies over the West Siberian plain and Central Siberian Plateau in autumn and spring and over southern Siberia in winter may act as a forcing influence on the ABNA pattern. The snow forcing influence in winter and spring can be traced back to the preceding season, which provides a predictability source for this teleconnection and for North American temperature variability. The ABNA associated energy budget is dominated by surface longwave radiation anomalies year-round, with the temperature anomalies supported by anomalous downward longwave radiation and damped by upward longwave radiation at the surface.

Policy and management responses to earthworm invasions in North America

Treesearch

Mac A. Callaham; Grizelle Gonzalez; Cynthia M Hale; Liam Henegham; Sharon L. Lachnicht; Xiaoming Zou

2006-01-01

The introduction, establishment and spread of non-native earthworm species in North America have been ongoing for centuries. These introductions have occurred across the continent and in some ecosystems have resulted in considerable modifications to ecosystem processes and functions associated with above- and belowground foodwebs. However, many areas of North America...

North Pacific atmospheric rivers and their impact on North America since the Last Glacial Maximum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lora, J. M.; Mitchell, J.; Risi, C.; Tripati, A.

2017-12-01

Using climate models and reanalysis data, we investigate the climatology of North Pacific atmospheric rivers, as well as the influence of the Last Glacial Maximum conditions on the circulation and moisture budget of the eastern North Pacific and western North America. Atmospheric transport of water vapor from the North Pacific is the primary source of moisture for most of western North America. Wintertime precipitation accounts for upwards of 75% of the total along the west coast of the United States, and atmospheric rivers in particular deliver large fractions of this precipitation in high-intensity events. Proxy records from western North America indicate a much wetter environment in Nevada and southern California at the Last Glacial Maximum, which has been interpreted as evidence for a southward shift of the mid-latitude jet stream, which steers extratropical storms, in the eastern North Pacific. Our results show that a southeastward shift and intensification of the atmospheric river ``track'' into the continent, resulting from a reorganized atmospheric circulation in response to the North American ice sheets, can explain the inferred hydroclimate changes. We also examine the relative contributions of the mean flow and transient systems to these changes, and diagnose the relative importance of thermodynamic and dynamical mechanisms.

The mantle flow field beneath western North America.

PubMed

Silver, P G; Holt, W E

2002-02-08

Although motions at the surface of tectonic plates are well determined, the accompanying horizontal mantle flow is not. We have combined observations of surface deformation and upper mantle seismic anisotropy to estimate this flow field for western North America. We find that the mantle velocity is 5.5 +/- 1.5 centimeters per year due east in a hot spot reference frame, nearly opposite to the direction of North American plate motion (west-southwest). The flow is only weakly coupled to the motion of the surface plate, producing a small drag force. This flow field is probably due to heterogeneity in mantle density associated with the former Farallon oceanic plate beneath North America.

A hierarchical classification of freshwater mussel diversity in North America

Treesearch

Wendell R. Haag

2010-01-01

Aim North America harbours the most diverse freshwater mussel fauna on Earth. This fauna has high endemism at the continental scale and within individual river systems. Previous faunal classifications for North America were based on intuitive, subjective assessments of species distributions, primarily the occurrence of endemic species, and do not portray continent-wide...

Vopak North America Inc. Clean Air Act Settlement Agreement

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Vopak North America Inc. (doing business as Vopak Americas) is a subsidiary of Royal Vopak, an international tank storage company headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, with 74 terminals in 26 countries.

Determination of Predominance of Influenza Virus Strains in the Americas.

PubMed

Azziz-Baumgartner, Eduardo; Garten, Rebecca J; Palekar, Rakhee; Cerpa, Mauricio; Mirza, Sara; Ropero, Alba Maria; Palomeque, Francisco S; Moen, Ann; Bresee, Joseph; Shaw, Michael; Widdowson, Marc-Alain

2015-07-01

During 2001-2014, predominant influenza A(H1N1) and A(H3N2) strains in South America predominated in all or most subsequent influenza seasons in Central and North America. Predominant A(H1N1) and A(H3N2) strains in North America predominated in most subsequent seasons in Central and South America. Sharing data between these subregions may improve influenza season preparedness.

Dryland agriculture in North America

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Areas of North America with high density dryland farming include the Canadian Prairies, U.S. and Mexican Great Plains, and the Inland Pacific Northwest of the U.S., with wheat (Tritcum aestivum L.) being the dominant crop. Dryland farming is less dense but important in nearly every state in the west...

An Overview of the Pine Wood Nematode Ban in North America

Treesearch

L. David Dwinell; W.R. Nickle

1989-01-01

The history, ecology, and biology of the Bursaphelenchus-Monochamus complex in North America are reviewed. Since the nematode is seldom a primary pathogen in North America, distribution there cannot be equated with the distribution of the pine wilt disease.

Postglacial viability and colonization in North America's ice-free corridor.

PubMed

Pedersen, Mikkel W; Ruter, Anthony; Schweger, Charles; Friebe, Harvey; Staff, Richard A; Kjeldsen, Kristian K; Mendoza, Marie L Z; Beaudoin, Alwynne B; Zutter, Cynthia; Larsen, Nicolaj K; Potter, Ben A; Nielsen, Rasmus; Rainville, Rebecca A; Orlando, Ludovic; Meltzer, David J; Kjær, Kurt H; Willerslev, Eske

2016-09-01

During the Last Glacial Maximum, continental ice sheets isolated Beringia (northeast Siberia and northwest North America) from unglaciated North America. By around 15 to 14 thousand calibrated radiocarbon years before present (cal. kyr bp), glacial retreat opened an approximately 1,500-km-long corridor between the ice sheets. It remains unclear when plants and animals colonized this corridor and it became biologically viable for human migration. We obtained radiocarbon dates, pollen, macrofossils and metagenomic DNA from lake sediment cores in a bottleneck portion of the corridor. We find evidence of steppe vegetation, bison and mammoth by approximately 12.6 cal. kyr bp, followed by open forest, with evidence of moose and elk at about 11.5 cal. kyr bp, and boreal forest approximately 10 cal. kyr bp. Our findings reveal that the first Americans, whether Clovis or earlier groups in unglaciated North America before 12.6 cal. kyr bp, are unlikely to have travelled by this route into the Americas. However, later groups may have used this north-south passageway.

Hardwood structual flakeboard- Development of the industry in North America

Treesearch

Peter Koch; Norman C. Springate

1983-01-01

After a faltering beginning in 1958, vigorus growth in the 1970s, and extraordinary expansion in 1980, 1981, and 1982, the structuml flakeboard industry in North America is competing strongly with the soft plywood industry in midwestern, eastern, and southern structural panel markets. In early 1982, existing and planned annual capacities in North America totaled about...

Database of the Geologic Map of North America - Adapted from the Map by J.C. Reed, Jr. and others (2005)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garrity, Christopher P.; Soller, David R.

2009-01-01

The Geological Society of America's (GSA) Geologic Map of North America (Reed and others, 2005; 1:5,000,000) shows the geology of a significantly large area of the Earth, centered on North and Central America and including the submarine geology of parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This map is now converted to a Geographic Information System (GIS) database that contains all geologic and base-map information shown on the two printed map sheets and the accompanying explanation sheet. We anticipate this map database will be revised at some unspecified time in the future, likely through the actions of a steering committee managed by the Geological Society of America (GSA) and staffed by scientists from agencies including, but not limited to, those responsible for the original map compilation (U.S. Geological Survey, Geological Survey of Canada, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute). Regarding the use of this product, as noted by the map's compilers: 'The Geologic Map of North America is an essential educational tool for teaching the geology of North America to university students and for the continuing education of professional geologists in North America and elsewhere. In addition, simplified maps derived from the Geologic Map of North America are useful for enlightening younger students and the general public about the geology of the continent.' With publication of this database, the preparation of any type of simplified map is made significantly easier. More important perhaps, the database provides a more accessible means to explore the map information and to compare and analyze it in conjunction with other types of information (for example, land use, soils, biology) to better understand the complex interrelations among factors that affect Earth resources, hazards, ecosystems, and climate.

A detailed gravimetric geoid of North America, the North Atlantic, Eurasia, and Australia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marsh, J. G.

1973-01-01

A computer program was developed for the calculation of a goid based upon a combination of satellite and surface gravity data. A detailed gravimetric geoid of North America, the North Atlantic, Eurasia, and Australia was derived by using this program.

Intraplate mountain building in response to continent continent collision—the Ancestral Rocky Mountains (North America) and inferences drawn from the Tien Shan (Central Asia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dickerson, Patricia Wood

2003-04-01

The intraplate Ancestral Rocky Mountains of western North America extend from British Columbia, Canada, to Chihuahua, Mexico, and formed during Early Carboniferous through Early Permian time in response to continent-continent collision of Laurentia with Gondwana—the conjoined masses of Africa and South America, including Yucatán and Florida. Uplifts and flanking basins also formed within the Laurentian Midcontinent. On the Gondwanan continent, well inboard from the marginal fold belts, a counterpart structural array developed during the same period. Intraplate deformation began when full collisional plate coupling had been achieved along the continental margin; the intervening ocean had been closed and subduction had ceased—that is, the distinction between upper versus lower plates became moot. Ancestral Rockies deformation was not accompanied by volcanism. Basement shear zones that formed during Mesoproterozoic rifting of Laurentia were reactivated and exerted significant control on the locations, orientations, and modes of displacement on late Paleozoic faults. Ancestral Rocky Mountain uplifts extend as far south as Chihuahua and west Texas (28° to 33°N, 102° to 109°W) and include the Florida-Moyotes, Placer de Guadalupe-Carrizalillo, Ojinaga-Tascotal and Hueco Mountain blocks, as well as the Diablo and Central Basin Platforms. All are cored with Laurentian Proterozoic crystalline basement rocks and host correlative Paleozoic stratigraphic successions. Pre-late Paleozoic deformational, thermal, and metamorphic histories are similar as well. Southern Ancestral Rocky Mountain structures terminate along a line that trends approximately N 40°E (present coordinates), a common orientation for Mesoproterozoic extensional structures throughout southern to central North America. Continuing Tien Shan intraplate deformation (Central Asia) has created an analogous array of uplifts and basins in response to the collision of India with Eurasia, beginning in late

Defining parasite biodiversity at high latitudes of North America: new host and geographic records for Onchocerca cervipedis (Nematoda: Onchocercidae) in moose and caribou

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Onchocerca cervipedis is a filarioid nematode of cervids reported from Central America to boreal regions of North America. It is found primarily in subcutaneous tissues of the legs, and is popularly known as ‘legworm’. Blackflies are intermediate hosts and transmit larvae to ungulates when they bloo...

Starch granule evidence for the earliest potato use in North America

PubMed Central

Louderback, Lisbeth A.; Pavlik, Bruce M.

2017-01-01

The prehistory of wild potato use, leading to its domestication and diversification, has been well-documented in, and confined to, South America. At least 20 tuber-bearing, wild species of Solanum are known from North and Central America, yet their importance in ancient diets has never been assessed from the archaeological record. Here, we report the earliest evidence of wild potato use in North America at 10,900–10,100 calendar years (cal) B.P. in the form of well-preserved starch granules extracted from ground stone tools at North Creek Shelter, southern Utah. These granules have been identified as those of Solanum jamesii Torr. (Four Corners potato), a tuber-bearing species native to the American Southwest. Identification was based on applying five strictly defined diagnostic characteristics (eccentric hilum, longitudinal fissure, lack of fissure branching, fissure ratio, and maximum granule size) to each of 323 archaeological granules. Of those, nine were definitively assigned to S. jamesii based on possession of all characteristics, and another 61 were either likely or possibly S. jamesii depending on the number of characteristics they possessed. The oldest granules were found in substratum 4k (10,900–10,100 cal B.P.). Younger deposits, dating to ∼6,900 cal B.P., also contained tools with S. jamesii granules, indicating at least 4,000 y of intermittent use. Ethnographic and historical accounts extend the period of use to more than 10,000 y. The question then arises as to whether some S. jamesii populations could have undergone transport, cultivation, and eventual domestication over such a long period of time. PMID:28673982

Heart Failure in North America

PubMed Central

Blair, John E. A; Huffman, Mark; Shah, Sanjiv J

2013-01-01

Heart failure is a major health problem that affects patients and healthcare systems worldwide. Within the continent of North America, differences in economic development, genetic susceptibility, cultural practices, and trends in risk factors and treatment all contribute to both inter-continental and within-continent differences in heart failure. The United States and Canada represent industrialized countries with similar culture, geography, and advanced economies and infrastructure. During the epidemiologic transition from rural to industrial in countries such as the United States and Canada, nutritional deficiencies and infectious diseases made way for degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, overweight/obesity, and diabetes. This in turn has resulted in an increase in heart failure incidence in these countries, especially as overall life expectancy increases. Mexico, on the other hand, has a less developed economy and infrastructure, and has a wide distribution in the level of urbanization as it becomes more industrialized. Mexico is under a period of epidemiologic transition and the etiology and incidence of heart failure is rapidly changing. Ethnic differences within the populations of the United States and Canada highlight the changing demographics of each country as well as potential disparities in heart failure care. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction makes up approximately half of all hospital admissions throughout North America; however, important differences in demographics and etiology exist between countries. Similarly, acute heart failure etiology, severity, and management differ between countries in North America. The overall economic burden of heart failure continues to be large and growing worldwide, with each country managing this burden differently. Understanding the inter-and within-continental differences may help improve understanding of the heart failure epidemic, and may aid healthcare systems in delivering

Hydrological climate change projections for Central America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidalgo, Hugo G.; Amador, Jorge A.; Alfaro, Eric J.; Quesada, Beatriz

2013-07-01

Runoff climate change projections for the 21st century were calculated from a suite of 30 General Circulation Model (GCM) simulations for the A1B emission scenario in a 0.5° × 0.5° grid over Central America. The GCM data were downscaled using a version of the Bias Correction and Spatial Downscaling (BCSD) method and then used in the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) macroscale hydrological model. The VIC model showed calibration skill in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, but the results for some of the northern countries (Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize) and for the Caribbean coast of Central America was not satisfactory. Bias correction showed to remove effectively the biases in the GCMs. Results of the projected climate in the 2050-2099 period showed median significant reductions in precipitation (as much as 5-10%) and runoff (as much as 10-30%) in northern Central America. Therefore in this sub-region the prevalence of severe drought may increase significantly in the future under this emissions scenario. Northern Central America could warm as much as 3 °C during 2050-2099 and southern Central America could reach increases as much as 4 °C during the same period. The projected dry pattern over Central America is consistent with a southward displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). In addition, downscaling of the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis data from 1948 to 2012 and posterior run in VIC, for two locations in the northern and southern sub-regions of Central America, suggested that the annual runoff has been decreasing since ca. 1980, which is consistent with the sign of the runoff changes of the GCM projections. However, the Reanalysis 1980-2012 drying trends are generally much stronger than the corresponding GCM trends. Among the possible reasons for that discrepancy are model deficiencies, amplification of the trends due to constructive interference with natural modes of variability in the Reanalysis data, errors in the Reanalysis

North America Nebula in Different Lights

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-02-10

This view of the North America nebula combines both visible and infrared light observations, taken by the Digitized Sky Survey and NASA Spitzer Space Telescope. Clusters of young stars about one million years old can be found throughout the image.

49 CFR 385.709 - Suspension and revocation of non-North America-domiciled carrier registration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Suspension and revocation of non-North America... American Carriers § 385.709 Suspension and revocation of non-North America-domiciled carrier registration... necessary showing, FMCSA will revoke its registration. (h) If a non-North America-domiciled motor carrier...

49 CFR 385.709 - Suspension and revocation of non-North America-domiciled carrier registration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Suspension and revocation of non-North America... American Carriers § 385.709 Suspension and revocation of non-North America-domiciled carrier registration... necessary showing, FMCSA will revoke its registration. (h) If a non-North America-domiciled motor carrier...

49 CFR 385.709 - Suspension and revocation of non-North America-domiciled carrier registration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Suspension and revocation of non-North America... American Carriers § 385.709 Suspension and revocation of non-North America-domiciled carrier registration... necessary showing, FMCSA will revoke its registration. (h) If a non-North America-domiciled motor carrier...

49 CFR 385.709 - Suspension and revocation of non-North America-domiciled carrier registration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Suspension and revocation of non-North America... American Carriers § 385.709 Suspension and revocation of non-North America-domiciled carrier registration... necessary showing, FMCSA will revoke its registration. (h) If a non-North America-domiciled motor carrier...

Chloropid flies (Diptera, Chloropidae) associated with pitcher plants in North America.

PubMed

Mlynarek, Julia J; Wheeler, Terry A

2018-01-01

We review the taxonomy and ecology of Chloropidae (Diptera) associated with pitcher plants (Sarraceniaceae) in North America. Tricimba wheeleri Mlynarek sp.n. is described from the pitchers of Sarracenia alata Alph.Wood and S. leucophylla Raf. in the southeastern United States (Alabama, Mississippi). Aphanotrigonum darlingtoniae (Jones) associated with Darlingtonia californica Torr. in northern California is redescribed, including the first description of male genitalic characters. A lectotype is designated for A. darlingtoniae . Published records of other species of Tricimba Lioy in pitcher plants in North America are considered accidental or facultative occurrences; published records of Aphanotrigonum Duda as pitcher plant associates in eastern North America are probably errors in identification.

Mantle helium in ground waters of eastern North America: Time and space constraints on sources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Torgersen, T.; Drenkard, S.; Stute, M.; Schlosser, P.; Shapiro, A.

1995-01-01

Mantle helium in continental environments is generally considered to be the result of active volcanism and/or active extension. The latest episodes of volcanism in northeastern North America are the track of the New England hotspot (95–190 Ma) and the closure of the Iapetus sea (before 300 Ma). Thus, the identification of mantle helium in young ground waters of central New England is counter to the conventional wisdom. On the basis of evaluation of helium evolution in emplaced magmas, we postulate an “aged” mantle source for the excess helium component in ground waters of central New England that is either (1) a local, near-surface–emplaced, gas-rich magma that has retained significant volatiles (e.g., in fluid inclusions) or (2) a deeply emplaced gas-rich magma with high initial 2He/4He (10−5) and helium transport (with dispersion) through the crust over time. This gas-rich initial condition may support the concept of a volatile-enriched mantle wedge and thus explain the increased buoyancy flux of the New England hotspot as it traversed eastern North America, as has been suggested by others.

North America - The Energy Picture II

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

Desarrollo Urbano), of the National Urban System ( Sistema Urbano Nacional), and of the specific urban North America – The Energy Picture II...and guide for participants in international electricity trade. In January 2005, the Group released a companion to the 2002 electricity report, the

Impact of the Winter North Pacific Oscillation on the Surface Air Temperature over Eurasia and North America: Sensitivity to the Index Definition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Shangfeng; Song, Linye

2018-06-01

This study analyzes the impact of the winter North Pacific Oscillation (NPO) on the surface air temperature (SAT) variations over Eurasia and North America based on six different NPO indices. Results show that the influences of the winter NPO on the SAT over Eurasia and North America are sensitive to the definition of the NPO index. The impact of the winter NPO on the SAT variations over Eurasia (North America) is significant (insignificant) when the anticyclonic anomaly associated with the NPO index over the North Pacific midlatitudes shifts westward and pronounced northerly wind anomalies appear around Lake Baikal. By contrast, the impact of the winter NPO on the SAT variations over Eurasia (North America) is insignificant (significant) when the anticyclonic anomaly over the North Pacific related to the NPO index shifts eastward and the associated northerly wind anomalies to its eastern flank extend to North America. The present study suggests that the NPO definition should be taken into account when analyzing the impact of the winter NPO on Eurasian and North American SAT variations.

The interdependence of lake ice and climate in central North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jelacic, A. J. (Principal Investigator)

1972-01-01

There are no author-identified significant results in this report. This investigation is to identify any correlations between the freeze/ thaw cycles of lakes and regional weather variations. ERTS-1 imagery of central Canada and north central United States is examined on a seasonal basis. The ice conditions of certain major study lakes are noted and recorded on magnetic tape, from which the movement of a freeze/thaw transition zone may be deduced. Weather maps and tables are used to establish any obvious correlations. The process of selecting major study lakes is discussed, and a complete lake directory is presented. Various routines of the software support library are described, accompanied by output samples. Procedures used for ERTS imagery processing are presented along with the data analysis plan. Application of these procedures to selected ERTS imagery has demonstrated their utility. Preliminary results show that the freeze/thaw transition zone can be monitored from ERTS.

Colored Height and Shaded Relief, Central America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, southern Mexico and parts of Cuba and Jamaica are all seen in this image from NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. The dominant feature of the northern part of Central America is the Sierra Madre Range, spreading east from Mexico between the narrow Pacific coastal plain and the limestone lowland of the Yucatan Peninsula. Parallel hill ranges sweep across Honduras and extend south, past the Caribbean Mosquito Coast to lakes Managua and Nicaragua. The Cordillera Central rises to the south, gradually descending to Lake Gatun and the Isthmus of Panama. A highly active volcanic belt runs along the Pacific seaboard from Mexico to Costa Rica.

High-quality satellite imagery of Central America has, until now, been difficult to obtain due to persistent cloud cover in this region of the world. The ability of SRTM to penetrate clouds and make three-dimensional measurements has allowed the generation of the first complete high-resolution topographic map of the entire region. This map was used to generate the image.

Two visualization methods were combined to produce the image: shading and color coding of topographic height. The shade image was derived by computing topographic slope in the north-south direction. Color coding is directly related to topographic height, with green at the lower elevations, rising through yellow, red, and magenta, to white at the highest elevations.

For an annotated version of this image, please select Figure 1, below: [figure removed for brevity, see original site] (Large image: 9 mB jpeg)

Elevation data used in this image were acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on February 11, 2000. The mission used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission was

High-resolution reconstructions of Pacific-North America plate motion: 20 Ma to present

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeMets, C.; Merkouriev, S.

2016-11-01

We present new rotations that describe the relative positions and velocities of the Pacific and North America plates at 22 times during the past 19.7 Myr, offering ≈1-Myr temporal resolution for studies of the geotectonic evolution of western North America and other plate boundary locations. Derived from ≈18 000 magnetic reversal, fracture zone and transform fault identifications from the Pacific-Antarctic-Nubia-North America plate circuit and the velocities of 935 GPS sites on the Pacific and North America plates, the new rotations and GPS-derived angular velocity indicate that the rate of motion between the two plates increased by ≈70 per cent from 19.7 to 9±1 Ma, but changed by less than 2 per cent since 8 Ma and even less since 4.2 Ma. The rotations further suggest that the relative plate direction has rotated clockwise for most of the past 20 Myr, with a possible hiatus from 9 to 5 Ma. This conflicts with previously reported evidence for a significant clockwise change in the plate direction at ≈8-6 Ma. Our new rotations indicate that Pacific plate motion became obliquely convergent with respect to the San Andreas Fault of central California at 5.2-4.2 Ma, in agreement with geological evidence for a Pliocene onset of folding and faulting in central California. Our reconstruction of the northern Gulf of California at 6.3 Ma differs by only 15-30 km from structurally derived reconstructions after including 3-4 km Myr-1 of geodetically measured slip between the Baja California Peninsula and Pacific plate. This implies an approximate 15-30 km upper bound for plate non-rigidity integrated around the global circuit at 6.3 Ma. A much larger 200±54 km discrepancy between our reconstruction of the northern Gulf of California at 12 Ma and that estimated from structural and marine geophysical observations suggests that faults in northwestern Mexico or possibly west of the Baja California Peninsula accommodated large amounts of obliquely divergent dextral shear

Sources and Fate of Reactive Carbon over North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, X.; Millet, D. B.; Singh, H. B.; Wisthaler, A.

2016-12-01

We apply a high-resolution chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem CTM at 0.25°×0.3125°) to generate, a comprehensive gas-phase reactive carbon budget over North America. Based on state-of-science source inventories and known chemistry, we find in the model that biogenic sources dominate the overall reactive carbon budget, with 49, 15, 4, and 39 TgC, respectively, introduced to the North American atmosphere from the biosphere, anthropogenic sources, fires, and from methane oxidation in 2013. Biogenic and anthropogenic non-methane volatile organic compounds contribute 60% and 10%, respectively, to the total OH reactivity over the Southeast US, along with other contributions from methane and inorganics. Oxidation to CO and CO2 then represents the overwhelming fate of that reactive carbon, with 65, 15, 7 and 5 TgC, respectively, oxidized to produce CO/CO2, dry deposited, wet deposited and transported (net) out of North America. We confront this simulation with an ensemble of recent airborne measurements over North America (SEAC4RS, SENEX, DISCOVER-AQ, DC3) and interpret the model-measurement comparisons in terms of their implications for current understanding of atmospheric reactive carbon and the processes driving its distribution.

A revision of the spider genus Selenops Latreille, 1819 (Arachnida, Araneae, Selenopidae) in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

PubMed

Crews, Sarah C

2011-01-01

The spider genus Selenops Latreille, 1819 occurs in both the Old World and New World tropics and subtropics and contains nearly half of the species in the family Selenopidae Simon, 1897. In this paper the members of the genus Selenops found in North America, Central America, and on islands of the Caribbean are revised, excluding Cuban endemics. No taxonomic changes are currently made to the species from the southwestern United States. In total, 21 new species are described, including Selenops arikoksp. n., Selenops chamelasp. n., Selenops amonasp. n., Selenops bawekasp. n., Selenops bocacanadensissp. n., Selenops enriquillosp. n, Selenops ixchelsp. n., Selenops huetocatlsp. n., Selenops kalinagosp. n., Selenops oviedosp. n., Selenops morrosp. n., Selenops deniasp. n., Selenops duansp. n., Selenops malinalxochitlsp. n., Selenops oricuajosp. n., Selenops petenajtoysp. n., Selenops guerrerosp. n., Selenops makimakisp. n., Selenops souligasp. n., Selenops wilmotorumsp. n., and Selenops wilsonisp. n. Six species names were synonymized: Selenops lunatus Muma, 1953 syn. n. =Selenops candidus Muma, 1953; Selenops tehuacanus Muma 1953 syn. n., Selenops galapagoensis Banks, 1902 syn. n. and Selenops vagabundus Kraus, 1955 syn. n. = Selenops mexicanus Keyserling, 1880; Selenops santibanezi Valdez-Mondragón, 2010 syn. n. = Selenops nigromaculatus Keyserling, 1880; and Selenops salvadoranus Chamberlin, 1925 syn. n. = Selenops bifurcatus Banks, 1909. Lectotypes are designated for the following three species: Selenops marginalis F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 (♂), Selenops morosus Banks, 1898 (♂), and Selenops mexicanus Keyserling, 1880 (♀). The female neotype is designated for Selenops aissus Walckenaer, 1837. The males of Selenops bani Alayón-García, 1992 and Selenops marcanoi Alayón-García, 1992 are described for the first time, and the females of Selenops phaselus Muma, 1953 and Selenops geraldinae Corronca, 1996 are described for the first time. Almost all species

Genetic Divergence Disclosing a Rapid Prehistorical Dispersion of Native Americans in Central and South America

PubMed Central

He, Yungang; Wang, Wei R.; Li, Ran; Wang, Sijia; Jin, Li

2012-01-01

An accurate estimate of the divergence time between Native Americans is important for understanding the initial entry and early dispersion of human beings in the New World. Current methods for estimating the genetic divergence time of populations could seriously depart from a linear relationship with the true divergence for multiple populations of a different population size and significant population expansion. Here, to address this problem, we propose a novel measure to estimate the genetic divergence time of populations. Computer simulation revealed that the new measure maintained an excellent linear correlation with the population divergence time in complicated multi-population scenarios with population expansion. Utilizing the new measure and microsatellite data of 21 Native American populations, we investigated the genetic divergences of the Native American populations. The results indicated that genetic divergences between North American populations are greater than that between Central and South American populations. None of the divergences, however, were large enough to constitute convincing evidence supporting the two-wave or multi-wave migration model for the initial entry of human beings into America. The genetic affinity of the Native American populations was further explored using Neighbor-Net and the genetic divergences suggested that these populations could be categorized into four genetic groups living in four different ecologic zones. The divergence of the population groups suggests that the early dispersion of human beings in America was a multi-step procedure. Further, the divergences suggest the rapid dispersion of Native Americans in Central and South Americas after a long standstill period in North America. PMID:22970308

Commercial Agriculture and Modern Transport in Central America.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horst, Oscar H.

1981-01-01

Describes an exercise for use in college-level geography courses dealing with the tandem development of transport networks and commercial agriculture in Central America. Using six maps, the author shows the parallels between highway and railroad construction and commercial crops, (coffee, bananas, and cotton) in Central America between 1855-1975.…

Human Conservation in Central America, Summary of a Conference (Guatemala, Central America).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conservation Foundation, Washington, DC.

This booklet is a resume consisting chiefly of extracts from papers that were presented at a conference on Human Conservation in Central America, held in Guatemala in 1965, as well as from discussions that took place during the conferences. With cooperation of numerous organizations and guidance from the Conservation Foundation, a discussion of…

The history and character of acid precipitation in eastern North America

Treesearch

Charles V. Cogbill

1976-01-01

The history and present distribution of precipitation acidity in eastern North America is reviewed. Precipitation chemistry from the 1920's indicates heavy ionic deposition, but low acidity (calculated) in Tennessee (pH 7.4) and New York (pH 6.15). However, high acidity was apparently widespread over northeast North America by 1955-56 and measured pH's below...

First Detection of Bat White-Nose Syndrome in Western North America.

PubMed

Lorch, Jeffrey M; Palmer, Jonathan M; Lindner, Daniel L; Ballmann, Anne E; George, Kyle G; Griffin, Kathryn; Knowles, Susan; Huckabee, John R; Haman, Katherine H; Anderson, Christopher D; Becker, Penny A; Buchanan, Joseph B; Foster, Jeffrey T; Blehert, David S

2016-01-01

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging fungal disease of bats caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Since it was first detected near Albany, NY, in 2006, the fungus has spread across eastern North America, killing unprecedented numbers of hibernating bats. The devastating impacts of WNS on Nearctic bat species are attributed to the likely introduction of P. destructans from Eurasia to naive host populations in eastern North America. Since 2006, the disease has spread in a gradual wavelike pattern consistent with introduction of the pathogen at a single location. Here, we describe the first detection of P. destructans in western North America in a little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) from near Seattle, WA, far from the previously recognized geographic distribution of the fungus. Whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analyses indicated that the isolate of P. destructans from Washington grouped with other isolates of a presumed clonal lineage from the eastern United States. Thus, the occurrence of P. destructans in Washington does not likely represent a novel introduction of the fungus from Eurasia, and the lack of intensive surveillance in the western United States makes it difficult to interpret whether the occurrence of P. destructans in the Pacific Northwest is disjunct from that in eastern North America. Although there is uncertainty surrounding the impacts of WNS in the Pacific Northwest, the presence of the pathogen in western North America could have major consequences for bat conservation. IMPORTANCE White-nose syndrome (WNS) represents one of the most consequential wildlife diseases of modern times. Since it was first documented in New York in 2006, the disease has killed millions of bats and threatens several formerly abundant species with extirpation or extinction. The spread of WNS in eastern North America has been relatively gradual, inducing optimism that disease mitigation strategies could be established in time to conserve bats susceptible

First Detection of Bat White-Nose Syndrome in Western North America

PubMed Central

Palmer, Jonathan M.; Lindner, Daniel L.; Ballmann, Anne E.; George, Kyle G.; Griffin, Kathryn; Knowles, Susan; Huckabee, John R.; Haman, Katherine H.; Anderson, Christopher D.; Becker, Penny A.; Buchanan, Joseph B.; Foster, Jeffrey T.; Blehert, David S.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging fungal disease of bats caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Since it was first detected near Albany, NY, in 2006, the fungus has spread across eastern North America, killing unprecedented numbers of hibernating bats. The devastating impacts of WNS on Nearctic bat species are attributed to the likely introduction of P. destructans from Eurasia to naive host populations in eastern North America. Since 2006, the disease has spread in a gradual wavelike pattern consistent with introduction of the pathogen at a single location. Here, we describe the first detection of P. destructans in western North America in a little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) from near Seattle, WA, far from the previously recognized geographic distribution of the fungus. Whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analyses indicated that the isolate of P. destructans from Washington grouped with other isolates of a presumed clonal lineage from the eastern United States. Thus, the occurrence of P. destructans in Washington does not likely represent a novel introduction of the fungus from Eurasia, and the lack of intensive surveillance in the western United States makes it difficult to interpret whether the occurrence of P. destructans in the Pacific Northwest is disjunct from that in eastern North America. Although there is uncertainty surrounding the impacts of WNS in the Pacific Northwest, the presence of the pathogen in western North America could have major consequences for bat conservation. IMPORTANCE White-nose syndrome (WNS) represents one of the most consequential wildlife diseases of modern times. Since it was first documented in New York in 2006, the disease has killed millions of bats and threatens several formerly abundant species with extirpation or extinction. The spread of WNS in eastern North America has been relatively gradual, inducing optimism that disease mitigation strategies could be established in time to conserve bats

Skeletal variation among early Holocene North American humans: implications for origins and diversity in the Americas.

PubMed

Auerbach, Benjamin M

2012-12-01

The movement of humans into the Americas remains a major topic of debate among scientific disciplines. Central to this discussion is ascertaining the timing and migratory routes of the earliest colonizers, in addition to understanding their ancestry. Molecular studies have recently argued that the colonizing population was isolated from other Asian populations for an extended period before proceeding to colonize the Americas. This research has suggested that Beringia was the location of this "incubation," though archaeological and skeletal data have not yet supported this hypothesis. This study employs the remains of the five most complete North American male early Holocene skeletons to examine patterns of human morphology at the earliest observable time period. Stature, body mass, body breadth, and limb proportions are examined in the context of male skeletal samples representing the range of morphological variation in North America in the last two millennia of the Holocene. These are also compared with a global sample. Results indicate that early Holocene males have variable postcranial morphologies, but all share the common trait of wide bodies. This trait, which is retained in more recent indigenous North American groups, is associated with adaptations to cold climates. Peoples from the Americas exhibit wider bodies than other populations sampled globally. This pattern suggests the common ancestral population of all of these indigenous American groups had reduced morphological variation in this trait. Furthermore, this provides support for a single, possibly high latitude location for the genetic isolation of ancestors of the human colonizers of the Americas. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

North American Biome

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The North America biome includes the major ecoregions that make up the land area of Canada, the United States, Mexico, and countries in Central America. The biome is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, and to the s...

9 CFR 93.320 - Horses from Central America and the West Indies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Horses from Central America and the... PRODUCTS; REQUIREMENTS FOR MEANS OF CONVEYANCE AND SHIPPING CONTAINERS Horses Central America and the West Indies 17 § 93.320 Horses from Central America and the West Indies. Horses from Central America and the...

9 CFR 93.320 - Horses from Central America and the West Indies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Horses from Central America and the... PRODUCTS; REQUIREMENTS FOR MEANS OF CONVEYANCE AND SHIPPING CONTAINERS Horses Central America and the West Indies 17 § 93.320 Horses from Central America and the West Indies. Horses from Central America and the...

9 CFR 93.320 - Horses from Central America and the West Indies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Horses from Central America and the... PRODUCTS; REQUIREMENTS FOR MEANS OF CONVEYANCE AND SHIPPING CONTAINERS Horses Central America and the West Indies 17 § 93.320 Horses from Central America and the West Indies. Horses from Central America and the...

9 CFR 93.320 - Horses from Central America and the West Indies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Horses from Central America and the... PRODUCTS; REQUIREMENTS FOR MEANS OF CONVEYANCE AND SHIPPING CONTAINERS Horses Central America and the West Indies 17 § 93.320 Horses from Central America and the West Indies. Horses from Central America and the...

9 CFR 93.320 - Horses from Central America and the West Indies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Horses from Central America and the... PRODUCTS; REQUIREMENTS FOR MEANS OF CONVEYANCE AND SHIPPING CONTAINERS Horses Central America and the West Indies 17 § 93.320 Horses from Central America and the West Indies. Horses from Central America and the...

Adult Education Faculty and Programs in North America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tisdell, Elizabeth J.; Wright, Robin Redmon; Taylor, Edward W.

2016-01-01

This article reports on the findings of a quantitative survey of North American adult education faculty and a textual analysis of websites of adult education graduate programs in North America conducted in the fall of 2013. This study examined background information about adult education faculty and programs; the nature of faculty work interests,…

Polyphyly of the Padus group of Prunus (Rosaceae) and the evolution of biogeographic disjunctions between eastern Asia and eastern North America.

PubMed

Liu, Xiao-Lin; Wen, Jun; Nie, Ze-Long; Johnson, Gabriel; Liang, Zong-Suo; Chang, Zhao-Yang

2013-05-01

Prunus subgenus Padus is a group with a wide distribution in temperate eastern Asia and eastern North America with one species extending to Europe and one to Central America. Phylogenetic relationships of subgenus Padus were reconstructed using sequences of nuclear ribosomal ITS, and plastid ndhF gene, and rps16 intron and rpl16 intron. Prunus subgenus Padus is shown to be polyphyletic. Taxa of subgenus Padus and subgenus Laurocerasus are highly intermixed in both the ITS and the plastid trees. The results support two disjunctions between eastern North America and Eurasia within the Padus group. One disjunction is between Prunus virginiana of eastern North America and P. padus of Eurasia, estimated to have diverged at 2.99 (95 % HPD 0.59-6.15)-4.1 (95 % HPD 0.63-8.59) mya. The other disjunction is between P. serotina and its Asian relatives. The second disjunction may have occurred earlier than the former one, but the age estimate is difficult due to the unresolved phylogenetic position of the P. serotina complex.

Estimating north pacific summer sea-level pressure back to 1600 using proxy climate records from China and North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Xiangding; Lough, J. M.

1987-03-01

Sea-level pressure variations over the North Pacific Ocean influence the surface climate conditions of China and western North America. Documentary records of precipitation in China data back to the mid-15th century, and a well-replicated network of tree-ring chronologies from western North America dates to the early 17th century. These proxy climate records are used separately and together to estimate sea-level pressure variations over the North Pacific back to 1600 A.D. The models are calibrated over the period 1899 to 1950 and verified over the independent period, 1951 to 1963. The best estimates, derived from predictors in China and western North America, calibrate 44.7 % of summer sea-level pressure variance. The study demonstrates the potential of combining different proxy data sources to derive estimates of past climate.

Higher Adult Education in North America.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Thurman J.

A history of the development of higher adult education in the United States and Canada is presented. The point is made that higher education in North America includes a variety of post-high school institutions, including universities, senior colleges, junior colleges, community colleges, technical institutes and professional schools. A study of…

Stable isotopes of fossil teeth corroborate key general circulation model predictions for the Last Glacial Maximum in North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohn, Matthew J.; McKay, Moriah

2010-11-01

Oxygen isotope data provide a key test of general circulation models (GCMs) for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in North America, which have otherwise proved difficult to validate. High δ18O pedogenic carbonates in central Wyoming have been interpreted to indicate increased summer precipitation sourced from the Gulf of Mexico. Here we show that tooth enamel δ18O of large mammals, which is strongly correlated with local water and precipitation δ18O, is lower during the LGM in Wyoming, not higher. Similar data from Texas, California, Florida and Arizona indicate higher δ18O values than in the Holocene, which is also predicted by GCMs. Tooth enamel data closely validate some recent models of atmospheric circulation and precipitation δ18O, including an increase in the proportion of winter precipitation for central North America, and summer precipitation in the southern US, but suggest aridity can bias pedogenic carbonate δ18O values significantly.

Molecular genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii from Central and South America revealed highly diverse populations and suggested possible different origins of the three archetypal lineages

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Most T. gondii strains in North America and Europe belong to three archetypal clonal lineages including the Type I, II and III but, isolates from Brazil are highly diverse. Here, we analyzed 164 T. gondii isolates from three countries in Central America (Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica), from one c...

The North Pacific Summer Jet and Climate Extremes Over North America: Mechanisms and Model Biases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schubert, S. D.; Wang, H.; Chang, Y.; Koster, R. D.; Molod, A.

2017-12-01

The North Pacific summer jet (NPSJ) plays a critical role as a waveguide for weather systems and other sub-seasonal Rossby waves entering North America and therefore has a controlling influence on the warm season weather and climate extremes over much of the continent. In particular, much of the warm season precipitation that occurs over the central United States depends on subseasonal transients that are able to tap moisture from the Gulf of Mexico as they propagate across the continent. The GEOS-5 atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM), like many AGCMs, is deficient in the simulation of the NPSJ. It is shown that the deficiency is composed of: 1) a stunted jet in which the strongest winds are confined to the Asian continent, failing to extend across the North Pacific into the Gulf of Alaska as observed, and 2) a zonally symmetric poleward shift in the jet. These biases combine to impede the eastward propagation of the weather systems into the continent (the stunted jet), and deprive those systems that do enter the continent access to the moisture from the Gulf (the northward shift), leading to a dry bias over the central US. It is shown that the stunted jet bias is the result of too strong heating that occurs just south of the jet core over and near Tibet. Furthermore, it is shown that the poleward shift of the NPSJ can be corrected in the current GEOS-5 AGCM by increasing the vertical resolution. The implications of these results for improving warm season forecasts of extreme events will be discussed.

The North Pacific Summer Jet and Climate Extremes over North America: Mechanisms and Model Biases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schubert, S.; Wang, H.; Chang, Y.; Koster, R.; Molod, A.; Barahona, D.

2017-01-01

The North Pacific summer jet (NPSJ) plays a critical role as a waveguide for weather systems and other sub-seasonal Rossby waves entering North America and therefore has a controlling influence on the warm season weather and climate extremes over much of the continent. In particular, much of the warm season precipitation that occurs over the central United States depends on subseasonal transients that are able to tap moisture from the Gulf of Mexico as they propagate across the continent. The GEOS-5 atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM), like many AGCMs, is deficient in the simulation of the NPSJ. It is shown that the deficiency is composed of: 1) a stunted jet in which the strongest winds are confined to the Asian continent, failing to extend across the North Pacific into the Gulf of Alaska as observed, and 2) a zonally symmetric poleward shift in the jet. These biases combine to impede the eastward propagation of the weather systems into the continent (the stunted jet), and deprive those systems that do enter the continent access to the moisture from the Gulf (the northward shift), leading to a dry bias over the central US. It is shown that the stunted jet bias is the result of too strong heating that occurs just south of the jet core over and near Tibet. Furthermore, it is shown that the poleward shift of the NPSJ can be corrected in the current GEOS-5 AGCM by increasing the vertical resolution. The implications of these results for improving warm season forecasts of extreme events will be discussed.

Divergent biogeography of native and introduced soil macroinvertebrates in North America north of Mexico

Treesearch

Erik A. Lilleskov; William J. Mattson; Andrew J. Storer

2008-01-01

To improve understanding of the biogeographical consequences of species introduction, we examined whether introduced soil macroinvertebrates differ from natives in the relationship between species richness and key environmental predictors, and whether such differences affect the relationship between native and introduced species richness. For North America north of...

Chapter 13, Policy options: North America

Treesearch

Jane Barr; James Dobrowolski; John Campbell; Philippe Le Prestre; Lori Lynch; Marc Sydnor; Robert Adler; Jose Etcheverry; Alexander Kenny; Catherine Hallmich; Jim Lazar; Russell M. Meyer; Robin Newmark; Janet Peace; Julie A. Suhr Pierce; Stephen Yamasaki

2012-01-01

As previously indicated, GEO-5 shifts the GEO focus from identifying environmental problems to identifying solutions that governments can then prioritize. This chapter provides examples of a number of policy options and market mechanisms that have shown some success in improving environmental conditions in North America. They are organized by priority environmental...

Genetic Diversity and Distribution of Peromyscus-Borne Hantaviruses in North America

PubMed Central

Monroe, Martha C.; Morzunov, Sergey P.; Johnson, Angela M.; Bowen, Michael D.; Artsob, Harvey; Yates, Terry; Peters, C.J.; Rollin, Pierre E.; Ksiazek, Thomas G.

1999-01-01

The 1993 outbreak of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the southwestern United States was associated with Sin Nombre virus, a rodent-borne hantavirus; The virus' primary reservoir is the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus). Hantavirus-infected rodents were identified in various regions of North America. An extensive nucleotide sequence database of an 139 bp fragment amplified from virus M genomic segments was generated. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that SNV-like hantaviruses are widely distributed in Peromyscus species rodents throughout North America. Classic SNV is the major cause of HPS in North America, but other Peromyscine-borne hantaviruses, e.g., New York and Monongahela viruses, are also associated with HPS cases. Although genetically diverse, SNV-like viruses have slowly coevolved with their rodent hosts. We show that the genetic relationships of hantaviruses in the Americas are complex, most likely as a result of the rapid radiation and speciation of New World sigmodontine rodents and occasional virus-host switching events. PMID:10081674

Y-chromosome evidence supports widespread signatures of three-species Canis hybridization in eastern North America.

PubMed

Wilson, Paul J; Rutledge, Linda Y; Wheeldon, Tyler J; Patterson, Brent R; White, Bradley N

2012-09-01

There has been considerable discussion on the origin of the red wolf and eastern wolf and their evolution independent of the gray wolf. We analyzed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and a Y-chromosome intron sequence in combination with Y-chromosome microsatellites from wolves and coyotes within the range of extensive wolf-coyote hybridization, that is, eastern North America. The detection of divergent Y-chromosome haplotypes in the historic range of the eastern wolf is concordant with earlier mtDNA findings, and the absence of these haplotypes in western coyotes supports the existence of the North American evolved eastern wolf (Canis lycaon). Having haplotypes observed exclusively in eastern North America as a result of insufficient sampling in the historic range of the coyote or that these lineages subsequently went extinct in western geographies is unlikely given that eastern-specific mtDNA and Y-chromosome haplotypes represent lineages divergent from those observed in extant western coyotes. By combining Y-chromosome and mtDNA distributional patterns, we identified hybrid genomes of eastern wolf, coyote, gray wolf, and potentially dog origin in Canis populations of central and eastern North America. The natural contemporary eastern Canis populations represent an important example of widespread introgression resulting in hybrid genomes across the original C. lycaon range that appears to be facilitated by the eastern wolf acting as a conduit for hybridization. Applying conventional taxonomic nomenclature and species-based conservation initiatives, particularly in human-modified landscapes, may be counterproductive to the effective management of these hybrids and fails to consider their evolutionary potential.

Woody plants of North America [product review

Treesearch

Don C. Bragg; Hope A. Bragg

2001-01-01

The authors review a 2-CD set created to aid in identifying woody plants. The product is intended to supplement (rather than replace) field instruction for identifying 470 of the most common native and introduced trees and shrubs in North America.

First detection of bat white-nose syndrome in western North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lorch, Jeffrey M.; Palmer, Jonathan M.; Lindner, Daniel L.; Ballmann, Anne; George, Kyle; Griffin, Kathryn M.; Knowles, Susan N.; Huckabee, John R.; Haman, Katherine H.; Anderson, Christopher D.; Becker, Penny A.; Buchanan, Joseph B.; Foster, Jeffrey T.; Blehert, David

2016-01-01

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging fungal disease of bats caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Since it was first detected near Albany, NY, in 2006, the fungus has spread across eastern North America, killing unprecedented numbers of hibernating bats. The devastating impacts of WNS on Nearctic bat species are attributed to the likely introduction of P. destructans from Eurasia to naive host populations in eastern North America. Since 2006, the disease has spread in a gradual wavelike pattern consistent with introduction of the pathogen at a single location. Here, we describe the first detection of P. destructans in western North America in a little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) from near Seattle, WA, far from the previously recognized geographic distribution of the fungus. Whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analyses indicated that the isolate of P. destructans from Washington grouped with other isolates of a presumed clonal lineage from the eastern United States. Thus, the occurrence of P. destructans in Washington does not likely represent a novel introduction of the fungus from Eurasia, and the lack of intensive surveillance in the western United States makes it difficult to interpret whether the occurrence of P. destructans in the Pacific Northwest is disjunct from that in eastern North America. Although there is uncertainty surrounding the impacts of WNS in the Pacific Northwest, the presence of the pathogen in western North America could have major consequences for bat conservation.

75 FR 28297 - Sychip, Inc., a Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Murata Electronics North America, Inc. (MENA...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-20

... Owned Subsidiary of Murata Electronics North America, Inc. (MENA), Including Workers Whose Unemployment... owned subsidiary of Murata Electronics North America, Inc. (MENA). Since January 1, 2010, workers... insurance (UI) tax account for Murata Electronics North America, Inc. (MENA). Prior to January 1, 2010...

77 FR 62535 - Hydro Aluminum North America, Inc., Midwest Region, Including On-Site Leased Workers From...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-15

... Aluminum North America, Inc., Midwest Region, Including On- Site Leased Workers From Employment Group, Aerotek, and Manpower, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Hydro Aluminum North America, Inc., Midwest Region, Including... Aluminum North America, Inc., Kalamazoo, Michigan. The subject worker group includes on-site leased workers...

Using Archaeology To Explore Cultures of North America through Time.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Mary S.

1998-01-01

Discusses the reasons for introducing archaeology into the elementary classroom focusing on the cultures of North America. Offers wild maize, or corn, as one area of investigation into North American cultures providing books and Internet sites. Lists resources for archaeology education and lesson plans for exploring North American cultures though…

North America's net terrestrial CO2 exchange with the atmosphere 1990-2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, A. W.; Andres, R. J.; Davis, K. J.; Hafer, M.; Hayes, D. J.; Huntzinger, D. N.; de Jong, B.; Kurz, W. A.; McGuire, A. D.; Vargas, R.; Wei, Y.; West, T. O.; Woodall, C. W.

2015-01-01

Scientific understanding of the global carbon cycle is required for developing national and international policy to mitigate fossil fuel CO2 emissions by managing terrestrial carbon uptake. Toward that understanding and as a contribution to the REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes (RECCAP) project, this paper provides a synthesis of net land-atmosphere CO2 exchange for North America (Canada, United States, and Mexico) over the period 1990-2009. Only CO2 is considered, not methane or other greenhouse gases. This synthesis is based on results from three different methods: atmospheric inversion, inventory-based methods and terrestrial biosphere modeling. All methods indicate that the North American land surface was a sink for atmospheric CO2, with a net transfer from atmosphere to land. Estimates ranged from -890 to -280 Tg C yr-1, where the mean of atmospheric inversion estimates forms the lower bound of that range (a larger land sink) and the inventory-based estimate using the production approach the upper (a smaller land sink). This relatively large range is due in part to differences in how the approaches represent trade, fire and other disturbances and which ecosystems they include. Integrating across estimates, "best" estimates (i.e., measures of central tendency) are -472 ± 281 Tg C yr-1 based on the mean and standard deviation of the distribution and -360 Tg C yr-1 (with an interquartile range of -496 to -337) based on the median. Considering both the fossil fuel emissions source and the land sink, our analysis shows that North America was, however, a net contributor to the growth of CO2 in the atmosphere in the late 20th and early 21st century. With North America's mean annual fossil fuel CO2 emissions for the period 1990-2009 equal to 1720 Tg C yr-1 and assuming the estimate of -472 Tg C yr-1 as an approximation of the true terrestrial CO2 sink, the continent's source : sink ratio for this time period was 1720:472, or nearly 4:1.

Tomotectonic constraints on deformation of Cordilleran North America since Late Jurassic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mihalynuk, M. G.; Sigloch, K.

2017-12-01

Seismic tomography reveals detailed mantle structure beneath North America, largely thanks to USArray. TWO massive composite slabs are recognized down to 2000 km depth and their topologies are combined with quantitative plate reconstructions back to the breakup of Pangea using Atlantic and Pacific magnetic isochrons. This tomotectonic analysis reveals evolving arc/trench-plate geometries of a vast archipelago/microcontinent and ocean plateau that were overridden by North America, and an explanation for Cordilleran deformation episodes. As Pangea fragmented, subduction reconfigured from EAST-directed beneath the continent (during final growth of the Intermontane Superterrane, IMS, or "AltaBC"), to WEST-directed beneath an intraoceanic, massive arc chevron (MAC). MAC trenches were stationary within a mantle reference frame, as indicated by near-vertical slab walls 4-7x as thick as mature ocean lithosphere, and its trenches were >10,000 km long. East-pointing MAC apex was located 2000-4000 km off Pangea's west coast where MAC arc was built atop the Insular superterrane (INS, or "BajaBC"), a microcontinent extending >2600 km southwards from the apex. Ocean lithosphere between the MAC apex and west-drifting North America was consumed by 155 Ma. INS, comparable in length to the Indian subcontinent, initially collided with the leading edge of North America/IMS and generated "Nevadan" deformation. Diachronous Sevier deformation followed as MAC was driven farther into the continental margin and raked southward (sinistral offsets w.r.t. North America). By 130 Ma, with large segments accreted and MAC geometry breaking down, subduction was forced to jump outboard (westward) of MAC. The Franciscan accretionary complex marks a return to eastward/Andean-style subduction (of the Farallon plate). A remarkably complete analogue for collision at 130 Ma is found in modern Australia's override of arcs to its north. Rapid northward transport of BajaBC w.r.t. North America 90-50 Ma is

PAGES-Powell North America 2k database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKay, N.

2014-12-01

Syntheses of paleoclimate data in North America are essential for understanding long-term spatiotemporal variability in climate and for properly assessing risk on decadal and longer timescales. Existing reconstructions of the past 2,000 years rely almost exclusively on tree-ring records, which can underestimate low-frequency variability and rarely extend beyond the last millennium. Meanwhile, many records from the full spectrum of paleoclimate archives are available and hold the potential of enhancing our understanding of past climate across North America over the past 2000 years. The second phase of the Past Global Changes (PAGES) North America 2k project began in 2014, with a primary goal of assembling these disparate paleoclimate records into a unified database. This effort is currently supported by the USGS Powell Center together with PAGES. Its success requires grassroots support from the community of researchers developing and interpreting paleoclimatic evidence relevant to the past 2000 years. Most likely, fewer than half of the published records appropriate for this database are publicly archived, and far fewer include the data needed to quantify geochronologic uncertainty, or to concisely describe how best to interpret the data in context of a large-scale paleoclimatic synthesis. The current version of the database includes records that (1) have been published in a peer-reviewed journal (including evidence of the record's relationship to climate), (2) cover a substantial portion of the past 2000 yr (>300 yr for annual records, >500 yr for lower frequency records) at relatively high resolution (<50 yr/observation), and (3) have reasonably small and quantifiable age uncertainty. Presently, the database includes records from boreholes, ice cores, lake and marine sediments, speleothems, and tree rings. This poster presentation will display the site locations and basic metadata of the records currently in the database. We invite anyone with interest in

Railway tunnels in Europe and North America

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-05-01

This list of railway tunnels (longer than 1, 000 m) was compiled by the secretariat from various national and international sources. The list is intended to serve as a reference inventory for a long railway tunnels in Europe and North America. Tunnel...

The first reported ceratopsid dinosaur from eastern North America (Owl Creek Formation, Upper Cretaceous, Mississippi, USA)

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Ceratopsids (“horned dinosaurs”) are known from western North America and Asia, a distribution reflecting an inferred subaerial link between the two landmasses during the Late Cretaceous. However, this clade was previously unknown from eastern North America, presumably due to limited outcrop of the appropriate age and depositional environment as well as the separation of eastern and western North America by the Western Interior Seaway during much of the Late Cretaceous. A dentary tooth from the Owl Creek Formation (late Maastrichtian) of Union County, Mississippi, represents the first reported occurrence of Ceratopsidae from eastern North America. This tooth shows a combination of features typical of Ceratopsidae, including a double root and a prominent, blade-like carina. Based on the age of the fossil, we hypothesize that it is consistent with a dispersal of ceratopsids into eastern North America during the very latest Cretaceous, presumably after the two halves of North America were reunited following the retreat of the Western Interior Seaway. PMID:28560100

The first reported ceratopsid dinosaur from eastern North America (Owl Creek Formation, Upper Cretaceous, Mississippi, USA).

PubMed

Farke, Andrew A; Phillips, George E

2017-01-01

Ceratopsids ("horned dinosaurs") are known from western North America and Asia, a distribution reflecting an inferred subaerial link between the two landmasses during the Late Cretaceous. However, this clade was previously unknown from eastern North America, presumably due to limited outcrop of the appropriate age and depositional environment as well as the separation of eastern and western North America by the Western Interior Seaway during much of the Late Cretaceous. A dentary tooth from the Owl Creek Formation (late Maastrichtian) of Union County, Mississippi, represents the first reported occurrence of Ceratopsidae from eastern North America. This tooth shows a combination of features typical of Ceratopsidae, including a double root and a prominent, blade-like carina. Based on the age of the fossil, we hypothesize that it is consistent with a dispersal of ceratopsids into eastern North America during the very latest Cretaceous, presumably after the two halves of North America were reunited following the retreat of the Western Interior Seaway.

Chapter 10. Use of entomopathogens against invasive wood boring beetles in North America

Treesearch

Ann E. Hajek; Leah S. Bauer

2009-01-01

Anoplophora glabripennis and Agrilus planipennis are wood-boring beetles introduced from China to North America that are capable of killing healthy trees; A. glabripennis is polyphagous but attacks on maples (Acer spp.) are of major concern in North America, and A. planipennis...

Controlling Sirex noctilio in North America: a new paradigm

Treesearch

Nathan M. Schiff; A. Dan Wilson

2007-01-01

The Sirex noctilio woodwasp, a major pest of North American pines in southern hemisphere countries, recently has entered North America, and become established in the northeast. The spread of Sirex noctilio is expected to be rapid. If unchecked it will likely cause significant economic damage to paper and timber industries...

Catalogue of Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) of North America

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The catalogue presented herein includes all scientific names (family-, genus- and species-group) for the darkling beetle (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) fauna occurring in North America. Data on extant, subfossil and fossil taxa are given. For each name the author, year and page number are provided with...

Lianas as invasive species in North America: Chapter 28

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leicht-Young, Stacey A.; Pavlovic, Noel B.

2015-01-01

Liana diversity is typically low in the temperate zones; however, the influx of non-native invasive liana species in North America has increased local diversity at the expense of native habitats and species. Some of the most illustrative studies of invasive lianas in temperate North America compared the biological traits of invasive lianas with native congeners or ecological analogs. The majority of these studies focused on two species, Celastrus orbiculatus (oriental bittersweet) and Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle). Temperate zone lianas generally have higher photosynthetic rates than other early successional species and their host trees. Invasive lianas are having an increasing impact on the dynamics and trajectories of North American plant communities. They often exhibit superior growth and survival compared to their native counterparts, and in some cases, invasive lianas may directly contribute to the decline of their native correlates.

The Hispanic Heritage of North America: Commemorating 500 Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cruz, Barbara C.

2013-01-01

In April 2013, Florida will commemorate Juan Ponce de Leon's historic voyage. Yet Ponce de Leon's arrival was, in several important ways, not just the beginning of Spain's presence in Florida, but in North America as a whole. Today, the historical Spanish influence on America is palpable--in culture, language, politics, and more. This year marks…

A revision of the spider genus Selenops Latreille, 1819 (Arachnida, Araneae, Selenopidae) in North America, Central America and the Caribbean

PubMed Central

Crews, Sarah C.

2011-01-01

Abstract The spider genus Selenops Latreille, 1819 occurs in both the Old World and New World tropics and subtropics and contains nearly half of the species in the family Selenopidae Simon, 1897. In this paper the members of the genus Selenops found in North America, Central America, and on islands of the Caribbean are revised, excluding Cuban endemics. No taxonomic changes are currently made to the species from the southwestern United States. In total, 21 new species are described, including Selenops arikok sp. n., Selenops chamela sp. n., Selenops amona sp. n., Selenops baweka sp. n., Selenops bocacanadensis sp. n., Selenops enriquillo sp. n, Selenops ixchel sp. n., Selenops huetocatl sp. n., Selenops kalinago sp. n., Selenops oviedo sp. n., Selenops morro sp. n., Selenops denia sp. n., Selenops duan sp. n., Selenops malinalxochitl sp. n., Selenops oricuajo sp. n., Selenops petenajtoy sp. n., Selenops guerrero sp. n., Selenops makimaki sp. n., Selenops souliga sp. n., Selenops wilmotorum sp. n., and Selenops wilsoni sp. n. Six species names were synonymized: Selenops lunatus Muma, 1953 syn. n. = Selenops candidus Muma, 1953; Selenops tehuacanus Muma 1953 syn. n., Selenops galapagoensis Banks, 1902 syn. n. and Selenops vagabundus Kraus, 1955 syn. n. = Selenops mexicanus Keyserling, 1880; Selenops santibanezi Valdez-Mondragón, 2010 syn. n. = Selenops nigromaculatus Keyserling, 1880; and Selenops salvadoranus Chamberlin, 1925 syn. n. = Selenops bifurcatus Banks, 1909. Lectotypes are designated for the following three species: Selenops marginalis F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 (♂), Selenops morosus Banks, 1898 (♂), and Selenops mexicanus Keyserling, 1880 (♀). The female neotype is designated for Selenops aissus Walckenaer, 1837. The males of Selenops bani Alayón-García, 1992 and Selenops marcanoi Alayón-García, 1992 are described for the first time, and the females of Selenops phaselus Muma, 1953 and Selenops geraldinae Corronca, 1996 are described for the

Donor human milk bank data collection in north america: an assessment of current status and future needs.

PubMed

Brownell, Elizabeth A; Lussier, Mary M; Herson, Victor C; Hagadorn, James I; Marinelli, Kathleen A

2014-02-01

The Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) is a nonprofit association that standardizes and facilitates the establishment and operation of donor human milk (DHM) banks in North America. Each HMBANA milk bank in the network collects data on the DHM it receives and distributes, but a centralized data repository does not yet exist. In 2010, the Food and Drug Administration recognized the need to collect and disseminate systematic, standardized DHM bank data and suggested that HMBANA develop a DHM data repository. This study aimed to describe data currently collected by HMBANA DHM banks and evaluate feasibility and interest in participating in a centralized data repository. We conducted phone interviews with individuals in different HMBANA milk banks and summarized descriptive statistics. Eight of 13 (61.5%) sites consented to participate. All respondents collected donor demographics, and half (50%; n = 4) rescreened donors after 6 months of continued donation. The definition of preterm milk varied between DHM banks (≤ 32 to ≤ 40 weeks). The specific computer program used to house the data also differed. Half (50%; n = 4) indicated that they would consider participation in a centralized repository. Without standardized data across all HMBANA sites, the creation of a centralized data repository is not yet feasible. Lack of standardization and transparency may deter implementation of donor milk programs in the neonatal intensive care unit setting and hinder benchmarking, research, and quality improvement initiatives.

North America: Chapter 5

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schwartz, Mark D.; Beaubien, Elisabeth G.; Crimmins, Theresa M.; Weltzin, Jake F.; Edited by Schwartz, Mark D.

2013-01-01

Plant phenological observations and networks in North America have been largely local and regional in extent until recent decades. In the USA, cloned plant monitoring networks were the exception to this pattern, with data collection spanning the late 1950s until approximately the early 1990s. Animal observation networks, especially for birds have been more extensive. The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN), established in the mid-2000s is a recent effort to operate a comprehensive national-scale network in the United States. In Canada, PlantWatch, as part of Nature Watch, is the current national-scale plant phenology program.

The medicinal use of chocolate in early North America.

PubMed

Pucciarelli, Deanna L; Grivetti, Louis E

2008-10-01

The medicinal use of chocolate has a long history in North America dating back to the 16th century. From Mesoamerican Codices and European Treatises scholars have determined that for hundreds of years the beverage called chocolate was administered to the sick and prescribed homeopathically to prevent illness. Yet, little scholarship exists that focuses on medicinal chocolate usage in early North America (18th-19th century). This paper examines medical practices during this era and associated medicinal norms with special attention given to chocolate/cocoa usage. Given the current scientific attention on the relationship between dark chocolate consumption and heart disease attenuation it is timely to investigate and chronicle America's medical forebears' understanding of, and practices related to, the medicinal use of chocolate. Indeed, there is a significant amount of literature to suggest that chocolate was used for wellness and to treat illness.

First report of the post-fire morel, Morchella exuberans, in eastern North America

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Reports of true morels (Morchella) fruiting on conifer burn sites are common in western North America where five different fire-adapted species of black morels (Elata Clade) have been documented based on multilocus phylogenetic analyses. Fruiting of post-fire morels in eastern North America, by comp...

Definitive Hosts of Versteria Tapeworms (Cestoda: Taeniidae) Causing Fatal Infection in North America.

PubMed

Lee, Laura M; Wallace, Roberta S; Clyde, Victoria L; Gendron-Fitzpatrick, Annette; Sibley, Samuel D; Stuchin, Margot; Lauck, Michael; O'Connor, David H; Nakao, Minoru; Lavikainen, Antti; Hoberg, Eric P; Goldberg, Tony L

2016-04-01

We previously reported fatal infection of a captive Bornean orangutan with metacestodes of a novel taeniid tapeworm, Versteria sp. New data implicate mustelids as definitive hosts of these tapeworms in North America. At least 2 parasite genetic lineages circulate in North America, representing separate introductions from Eurasia.

First report of the post-fire morel Morchella exuberans in eastern North America.

PubMed

Miller, Andrew N; Raudabaugh, Daniel B; Iturriaga, Teresa; Matheny, P Brandon; Petersen, Ronald H; Hughes, Karen W; Gube, Matthias; Powers, Rob A; James, Timothy Y; O'Donnell, Kerry

2017-01-01

Reports of true morels (Morchella) fruiting on conifer burn sites are common in western North America where five different fire-adapted species of black morels (Elata Clade) have been documented based on multilocus phylogenetic analyses. Fruiting of post-fire morels in eastern North America, by comparison, are rare and limited to a report from Minnesota in 1977 and eastern Ontario in 1991. Here, nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 = ITS) sequences were used to identify the post-fire morel that fruited in great abundance the year following the 2012 Duck Lake Fire in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and after the 2016 large-scale fire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee as M. exuberans. A preliminary phylogenetic analysis suggests that the collections from eastern North America may be more closely related to those from Europe than from western North America, Europe, and China.

Use of MODIS Snow-Cover Maps for Detecting Snowmelt Trends in North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorothy K.; Foster, James L.; Riggs, George A.; Robinson, David A.; Hoon-Starr, Jody A.

2012-01-01

Research has shown that the snow season in the Northern Hemisphere has been getting shorter in recent decades, consistent with documented global temperature increases. Specifically, the snow is melting earlier in the spring allowing for a longer growing season and associated land-cover changes. Here we focus on North America. Using the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Radiometer (MODIS) cloud-gap-filled standard snow-cover data product we can detect a trend toward earlier spring snowmelt in the approx 12 years since the MODIS launch. However, not all areas in North America show earlier spring snowmelt over the study period. We show examples of springtime snowmelt over North America, beginning in March 2000 and extending through the winter of 2012 for all of North America, and for various specific areas such as the Wind River Range in Wyoming and in the Catskill Mountains in New York. We also compare our approx 12-year trends with trends derived from the Rutgers Global Snow Lab snow cover climate-data record.

Adjusting central and eastern North America ground‐motion intensity measures between sites with different reference‐rock site conditions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Boore, David; Campbell, Kenneth W.

2017-01-01

Adjustment factors are provided for converting ground‐motion intensity measures between central and eastern North America (CENA) sites with different reference‐rock site conditions (VS30=760, 2000, and 3000  m/s) for moment magnitudes ranging from 2 to 8, rupture distances ranging from 2 to 1200 km, Fourier amplitude spectra (FAS) for frequencies ranging from 0.01 to 100 Hz, response spectra for periods ranging from 0.01 to 10.0 s, peak ground acceleration, and peak ground velocity. The adjustment factors are given for a wide range of the site diminution parameters (κ0) for sites with VS30=760  m/s and for a κ0 of 0.006 s for two harder rock sites. Fourteen CENA velocity profiles with VS30 values within a factor of 1.1 of 760  m/s were used to derive average FAS amplification factors as a function of frequency, which were then used in simulations of peak ground‐motion parameters and response spectra to derive the adjustment factors. The amplification function differs from that used in western North America (e.g., Campbell and Boore, 2016) in having a peak near 9 Hz, due to the resonance of motions in the relatively thin low‐velocity material over hard rock that characterizes many CENA sites with VS30 near 760  m/s. We call these B/C sites, because this velocity marks the boundary between National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program site classes B and C (Building Seismic Safety Council, 2004). The adjustments for short‐period motions are sensitive to the value of κ0, but there are very few if any determinations of κ0 for CENA B/C sites. For this reason, we determined κ0 from multiple recordings at Pinyon Flat Observatory (PFO), California, which has a velocity‐depth profile similar to those of CENA B/C sites. The PFO and other results from the literature suggest that appropriate values of κ0 for CENA B/C sites are expected to lie between 0.01 and 0.03 s.

Adjusting central and eastern North America ground-motion intensity measures between sites with different reference-rock site conditions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Boore, David; Campbell, Kenneth W.

2017-01-01

Adjustment factors are provided for converting ground‐motion intensity measures between central and eastern North America (CENA) sites with different reference‐rock site conditions (VS30=760, 2000, and 3000  m/s) for moment magnitudes ranging from 2 to 8, rupture distances ranging from 2 to 1200 km, Fourier amplitude spectra (FAS) for frequencies ranging from 0.01 to 100 Hz, response spectra for periods ranging from 0.01 to 10.0 s, peak ground acceleration, and peak ground velocity. The adjustment factors are given for a wide range of the site diminution parameters (κ0) for sites with VS30=760  m/s and for a κ0 of 0.006 s for two harder rock sites. Fourteen CENA velocity profiles with VS30 values within a factor of 1.1 of 760  m/s were used to derive average FAS amplification factors as a function of frequency, which were then used in simulations of peak ground‐motion parameters and response spectra to derive the adjustment factors. The amplification function differs from that used in western North America (e.g., Campbell and Boore, 2016) in having a peak near 9 Hz, due to the resonance of motions in the relatively thin low‐velocity material over hard rock that characterizes many CENA sites with VS30 near 760  m/s. We call these B/C sites, because this velocity marks the boundary between National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program site classes B and C (Building Seismic Safety Council, 2004). The adjustments for short‐period motions are sensitive to the value of κ0, but there are very few if any determinations of κ0 for CENA B/C sites. For this reason, we determined κ0from multiple recordings at Pinyon Flat Observatory (PFO), California, which has a velocity‐depth profile similar to those of CENA B/C sites. The PFO and other results from the literature suggest that appropriate values of κ0 for CENA B/C sites are expected to lie between 0.01 and 0.03 s.

Positive Patch-Test Reactions to Essential Oils in Consecutive Patients From North America and Central Europe.

PubMed

Warshaw, Erin M; Zug, Kathryn A; Belsito, Donald V; Fowler, Joseph F; DeKoven, Joel G; Sasseville, Denis; Maibach, Howard I; Mathias, C G Toby; DeLeo, Vincent A; Taylor, James S; Fransway, Anthony F; Marks, James G; Pratt, Melanie D; Zirwas, Matthew J; Geier, Johannes; Uter, Wolfgang

Synthetic fragrances and natural essential oils (EOs) are used in perfumery and found in various cosmetics. Essential oils are also increasingly used to promote wellness. In previous studies, the sensitization potential of some EOs has been identified; however, the current prevalence of sensitivity is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to determine frequency of positive patch-test reactions to EOs tested in the baseline series, along with 3 fragrance markers (FMs) (fragrance mix I, fragrance mix II, and Myroxylon pereirae), in consecutive patients in the US/Canadian North American Contact Dermatitis Group (NACDG) (2009-2014) and the central European, trinational Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK) (2010-2014). This study used a retrospective analysis of patch-test results and relevant demographic/clinical data collected electronically by the networks, obtained with Santalum album 10% petrolatum (pet) (IVDK only); Cananga odorata 2% (NACDG) and 10% (IVDK) pet; Jasminum species 2% (NACDG) and 5% (IVDK) pet; Mentha piperita 2% pet; Melaleuca alternifolia, oxidized (tea tree oil), 5% pet; and Lavandula angustifolia 2% pet (latter 3 NACDG only). Overall, 62,354 patients were tested to 3 FMs and EOs (NACDG, 13,398; IVDK, 48,956); 11,568 (18.6%) reacted to at least 1 FM or EO, whereas 857 (1.4%) reacted to 1 or more EOs but none of the 3 FMs. For both the NACDG and IVDK populations, individuals who were positive to 1 or more of the 9 study allergens were significantly less likely to be male, have occupational skin disease, or have hand involvement and significantly more likely to have leg dermatitis and be 40 years and older (P's ≤ 0.005). Prevalence rates for EOs were as follows: S. album, 1.4% IVDK; C. odorata, 1.1% NACDG and 2.4% IVDK; Jasminum species, 0.7% NACDG and 1.4% IVDK; M. piperita, 0.9% NACDG; L. angustifolia, 0.3% NACDG; and M. alternifolia, 0.3% NACDG. Of the 140 NACDG patients who reacted to 1 or more of the 5 NACDG EOs but

A detailed gravimetric geoid of North America, Eurasia, and Australia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vincent, S.; Strange, W. E.

1972-01-01

A detailed gravimetric geoid of North America, the North Atlantic, Eurasia, and Australia computed from a combination of satellite-derived and surface 1 x 1 gravity data, is presented. Using a consistent set of parameters, this geoid is referenced to an absolute datum. The precision of this detailed geoid is + or - 2 meters in the continents but may be in the range of 5 to 7 meters in those areas where data was sparse. Comparisons of the detailed gravimetric geoid with results of Rice for the United States, Bomford and Fischer in Eurasia, and Mather in Australia are presented. Comparisons are also presented with geoid heights from satellite solutions for geocentric station coordinates in North America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Australia.

Definitive Hosts of Versteria Tapeworms (Cestoda: Taeniidae) Causing Fatal Infection in North America

PubMed Central

Lee, Laura M.; Wallace, Roberta S.; Clyde, Victoria L.; Gendron-Fitzpatrick, Annette; Sibley, Samuel D.; Stuchin, Margot; Lauck, Michael; O’Connor, David H.; Nakao, Minoru; Lavikainen, Antti; Hoberg, Eric P.

2016-01-01

We previously reported fatal infection of a captive Bornean orangutan with metacestodes of a novel taeniid tapeworm, Versteria sp. New data implicate mustelids as definitive hosts of these tapeworms in North America. At least 2 parasite genetic lineages circulate in North America, representing separate introductions from Eurasia. PMID:26983004

Upper Mantle Shear Wave Structure Beneath North America From Multi-mode Surface Wave Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshizawa, K.; Ekström, G.

2008-12-01

The upper mantle structure beneath the North American continent has been investigated from measurements of multi-mode phase speeds of Love and Rayleigh waves. To estimate fundamental-mode and higher-mode phase speeds of surface waves from a single seismogram at regional distances, we have employed a method of nonlinear waveform fitting based on a direct model-parameter search using the neighbourhood algorithm (Yoshizawa & Kennett, 2002). The method of the waveform analysis has been fully automated by employing empirical quantitative measures for evaluating the accuracy/reliability of estimated multi-mode phase dispersion curves, and thus it is helpful in processing the dramatically increasing numbers of seismic data from the latest regional networks such as USArray. As a first step toward modeling the regional anisotropic shear-wave velocity structure of the North American upper mantle with extended vertical resolution, we have applied the method to long-period three-component records of seismic stations in North America, which mostly comprise the GSN and US regional networks as well as the permanent and transportable USArray stations distributed by the IRIS DMC. Preliminary multi-mode phase-speed models show large-scale patterns of isotropic heterogeneity, such as a strong velocity contrast between the western and central/eastern United States, which are consistent with the recent global and regional models (e.g., Marone, et al. 2007; Nettles & Dziewonski, 2008). We will also discuss radial anisotropy of shear wave speed beneath North America from multi-mode dispersion measurements of Love and Rayleigh waves.

Art Bridging Boundaries: Central America and the United States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldman, Shifra M.

This paper describes the organization, Artists Call, as well as several slides shown during the presentation to illustrate "visual solidarity" between artists of the United States and Central America. In 1983, artists in 27 U.S. cities as well as Paris and Mexico City organized Artists Call against U.S. Intervention in Central America.…

Patterns of illness in travelers visiting Mexico and Central America: the GeoSentinel experience.

PubMed

Flores-Figueroa, Jose; Okhuysen, Pablo C; von Sonnenburg, Frank; DuPont, Herbert L; Libman, Michael D; Keystone, Jay S; Hale, Devon C; Burchard, Gerd; Han, Pauline V; Wilder-Smith, Annelies; Freedman, David O

2011-09-01

Mexico and Central America are important travel destinations for North American and European travelers. There is limited information on regional differences in travel related morbidity. We describe the morbidity among 4779 ill travelers returned from Mexico and Central America who were evaluated at GeoSentinel network clinics during December 1996 to February 2010. The most frequent presenting syndromes included acute and chronic diarrhea, dermatologic diseases, febrile systemic illness, and respiratory disease. A higher proportion of ill travelers from the United States had acute diarrhea, compared with their Canadian and European counterparts (odds ratio, 1.9; P < .0001). During the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak from March 2009 through February 2010, the proportionate morbidity (PM) associated with respiratory illnesses in ill travelers increased among those returned from Mexico, compared with prior years (196.0 cases per 1000 ill returned travelers vs 53.7 cases per 1000 ill returned travelers; P < .0001); the PM remained constant in the rest of Central America (57.3 cases per 1000 ill returned travelers). We identified 50 travelers returned from Mexico and Central America who developed influenza, including infection due to 2009 H1N1 strains and influenza-like illness. The overall risk of malaria was low; only 4 cases of malaria were acquired in Mexico (PM, 2.2 cases per 1000 ill returned travelers) in 13 years, compared with 18 from Honduras (PM, 79.6 cases per 1000 ill returned travelers) and 14 from Guatemala (PM, 34.4 cases per 1000 ill returned travelers) during the same period. Plasmodium vivax malaria was the most frequent malaria diagnosis. Travel medicine practitioners advising and treating travelers visiting these regions should dedicate special attention to vaccine-preventable illnesses and should consider the uncommon occurrence of acute hepatitis A, leptospirosis, neurocysticercosis, acute Chagas disease, onchocerciasis, mucocutaneous leishmaniasis

The beginnings of seismology in North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

1979-01-01

The study of earthquakes advanced somewhat more slowly in North America than it did in Europe and Japan. J.D. Whitney, professor of geology at Harvard University and former State Geologist of California, studied the Owens Valley, Calif., earthquake of 1872 and reported on it that same year.

A Bibliography of Italian Studies in North America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cherubini, Jon C., Comp.

1977-01-01

This quarterly bibliography of Italian studies in North America includes books, bibliographies, and reviews of comparative literature studies, translations, and publications on art, music, philosophy, history, cinema, and sociology, which are closely related to literature. (SW)

Research, management, and status of the osprey in North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Henny, C.J.; Chancellor, R.D.

1977-01-01

Osprey populations were studied throughout North America during the last decade as a result of dramatic declines reported along the North Atlantic Coast in the1950s and early 1960s. Researchers used banding, localized studies, aerial surveys, and pesticide analyses to identify factors influencing regional populations. Declining populations showed extremely poor production, contamination by environmental pollutants (including DDT and its metabolites, dieldrin, and polychlorinated biphenyls) and thin-shelled eggs. Following the reduced use and eventual ban of DDT and dieldrin, productivity began to improve. Improvement in affected populations, mainly those along the Atlantic Coast and in the Great Lakes region, began in the late 1960s and is continuing in the 1970s. Most populations in the South Atlantic region, in Western North America, and in Florida and the Gulf of California appeared to be producing at normal or near-normal rates in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Although some of the most severely affected populations are still not producing at normal rates, the pattern of improvement and an increase in management activities, including provision of nesting platforms and establishment of Osprey management zones, allow cautious optimism about the future of the species in North America. With its low recruitment potential, however, recovery will be slow.

9 CFR 93.423 - Ruminants from Central America and the West Indies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Ruminants from Central America and the... PRODUCTS; REQUIREMENTS FOR MEANS OF CONVEYANCE AND SHIPPING CONTAINERS Ruminants Central America and West Indies 9 § 93.423 Ruminants from Central America and the West Indies. (a) Ruminants intended for...

9 CFR 93.423 - Ruminants from Central America and the West Indies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Ruminants from Central America and the... PRODUCTS; REQUIREMENTS FOR MEANS OF CONVEYANCE AND SHIPPING CONTAINERS Ruminants Central America and West Indies 9 § 93.423 Ruminants from Central America and the West Indies. (a) Ruminants intended for...

9 CFR 93.423 - Ruminants from Central America and the West Indies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Ruminants from Central America and the... PRODUCTS; REQUIREMENTS FOR MEANS OF CONVEYANCE AND SHIPPING CONTAINERS Ruminants Central America and West Indies 9 § 93.423 Ruminants from Central America and the West Indies. (a) Ruminants intended for...

9 CFR 93.423 - Ruminants from Central America and the West Indies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Ruminants from Central America and the... PRODUCTS; REQUIREMENTS FOR MEANS OF CONVEYANCE AND SHIPPING CONTAINERS Ruminants Central America and West Indies 9 § 93.423 Ruminants from Central America and the West Indies. (a) Ruminants intended for...

Necessary Conditions for Intraplate Seismic Zones in North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, William A.; Powell, Christine A.

2017-12-01

The cause of intraplate seismic zones persists as an important scientific and societal question. Most intraplate earthquakes are concentrated in specific seismic zones along or adjacent to large-scale basement structures (e.g., rifts or sutures at ancient plate boundaries) within continental crust. The major intraplate seismic zones are limited to specific segments and are not distributed along the lengths of the ancient structures. We present a new hypothesis that major intraplate seismic zones are restricted to places where concentrated crustal deformation (CCD) is overprinted on large-scale basement structures. Examples where CCD affects the stability of specific parts of large-scale structures in response to present-day stress conditions include the most active seismic zones in central and eastern North America: Charlevoix, Eastern Tennessee, and New Madrid. Our hypothesis has important implications for the assessment of seismic hazards.

Forest health conditions in North America

Treesearch

B. Moody; J.V. Castillo; M.E. Fenn

2008-01-01

Some of the greatest forest health impacts in North America are caused by invasive forest insects and pathogens (e.g., emerald ash borer and sudden oak death in the US), by severe outbreaks of native pests (e.g., mountain pine beetle in Canada), and fires exacerbated by changing climate. Ozone and N and S pollutants continue to impact the health of forests in several...

Multiple introductions and onward transmission of non-pandemic HIV-1 subtype B strains in North America and Europe.

PubMed Central

Cabello, Marina; Romero, Hector; Bello, Gonzalo

2016-01-01

Most HIV-1 subtype B infections in North America and Europe seem to have resulted from the expansion of a single pandemic lineage (BPANDEMIC) disseminated from the United States (US). Some non-pandemic subtype B strains of Caribbean origin (BCAR) may have also reached North America and Europe, but their epidemiological relevance in those regions remains largely unknown. Here we analyze a total of 20,045 HIV-1 subtype B pol sequences from the US, Canada, and Europe, to estimate the prevalence and to reconstruct the spatiotemporal dynamics of dissemination of HIV-1 BCAR strains in those regions. We find that BCAR strains were probably disseminated from the Caribbean into North America and Europe at multiple times since the early 1970s onwards. The BCAR strains reached the US, Canada and at least 16 different European countries, where they account for a very low fraction (<5%) of subtype B infections, with exception of the Czech Republic (7.7%). We also find evidence of the onward transmission of BCAR clades in the US, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, as well as short-distance spreading of BCAR lineages between neighboring European countries from Central and Western Europe, and long-distance dissemination between the US and Europe. PMID:27653834

Monitoring the Earthquake source process in North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Herrmann, Robert B.; Benz, H.; Ammon, C.J.

2011-01-01

With the implementation of the USGS National Earthquake Information Center Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response system (PAGER), rapid determination of earthquake moment magnitude is essential, especially for earthquakes that are felt within the contiguous United States. We report an implementation of moment tensor processing for application to broad, seismically active areas of North America. This effort focuses on the selection of regional crustal velocity models, codification of data quality tests, and the development of procedures for rapid computation of the seismic moment tensor. We systematically apply these techniques to earthquakes with reported magnitude greater than 3.5 in continental North America that are not associated with a tectonic plate boundary. Using the 0.02-0.10 Hz passband, we can usually determine, with few exceptions, moment tensor solutions for earthquakes with M w as small as 3.7. The threshold is significantly influenced by the density of stations, the location of the earthquake relative to the seismic stations and, of course, the signal-to-noise ratio. With the existing permanent broadband stations in North America operated for rapid earthquake response, the seismic moment tensor of most earthquakes that are M w 4 or larger can be routinely computed. As expected the nonuniform spatial pattern of these solutions reflects the seismicity pattern. However, the orientation of the direction of maximum compressive stress and the predominant style of faulting is spatially coherent across large regions of the continent.

Opportunities and uses of biochar on forest sites in North America [Chapter 15

Treesearch

Deborah S. Page-Dumroese; Mark D. Coleman; Sean C. Thomas

2017-01-01

Biochar may be useful for restoring or revitalizing degraded forest soils and help with carbon sequestration, nutrient leaching losses, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, biochar is not currently widely used on forested lands across North America. This chapter provides an overview of several biochar experiments conducted in North America and discusses the...

Deformation in D″ Beneath North America From Anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nowacki, A. J.; Wookey, J.; Kendall, J. M.

2009-12-01

The lowermost few hundred kilometres of the Earth's mantle—known as D″—form the boundary between it and the core below, control the Earth's convective system, and are the site of probable large thermochemical heterogeneity. Seismic observations of D″ show a strong heterogeneity in seismic wave velocity and significant seismic anisotropy (the variation of wave speed with direction) are present in many parts of the region. On the basis of continuous regions of fast shear velocity (VS) anomalies in global models, it is also proposed as the resting place of subducted slabs, notably the Farallon beneath North America. A phase change of MgSiO3-perovskite (pv) to a post-perovskite (ppv) structure at near-core-mantle boundary (CMB) conditions is a compelling mechanism to explain the seismic features of D″. An outstanding question is how this and other mineral phases may deform to produce anisotropy, with different mechanisms possible. With knowledge either of mantle flow or which slip system is responsible for causing deformation, we can potentially determine the other with observations of the resulting seismic anisotropy. We investigate the dynamics at the CMB beneath North America using differential shear wave splitting in S and ScS phases from earthquakes of magnitude MW>5.5 in South and Central America, Hawaii the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and East Pacific Rise. They are detected on ~500 stations in North America, giving ~700 measurements of anisotropy in D″. We achieve this by correcting for anisotropy in the upper mantle (UM) beneath both the source and receiver. The measurements cover three regions beneath western USA, the Yucatan peninsula and Florida. In each case, two different, crossing ray paths are used, so that the style of anisotropy can be constrained—a single azimuth cannot distinguish differing cases. Our results showing ~1% anisotropy dependent on azimuth are not consistent with transverse isotropy with a vertical symmetry axis (VTI) anywhere. The

Ploidy variation in Fraxinus L. (Oleaceae) of eastern North America

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Premise of the Research Ash (Fraxinus spp.), once a dominant tree genus in eastern North America, is now endangered by the rapid spread of Emerald Ash Borer. Conservation efforts have been hampered by serious disagreements about the taxonomy of North American Fraxinus. Polyploidy has been importan...

76 FR 64961 - Accreditation and Approval of SGS North America, Inc. as a Commercial Gauger and Laboratory

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-19

... of SGS North America, Inc. as a Commercial Gauger and Laboratory AGENCY: Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security. ACTION: Notice of approval of SGS North America, Inc., Carson... 151.12 and 151.13, SGS North America, Inc., Carson, California 90746, has been approved to gauge and...

Structural (Performance) class Potential for North America

Treesearch

Eric Jones; David E. Kretschmann; Kevin Cheung

2014-01-01

Structural class systems are species-independent product classification systems for structural timber. They are used throughout the world to reduce the number of species and grade choices that face the designer of wood construction projects. Structural class systems offer an opportunity to simplify timber specification in North America and to encourage more effective...

The 8th Century Megadrought Across North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahle, D. W.; Therrell, M. D.; Cleaveland, M. K.; Fye, F. K.; Cook, E. R.; Grissino-Mayer, H. D.; Acuna-Soto, R.

2002-12-01

Tree-ring data suggest that the 8th and 16th century megadroughts may have been the most severe and sustained droughts to impact North America in the past 1500 years. The 16th century megadrought may have persisted for up to 40 years, and extended from the tropics to the boreal forest and from the Pacific to Atlantic coasts. Evidence for the 8th century drought is sparse, but tree-ring and lake sediment data indicate that this drought extended from the northern Great Plains, across the southwestern United States, and into central Mexico and the Yucatan peninsula. Tree-ring data from Colorado and New Mexico document severe drought from A.D. 735-765, and may provide accurate and precise dating for the onset of the epic droughts reconstructed during the late first millennium A.D. with sedimentary data from Elk Lake, Minnesota; Moon Lake, South Dakota; La Piscina de Yuriria, Guanajuato; and Lake Chichancanab, Yucatan. If these chronological refinements are correct, then the sedimentary records suggest much greater persistence to the 8th century megadrought than indicated by the very high resolution tree-ring data, and a strong second pulse of prolonged drought late in the first millennium. Analyses of instrumental precipitation and drought indices during the 20th century, along with tree-ring reconstructions of climate in Mexico and the Southwest, indicate that annual and decadal droughts can both simultaneously impact the entire region from New Mexico and Texas down into central Mexico. The intensity and large-scale impact of drought across this region seem to be greatest when La Nina conditions and the low phase of the North Pacific oscillation prevail. The tree-ring dated 8th century megadrought occurred near the decline of the Classic Period civilizations at Teotihuacan in central Mexico and in the Mayan region of the Yucatan. The 8th century megadrought may have interacted with anthropogenic environmental degradation, epidemic disease, and social upheaval to

Projected future suitable habitat and productivity of Douglas-fir in western North America

Treesearch

Aaron R. Weiskittel; Nicholas L. Crookston; Gerald E. Rehfeldt

2012-01-01

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) is one of the most common and commercially important species in western North America. The species can occupy a range of habitats, is long-lived (up to 500 years), and highly productive. However, the future of Douglas-fir in western North America is highly uncertain due to the expected changes in climate conditions....

Regional Strategic Appraisal of Central America

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-04-07

effective region, to increase its competitiveness in the face of the challenges from globalization . Therefore, I recommend a deepening of the regional...centroamericanos, 1970 a 1999, Mexico City, Mach 2000. 7 Agosin, Bloom and Gitli, Globalization , Liberalization, and Sustainable Human Development in Central...Bloom, and Eduardo Gitli, “ Globalization , Liberalization, and Sustainable Human Development in Central America,” February, 2000; available from <http

Book review: Shorebirds of North America: the photographic guide

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterjohn, Bruce G.

2005-01-01

As stated in the preface of this new guide, shorebirds are among our most engaging birds. Their ecology and behavior are the subjects of numerous ornithological studies, their identification can challenge the skills of the most serious birdwatchers, and people with a casual interest in birds are captivated by the antics of Sanderlings (Calidris alba) chasing waves along a beach. While some books provide a worldwide perspective on shorebird identification, this book is the first guide devoted solely to identifying every species occurring in North America. Its coverage is truly continental, extending from Alaska to Panama and including the West Indies.Review info: Shorebirds of North America: the photographic guide. By Dennis R. Paulson, 2005. ISBN: 0691102740, 384 pp.

Laminated root rot in western North America.

Treesearch

Walter G. Thies; Rona N. Sturrock

1995-01-01

Laminated root rot, caused by Phellinus weirii (Murr.) Gilb., is a serious root disease affecting Douglas-fir and other commercially important species of conifers in northwestern North America. This report gives an overview of the dis-ease as it occurs in the Pacific Northwest in Canada and the United States. Information on recognizing crown...

North Pacific atmospheric rivers and their influence on western North America at the Last Glacial Maximum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lora, Juan M.; Mitchell, Jonathan L.; Risi, Camille; Tripati, Aradhna E.

2017-01-01

Southwestern North America was wetter than present during the Last Glacial Maximum. The causes of increased water availability have been recently debated, and quantitative precipitation reconstructions have been underutilized in model-data comparisons. We investigate the climatological response of North Pacific atmospheric rivers to the glacial climate using model simulations and paleoclimate reconstructions. Atmospheric moisture transport due to these features shifted toward the southeast relative to modern. Enhanced southwesterly moisture delivery between Hawaii and California increased precipitation in the southwest while decreasing it in the Pacific Northwest, in agreement with reconstructions. Coupled climate models that are best able to reproduce reconstructed precipitation changes simulate decreases in sea level pressure across the eastern North Pacific and show the strongest southeastward shifts of moisture transport relative to a modern climate. Precipitation increases of ˜1 mm d-1, due largely to atmospheric rivers, are of the right magnitude to account for reconstructed pluvial conditions in parts of southwestern North America during the Last Glacial Maximum.

Toxocariasis in North America: a systematic review.

PubMed

Lee, Rachel M; Moore, Laura B; Bottazzi, Maria Elena; Hotez, Peter J

2014-08-01

Toxocariasis is an important neglected tropical disease that can manifest as visceral or ocular larva migrans, or covert toxocariasis. All three forms pose a public health problem and cause significant morbidity in areas of high prevalence. To determine the burden of toxocariasis in North America, we conducted a systematic review of the literature following PRISMA guidelines. We found 18 articles with original prevalence, incidence, or case data for toxocariasis. Prevalence estimates ranged from 0.6% in a Canadian Inuit community to 30.8% in Mexican children with asthma. Commonly cited risk factors included: African-American race, poverty, male sex, and pet ownership or environmental contamination by animal feces. Increased prevalence of Toxocara spp. infection was linked in a group of case control studies conducted in Mexico to several high risk groups including waste pickers, asthmatic children, and inpatient psychiatry patients. Further research is needed to determine the true current burden of toxocariasis in North America; however the prevalence estimates gathered in this review suggest that the burden of disease is significant.

Toxocariasis in North America: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Bottazzi, Maria Elena; Hotez, Peter J.

2014-01-01

Toxocariasis is an important neglected tropical disease that can manifest as visceral or ocular larva migrans, or covert toxocariasis. All three forms pose a public health problem and cause significant morbidity in areas of high prevalence. To determine the burden of toxocariasis in North America, we conducted a systematic review of the literature following PRISMA guidelines. We found 18 articles with original prevalence, incidence, or case data for toxocariasis. Prevalence estimates ranged from 0.6% in a Canadian Inuit community to 30.8% in Mexican children with asthma. Commonly cited risk factors included: African-American race, poverty, male sex, and pet ownership or environmental contamination by animal feces. Increased prevalence of Toxocara spp. infection was linked in a group of case control studies conducted in Mexico to several high risk groups including waste pickers, asthmatic children, and inpatient psychiatry patients. Further research is needed to determine the true current burden of toxocariasis in North America; however the prevalence estimates gathered in this review suggest that the burden of disease is significant. PMID:25166906

Impact of Glacial Isostatic Adjustment on North America Plate Specific Terrestrial Reference Frame

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herring, Thomas; Melbourne, Tim; Murray, Mark; Floyd, Mike; Szeliga, Walter; King, Robert; Phillips, David; Puskas, Christine

2017-04-01

We examine the impact of incorporating glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) models in determining the Euler poles for plate specific terrestrial reference frames. We will specifically examine the impact of GIA models on the realization of a North America Reference frame. We use a combination of the velocity fields determined by the Geodesy Advancing Geosciences and EarthScope (GAGE) Facility which analyzes GPS data from the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) and other geodetic quality GPS sites in North America, and from the ITRF2014 re-analysis. Initial analysis of the GAGE velocity field shows reduced root-mean-square (RMS) scatter of velocity estimate residuals when the North America Euler pole is estimated including the ICE-6G GIA mode. The reduction in the north-south direction is from 0.69 mm/yr to 0.52 mm/yr, in the east-west direction from 0.34 mm/yr to 0.30 mm/yr and in height from 0.93 mm/yr to 0.72 mm/yr. The reduction in the height RMS is not surprising since the contemporary geodetic height velocity estimates are used in the developing the ICE-6G model. Contemporary horizontal motions are not used the GIA model development, and the reduction in horizontal RMS provides a partial validation of the model. There is no reduction in the horizontal velocity residual when the ICE-5G model is used. Although removing the ICE-6G model before fitting an Euler pole for the North American plate reduces the RMS of the residuals, the pattern of residuals is still systematic suggesting possibly that a spherically symmetric viscosity model might not be adequate for accurate modeling of the horizontal motions associated with GIA in North America. This presentation in focus on the prospects and impacts of incorporating GIA models in plate-specific Euler poles with emphasis on North America.

External Review Teams Training in Central America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silva-Trivino; Moises; Ramirez-Gatica, Soledad

2004-01-01

Many Latin American countries have started actions to promote a higher education quality assurance system. Central America appears as a regional effort that includes universities from all seven countries under the initiative of Central American University Higher Council (CSUCA). After focusing in quality management and self-study processes, CSUCA…

Comparison of dental education and professional development between mainland China and North America.

PubMed

Wu, Z Y; Zhang, Z Y; Jiang, X Q; Guo, L

2010-05-01

Different educational and professional developments within the dental field create different sets of missions, norms, and practices regarding dental diseases and their appropriate treatment. This review has addressed differences in dental education and professional development between mainland China and North America. Many factors influence the choice of model and it is very difficult to predict which model will become predominant. However, there is growing sentiment that the independent faculty model in North America is logical and superior to the model, which 'integrates' dental and medical education in mainland China. Many North America dental schools place a high priority on preclinical and clinical training in the curriculum in order to expose students to patient oral health needs and systemic dental problems much earlier than in mainland China. North America dental schools promote and embrace students self-learning skills by the use of PBL, CRL, and TRAD education methodologies and new e-based technologies and approaches whereby students learn rather than are taught. In mainland China, the traditional lecture-based format is still employed in the majority of dental schools; however, strategies to enhance students self-learning skills is increasingly utilised in most well-known Chinese dental schools. The Chinese dental education model, which treats dentistry as a sub-specialty of medicine, has brought about fundamental differences, with the dentist functioning essentially as a stomatologist. For example, China has built up a large oral and maxillofacial surgery society, and craniofacial surgery is performed to a much broader extent by Chinese dentists than by most North American counterparts. In North America, dentists engage in full-time work, attend continuing training/education programmes, belong to an association, gain legal status, and construct a code of ethics emphasising the quality of care delivered to the public. Currently, continuing dental

New digital magnetic anomaly database for North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Finn, C.A.; Pilkington, M.; Cuevas, A.; Hernandez, I.; Urrutia, J.

2001-01-01

The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and Consejo de Recursos Minerales of Mexico (CRM) are compiling an upgraded digital magnetic anomaly database and map for North America. This trinational project is expected to be completed by late 2002.

Ocean deformation processes at the Caribbean-North America-South America triple junction: Initial results of the 2007 ANTIPLAC marine survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benard, F.; Deville, E.; Le Drezen, E.; Loubrieu, B.; Maltese, L.; Patriat, M.; Roest, W.; Thereau, E.; Umber, M.; Vially, R.

2007-12-01

Marine geophysical data (multibeam and seismic lines) acquired in 2007 (ANTIPLAC survey) in the North-South Americas-Caribbean triple point (Central Atlantic, Barracuda and Tiburon ridges area), provide information about the structure, the tectonic processes and the timing of the deformation in this large diffuse zone of polyphase deformation. The deformation of the plate boundary between the north and south Americas is distributed on several structures located in the Atlantic plain, at the front of the Barbados accretionary prism. In this area of deformation of the Atlantic oceanic lithosphere, the main depressions and transform troughs are filled by Late Pliocene-Pleistocene turbidite sediments, especially in the Barracuda trough, north of Barracuda ridge. These sediments are not issued from the Lesser Antilles volcanic arc but they are sourced from the East, probably by the Orinoco turbidite distal system, through channels transiting in the Atlantic abyssal plain. These Late Pliocene- Quaternary sediments show locally spectacular evidences of syntectonic deformation. It can be shown notably that Barracuda ridge includes a pre-existing transform fault system which has been folded and uplifted very recently during Pleistocene times. This recent deformation has generate relieves up to 2 km high with associated erosion processes notably along the northern flank the Barracuda ridge. The subduction of these recently deformed ridges induces deformation of earlier structures within the Barbados accretionary prism. These asperities within the Atlantic oceanic lithosphere which is subducted in the Lesser Antilles active margin are correlated with the zone of intense seismic activity below the volcanic arc.

Persistent Cold Air Outbreaks over North America Under Climate Warming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Y.; Leung, L. R.; Lu, J.

2014-12-01

This study evaluates the change of cold air outbreaks (CAO) over North America using Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) multi-model ensemble of global climate simulations as well as regional high resolution climate simulations. In future, while robust decrease of CAO duration dominates in most of the North America, the decrease over northwestern U.S. was found to have much smaller magnitude than the surrounding regions. We found statistically significant increase of the sea level pressure over gulf of Alaska, leading to the advection of cold air to northwestern U.S.. By shifting the probability distribution of present temperature towards future warmer conditions, we identified the changes in large scale circulation contribute to about 50% of the enhanced sea level pressure. Using the high resolution regional climate model results, we found that increases of existing snowpack could potentially trigger the increase of CAO in the near future over the southwestern U.S. and Rocky Mountain through surface albedo effects. By the end of this century, the top 5 most extreme historical CAO events may still occur and wind chill warning will continue to have societal impacts over North America in particular over northwestern United States.

Poleward Tropical Moisture Transport and its Link to Four Sequential Extreme Weather Events over North America in October 2007

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosart, L. F.; Cordeira, J. M.; Archambault, H. M.; Moore, B. J.

2014-12-01

A case of four sequentially linked extreme weather events (EWEs) during 22 - 31 October 2007 which included wildfires in southern California, cold surges in northern and eastern Mexico, widespread heavy rain in the eastern United Sates, and heavy rains in southern Mexico is presented. These EWEs were preceded by a rapid dynamically driven rapid amplification of the upper-level flow across the North Pacific and North America associated with the formation of a large-amplitude Rossby wave train (RWT) through downstream baroclinic development involving multiple tropical and polar disturbance interactions with the North Pacific jet stream. The primary contributors to the formation of the large-amplitude RWT were two sequential upper-level polar disturbances, a diabatic Rossby vortex, western North Pacific TC Kajiki, and migratory extratropical cyclones (ECs). Deep subtropical and tropical moisture plumes resembling "atmospheric rivers" drawn poleward along warm conveyor belts into the warm sectors of these ECs played a critical role in further amplifying the downstream upper-level ridges based on an Eulerian analysis of negative potential vorticity advection by the irrotational wind and a Lagrangian trajectory analysis of tropical and subtropical moisture sources. In particular, these atmospheric rivers extending poleward from TC Kajiki and from the subtropical eastern North Pacific into the warm sectors of polar disturbance-generated ECs over the western and eastern North Pacific, respectively, bolstered latent heat release and ridge building and contributed to additional upper-level flow amplification. The EWEs occurred subsequent to anticyclonic wave breaking over western North America and the concomitant downstream formation of a meridionally elongated potential vorticity streamer over the central United States. The resulting high-amplitude flow pattern over North America favored the formation of the aforementioned EWEs by promoting an extensive meridional exchange

Thermal constraints on the emerald ash borer invasion of North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeSantis, R.; Moser, W. K.; Gormanson, D. D.; Bartlett, M. G.

2012-12-01

Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire; EAB), a non-native invasive beetle, has caused substantial damage to green (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.), white (Fraxinus americana L.), and black ash (Fraxinus nigra Marsh.), the major ash species of North America. In the absence of effective methods for controlling or eradicating the beetle, EAB continues to spread unimpeded across North America. Evidence indicates the mortality rate for EAB-infested trees near the epicenter of the infestation in southeast Michigan exceeds 99 percent for the major ash species. One possible climatic limitation on the spread of the infestation is suggested by recent work indicating that beetles cannot survive exposure to temperatures below -35.3 degrees Celsius. We considered whether this thermal constraint will limit the spread and distribution of EAB in North America. Historical climatic data for the United States and Canada were employed along with thermal models of the conditions beneath likely winter snowpack and beneath tree bark to predict the potential geographic distribution of the invasion. Results suggested the thermal mortality constraint will not lead to the protection of ash stands across most of North America. However, recent work indicates the majority of beetles cannot survive exposure to temperatures below -30 degrees Celsius. Along with our results, this suggests thermal constraints near the northern and western edges of the ranges of ash might limit EAB survival to some extent, thereby reducing the EAB population, the likelihood of EAB infestation, and subsequent ash mortality.

A history of biological disasters of animal origin in North America.

PubMed

Ackerman, G A; Giroux, J

2006-04-01

This paper examines past occurrences in North America relevant to the possibility of biological disasters with animal origins. With respect to naturally occurring animal disease outbreaks, North America, while not as adversely affected by epizootics as other regions, has had its fair share of such outbreaks of both 'traditional' and emerging animal diseases. The traditional category includes such diseases as anthrax, classical swine fever, bluetongue, brucellosis, foot and mouth disease, and the family of equine encephalomyelitis viruses. The emerging diseases include relatively more recent culprits such as postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome, poultry enteritis mortality syndrome, and newly discovered examples of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Additionally, several serious diseases of human beings that involve animal vectors or reservoirs occur naturally in North America or have emerged in recent decades; these include plague, hantavirus, monkeypox, West Nile virus and avian-derived influenza. At the same time, there have been very few intentional attacks on livestock using biological agents and no recorded cases in North America of animals intentionally being used to transmit disease to humans. According to the historical record, therefore, naturally occurring emerging zoonoses probably constitute the greatest threat in terms of biological disasters with animal origins. However, some of the general trends in terrorist activity, such as the intensification of activities by animal rights extremists against facilities undertaking animal research, mean that the possibility of intentional animal-related biological disasters should not be discounted.

75 FR 8921 - Grant of Authority for Subzone Status; Brightpoint North America L.P. (Cell Phone Kitting and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-26

... Status; Brightpoint North America L.P. (Cell Phone Kitting and Distribution) Indianapolis, IN Pursuant to... the cell phone kitting and distribution facilities of Brightpoint North America L.P., located in... cell phones at the facilities of Brightpoint North America L.P., located in Plainfield, Indiana...

Downscaling the NOAA CarbonTracker Inversion for North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petron, G.; Andrews, A. E.; Chen, H.; Trudeau, M. E.; Eluszkiewicz, J.; Nehrkorn, T.; Henderson, J.; Sweeney, C.; Karion, A.; Masarie, K.; Bruhwiler, L.; Miller, J. B.; Miller, B. R.; Peters, W.; Gourdji, S. M.; Mueller, K. L.; Michalak, A. M.; Tans, P. P.

2011-12-01

We are developing a regional extension of the NOAA CarbonTracker CO2 data-assimilation system for a limited domain covering North America. The regional assimilation will use pre-computed and species-independent atmospheric sampling footprints from a Lagrangian Particle Dispersion Model. Each footprint relates an observed trace gas concentration to upwind fluxes. Once a footprint library has been computed, it can be used repeatedly to quickly test different inversion strategies and, importantly, for inversions using multiple species data (e.g., anthropogenic tracers such as radiocarbon and carbon monoxide and biological tracers such as carbonyl sulfide and stable isotopes of CO2). The current global CarbonTracker (CT) assimilation framework has some important limitations. For example, the assimilation adjusts scaling factors for different vegetation classes within large regions. This means, for example, that all crops within temperate North America are scaled together. There is currently no distinction between crops such as corn and sorghum, which utilize the C4 photosynthesis pathway and C3 crops like soybeans, wheat, cotton, etc. The optimization scales only the net CO2 flux, rather than adjusting photosynthesis and respiration fluxes separately, which limits the flexibility of the inversion and sometimes results in unrealistic diurnal cycles of CO2 flux. The time-series of residuals (CT - observed) for continental sites in North America reveals a persistent excess of CO2 during summer. This summertime positive bias is also apparent in the comparison of CT posterior CO2 with aircraft data and with data from Pacific marine boundary layer sites, suggesting that some of the problem may originate outside of North America. For the regional inversion, we will use footprints from the Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport Model driven by meteorological fields from a customized high-resolution simulation with the Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model. We will use

Declining growth rate of West Nile virus in North America.

PubMed

Snapinn, Katherine W; Holmes, Edward C; Young, David S; Bernard, Kristen A; Kramer, Laura D; Ebel, Gregory D

2007-03-01

To determine the demographic history of West Nile virus (WNV) in North America, we employed a coalescent method to envelope coding region data sets for the NY99 and WN02 genotypes. Although the observed genetic diversities in both genotypes were of approximately the same age, the mean rate of epidemiological growth of the WN02 population was approximately three times that of the NY99 population, a finding compatible with the recent dominance of the former genotype. However, there has also been a marked decrease in the recent growth rate of WN02, suggesting that WNV has reached its peak prevalence in North America.

Combining MISR and MODIS data to automatically catalogue smoke plumes in North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mazzoni, Dominic; Tong, Lingling; Diner, David

2005-01-01

We are in the early stages of work on EPA task to investigate the effects of fires on air quality in North America, led by Jennifer Logan of Harvard University. JPL's contribution to this study is to find thousands of smoke plumes in satellite images of North America, and derive statistics about their geographic distribution, extent, orientation, and injection height.

Changes toward earlier streamflow timing across western North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stewart, I.T.; Cayan, D.R.; Dettinger, M.D.

2005-01-01

The highly variable timing of streamflow in snowmelt-dominated basins across western North America is an important consequence, and indicator, of climate fluctuations. Changes in the timing of snowmelt-derived streamflow from 1948 to 2002 were investigated in a network of 302 western North America gauges by examining the center of mass for flow, spring pulse onset dates, and seasonal fractional flows through trend and principal component analyses. Statistical analysis of the streamflow timing measures with Pacific climate indicators identified local and key large-scale processes that govern the regionally coherent parts of the changes and their relative importance. Widespread and regionally coherent trends toward earlier onsets of springtime snowmelt and streamflow have taken place across most of western North America, affecting an area that is much larger than previously recognized. These timing changes have resulted in increasing fractions of annual flow occurring earlier in the water year by 1-4 weeks. The immediate (or proximal) forcings for the spatially coherent parts of the year-to-year fluctuations and longer-term trends of streamflow timing have been higher winter and spring temperatures. Although these temperature changes are partly controlled by the decadal-scale Pacific climate mode [Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO)], a separate and significant part of the variance is associated with a springtime warming trend that spans the PDO phases. ?? 2005 American Meteorological Society.

Priorities for improving the scientific foundation of conservation policy in North America.

PubMed

Noss, Reed F; Fleishman, Erica; Dellasala, Dominick A; Fitzgerald, John M; Gross, Mart R; Main, Martin B; Nagle, Fiona; O'Malley, Stacey L; Rosales, Jon

2009-08-01

The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) can enhance conservation of biodiversity in North America by increasing its engagement in public policy. Toward this end, the North America Section of SCB is establishing partnerships with other professional organizations in order to speak more powerfully to decision makers and taking other actions--such as increasing interaction with chapters--geared to engage members more substantively in science-policy issues. Additionally, the section is developing a North American Biodiversity Blueprint, which spans the continental United States and Canada and is informed by natural and social science. This blueprint is intended to clarify the policy challenges for protecting continental biodiversity, to foster bilateral collaboration to resolve common problems, and to suggest rational alternative policies and practices that are more likely than current practices to sustain North America's natural heritage. Conservation scientists and practitioners can play a key role by drawing policy makers' attention to ultimate, as well as proximate, causes of biodiversity decline and to the ecological and economic consequences of not addressing these threats.

Shifting Pacific storm tracks as stressors to ecosystems of western North America.

PubMed

Dannenberg, Matthew P; Wise, Erika K

2017-11-01

Much of the precipitation delivered to western North America arrives during the cool season via midlatitude Pacific storm tracks, which may experience future shifts in response to climate change. Here, we assess the sensitivity of the hydroclimate and ecosystems of western North America to the latitudinal position of cool-season Pacific storm tracks. We calculated correlations between storm track variability and three hydroclimatic variables: gridded cool-season standardized precipitation-evapotranspiration index, April snow water equivalent, and water year streamflow from a network of USGS stream gauges. To assess how historical storm track variability affected ecosystem processes, we derived forest growth estimates from a large network of tree-ring widths and land surface phenology and wildfire estimates from remote sensing. From 1980 to 2014, cool-season storm tracks entered western North America between approximately 41°N and 53°N. Cool-season moisture supply and snowpack responded strongly to storm track position, with positive correlations to storm track latitude in eastern Alaska and northwestern Canada but negative correlations in the northwestern U.S. Ecosystems of the western United States were greener and more productive following winters with south-shifted storm tracks, while Canadian ecosystems were greener in years when the cool-season storm track was shifted to the north. On average, larger areas of the northwestern United States were burned by moderate to high severity wildfires when storm tracks were displaced north, and the average burn area per fire also tended to be higher in years with north-shifted storm tracks. These results suggest that projected shifts of Pacific storm tracks over the 21st century would likely alter hydroclimatic and ecological regimes in western North America, particularly in the northwestern United States, where moisture supply and ecosystem processes are highly sensitive to the position of cool-season storm tracks. �

North American import? Charting the origins of an enigmatic Trypanosoma cruzi domestic genotype.

PubMed

Zumaya-Estrada, Federico A; Messenger, Louisa A; Lopez-Ordonez, Teresa; Lewis, Michael D; Flores-Lopez, Carlos A; Martínez-Ibarra, Alejandro J; Pennington, Pamela M; Cordon-Rosales, Celia; Carrasco, Hernan V; Segovia, Maikel; Miles, Michael A; Llewellyn, Martin S

2012-10-10

Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas disease, is currently recognized as a complex of six lineages or Discrete Typing Units (DTU): TcI-TcVI. Recent studies have identified a divergent group within TcI - TcI(DOM). TcI(DOM). is associated with a significant proportion of human TcI infections in South America, largely absent from local wild mammals and vectors, yet closely related to sylvatic strains in North/Central America. Our aim was to examine hypotheses describing the origin of the TcI(DOM) genotype. We propose two possible scenarios: an emergence of TcI(DOM) in northern South America as a sister group of North American strain progenitors and dispersal among domestic transmission cycles, or an origin in North America, prior to dispersal back into South American domestic cycles. To provide further insight we undertook high resolution nuclear and mitochondrial genotyping of multiple Central American strains (from areas of México and Guatemala) and included them in an analysis with other published data. Mitochondrial sequence and nuclear microsatellite data revealed a cline in genetic diversity across isolates grouped into three populations: South America, North/Central America and TcI(DOM). As such, greatest diversity was observed in South America (A(r) = 4.851, π = 0.00712) and lowest in TcI(DOM) (Ar = 1.813, π = 0.00071). Nuclear genetic clustering (genetic distance based) analyses suggest that TcI(DOM) is nested within the North/Central American clade. Declining genetic diversity across the populations, and corresponding hierarchical clustering suggest that emergence of this important human genotype most likely occurred in North/Central America before moving southwards. These data are consistent with early patterns of human dispersal into South America.

Biomes of western North America at 18,000, 6000 and 0 14C yr BP reconstructed from pollen and packrat midden data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, R.S.; Anderson, K.H.

2000-01-01

A new compilation of pollen and packrat midden data from western North America provides a refined reconstruction of the composition and distribution of biomes in western North America for today and for 6000 and 18,000 radiocarbon years before present (14C yr BP). Modern biomes in western North America are adequately portrayed by pollen assemblages from lakes and bogs. Forest biomes in western North America share many taxa in their pollen spectra and it can be difficult to discriminate among these biomes. Plant macrofossils from packrat middens provide reliable identification of modern biomes from arid and semiarid regions, and this may also be true in similar environments in other parts of the world. However, a weighting factor for trees and shrubs must be used to reliably reconstruct modern biomes from plant macrofossils. A new biome, open conifer woodland, which includes eurythermic conifers and steppe plants, was defined to categorize much of the current and past vegetation of the semiarid interior of western North America. At 6000 14C yr BP, the forest biomes of the coastal Pacific North-west and the desert biomes of the South-west were in near-modern positions. Biomes in the interior Pacific North-west differed from those of today in that taiga prevailed in modern cool/cold mixed forests. Steppe was present in areas occupied today by open conifer woodland in the northern Great Basin, while in the central and southern Rocky Mountains forests grew where steppe grows today. During the mid-Holocene, cool conifer forests were expanded in the Rocky Mountains (relative to today) but contracted in the Sierra Nevada. These differences from the forests of today imply different climatic histories in these two regions between 6000 14C yr BP and today. At 18,000 14C yr BP, deserts were absent from the South-west and the coverage of open conifer woodland was greatly expanded relative to today. Steppe and tundra were present in much of the region now covered by forests in

The later evolution of modern sport in Latin America: the North American influence.

PubMed

Arbena, J L

2001-01-01

American impact on modern sports in Latin America overlaps geographically and chronologically with the European, especially British, impact. Principally baseball in the Caribbean basin, more recently basketball and volleyball across the hemisphere and occasionally American football in more limited areas illustrate a north-to-south movement executed by businessmen, educators, missionaries, military personnel, returning travelers (often students), sports entrepreneurs and television. Often initially supported by promoters of development within Latin America, this transfer has altered local recreational patterns and attracted Latin athletes to pursue careers in North America, provoking accusations of cultural imperialism and exploitation.

Red pandas (Mammalia, Carnivora: Parailurus) in the biomes of North Eurasia and North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matishov, G. G.; Kalmykov, N. P.

2011-05-01

The discovery of the Pliocene red panda ( Parailurus) in the West Transbaikal area, as well as Asian raccoons in North Eurasia and North America, indicates that forested areas with bamboo bushes were wide-spread in the Holarctic during the Neogene. During the Late Pliocene, due to a gradual cooling of the climate, altiplanation, and other factors, their habitat started disintegrating, and red pandas began dying out, surviving only in China.

Winter Precipitation in North America and the Pacific-North America Pattern in GEOS-S2Sv2 Seasonal Hindcast

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Zhao; Molod, Andrea; Schubert, Siegfried

2018-01-01

Reliable prediction of precipitation remains one of the most pivotal and complex challenges in seasonal forecasting. Previous studies show that various large-scale climate modes, such as ENSO, PNA and NAO play significant role in winter precipitation variability over the Northern America. The influences are most pronounced in years of strong indices of such climate modes. This study evaluates model bias, predictability and forecast skills of monthly winter precipitation in GEOS5-S2S 2.0 retrospective forecast from 1981 to 2016, with emphasis on the forecast skill of precipitation over North America during the extreme events of ENSO, PNA and NAO by applying EOF and composite analysis.

Fire management in central America

Treesearch

Andrea L. Koonce; Armando González-Cabán

1992-01-01

Information on fire management operations in Central America is scant. To evaluate the known level of fire occurrence in seven countries in that area, fire management officers were asked to provide information on their fire control organizations and on any available fire statistics. The seven countries surveyed were Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua,...

Projected changes to rain-on-snow events over North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, Dae Il; Sushama, Laxmi

2016-04-01

Rain-on-snow (ROS) events have significant impacts on cold region ecosystems and water-related natural hazards, and therefore it is very important to assess how this hydro-meteorological phenomenon will evolve in a changing climate. This study evaluates the changes in ROS characteristics (i.e., frequency, amounts, and runoff) for the future 2041-2070 period with respect to the current 1976-2005 period over North America using six simulations, based on two Canadian RCMs, driven by two driving GCMs for RCP4.5 and 8.5 emission pathways. Projected changes to extreme runoff caused by the changes of the ROS characteristics are also evaluated. All simulations suggest general increases in ROS days in late autumn, winter, and early spring periods for most Canadian regions and northwestern USA for the future period, due to an increase in rain days in a warmer climate. Increases in the future ROS amounts are projected mainly due to an increase in ROS days, although increases in precipitation intensity also contributes to the future increases. Future ROS runoff is expected to increase more than future ROS amounts during snowmelt months as ROS events usually enhance runoff, given the land state and asociated reduced soil infiltration rate and also due to the faster snowmelt rate occuring during these events. The simulations also show that ROS events usually lead to extreme runoff over most of Canada and north-western and -central USA in the January-May snowmelt months for the current period and these show no significant changes in the future climate. However, the future ROS to total runoff ratio will significantly decrease for western and eastern Canada as well as north-western USA for these months, due to an overall increase of the fraction of direct snowmelt and rainfall generated runoff in a warmer climate. These results indicate the difficulties of flood risk and water resource managements in the future, particularly in Canada and north-western and -central USA, requiring

Plate rotations, fault slip rates, fault locking, and distributed deformation in northern Central America from 1999-2017 GPS observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellis, A. P.; DeMets, C.; Briole, P.; Cosenza, B.; Flores, O.; Guzman-Speziale, M.; Hernandez, D.; Kostoglodov, V.; La Femina, P. C.; Lord, N. E.; Lasserre, C.; Lyon-Caen, H.; McCaffrey, R.; Molina, E.; Rodriguez, M.; Staller, A.; Rogers, R.

2017-12-01

We describe plate rotations, fault slip rates, and fault locking estimated from a new 100-station GPS velocity field at the western end of the Caribbean plate, where the Motagua-Polochic fault zone, Middle America trench, and Central America volcanic arc faults converge. In northern Central America, fifty-one upper-plate earthquakes caused approximately 40,000 fatalities since 1900. The proximity of main population centers to these destructive earthquakes and the resulting loss of human life provide strong motivation for studying the present-day tectonics of Central America. Plate rotations, fault slip rates, and deformation are quantified via a two-stage inversion of daily GPS position time series using TDEFNODE modeling software. In the first stage, transient deformation associated with three M>7 earthquakes in 2009 and 2012 is estimated and removed from the GPS position time series. In Stage 2, linear velocities determined from the corrected GPS time series are inverted to estimate deformation within the western Caribbean plate, slip rates along the Motagua-Polochic faults and faults in the Central America volcanic arc, and the gradient of extension in the Honduras-Guatemala wedge. Major outcomes of the second inversion include the following: (1) Confirmation that slip rates on the Motagua fault decrease from 17-18 mm/yr at its eastern end to 0-5 mm/yr at its western end, in accord with previous results. (2) A transition from moderate subduction zone locking offshore from southern Mexico and parts of southern Guatemala to weak or zero coupling offshore from El Salvador and parts of Nicaragua along the Middle America trench. (3) Evidence for significant east-west extension in southern Guatemala between the Motagua fault and volcanic arc. Our study also shows evidence for creep on the eastern Motagua fault that diminishes westward along the North America-Caribbean plate boundary.

Mapping Isoprene Emissions over North America using Formaldehyde Column Observations from Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palmer, Paul I.; Jacob, Daniel J.; Fiore, Arlene M.; Martin, Randall V.; Chance, Kelly; Kurosu, Thomas P.

2004-01-01

I] We present a methodology for deriving emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) using space-based column observations of formaldehyde (HCHO) and apply it to data from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) satellite instrument over North America during July 1996. The HCHO column is related to local VOC emissions, with a spatial smearing that increases with the VOC lifetime. lsoprene is the dominant HCHO precursor over North America in summer, and its lifetime (approx. = 1 hour) is sufficiently short that the smearing can be neglected. We use the Goddard Earth Observing System global 3-D model of tropospheric chemistry (GEOS-CHEM) to derive the relationship between isoprene emissions and HCHO columns over North America and use these relationships to convert the GOME HCHO columns to isoprene emissions. We also use the GEOS-CHEM model as an intermediary to validate the GOME HCHO column measurements by comparison with in situ observations. The GEOS-CHEM model including the Global Emissions Inventory Activity (GEIA) isoprene emission inventory provides a good simulation of both the GOME data (r(sup 2) = 0.69, n = 756, bias = +l1 %) and the in situ summertime HCHO measurements over North America (r(sup 2) = 0.47, n = 10, bias = -3%). The GOME observations show high values over regions of known high isoprene emissions and a day-to-day variability that is consistent with the temperature dependence of isoprene emission. Isoprene emissions inferred from the GOME data are 20% less than GEIA on average over North America and twice those from the U S . EPA Biogenic Emissions Inventory System (BEIS2) inventory. The GOME isoprene inventory when implemented in the GEOS-CHEM model provides a better simulation of the HCHO in situ measurements thaneitherGEIAorBEIS2 (r(sup 2) = 0.71,n= 10, bias = -10 %).

A regional high-resolution carbon flux inversion of North America for 2004

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuh, A. E.; Denning, A. S.; Corbin, K. D.; Baker, I. T.; Uliasz, M.; Parazoo, N.; Andrews, A. E.; Worthy, D. E. J.

2010-05-01

Resolving the discrepancies between NEE estimates based upon (1) ground studies and (2) atmospheric inversion results, demands increasingly sophisticated techniques. In this paper we present a high-resolution inversion based upon a regional meteorology model (RAMS) and an underlying biosphere (SiB3) model, both running on an identical 40 km grid over most of North America. Current operational systems like CarbonTracker as well as many previous global inversions including the Transcom suite of inversions have utilized inversion regions formed by collapsing biome-similar grid cells into larger aggregated regions. An extreme example of this might be where corrections to NEE imposed on forested regions on the east coast of the United States might be the same as that imposed on forests on the west coast of the United States while, in reality, there likely exist subtle differences in the two areas, both natural and anthropogenic. Our current inversion framework utilizes a combination of previously employed inversion techniques while allowing carbon flux corrections to be biome independent. Temporally and spatially high-resolution results utilizing biome-independent corrections provide insight into carbon dynamics in North America. In particular, we analyze hourly CO2 mixing ratio data from a sparse network of eight towers in North America for 2004. A prior estimate of carbon fluxes due to Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and Ecosystem Respiration (ER) is constructed from the SiB3 biosphere model on a 40 km grid. A combination of transport from the RAMS and the Parameterized Chemical Transport Model (PCTM) models is used to forge a connection between upwind biosphere fluxes and downwind observed CO2 mixing ratio data. A Kalman filter procedure is used to estimate weekly corrections to biosphere fluxes based upon observed CO2. RMSE-weighted annual NEE estimates, over an ensemble of potential inversion parameter sets, show a mean estimate 0.57 Pg/yr sink in North America

75 FR 69470 - Tele Atlas North America, Inc., Currently Doing Business as Tom Tom Including Off-Site Workers...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-12

...,839B; TA-W-70,839C] Tele Atlas North America, Inc., Currently Doing Business as Tom Tom Including Off... Business as Tom Tom, Concord, MA; Tele Atlas North America, Inc. Currently Doing Business as Tom Tom, Detroit, MI; Tele Atlas North America, Inc. Currently Doing Business as Tom Tom, Redwood, CA; Amended...

Assessing the climate-scale variability of atmospheric rivers affecting western North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gershunov, Alexander; Shulgina, Tamara; Ralph, F. Martin; Lavers, David A.; Rutz, Jonathan J.

2017-08-01

A new method for automatic detection of atmospheric rivers (ARs) is developed and applied to an atmospheric reanalysis, yielding an extensive catalog of ARs land-falling along the west coast of North America during 1948-2017. This catalog provides a large array of variables that can be used to examine AR cases and their climate-scale variability in exceptional detail. The new record of AR activity, as presented, validated and examined here, provides a perspective on the seasonal cycle and the interannual-interdecadal variability of AR activity affecting the hydroclimate of western North America. Importantly, AR intensity does not exactly follow the climatological pattern of AR frequency. Strong links to hydroclimate are demonstrated using a high-resolution precipitation data set. We describe the seasonal progression of AR activity and diagnose linkages with climate variability expressed in Pacific sea surface temperatures, revealing links to Pacific decadal variability, recent regional anomalies, as well as a generally rising trend in land-falling AR activity. The latter trend is consistent with a long-term increase in vapor transport from the warming North Pacific onto the North American continent. The new catalog provides unprecedented opportunities to study the climate-scale behavior and predictability of ARs affecting western North America.

Population structures of Astragalus filipes collections from western North America

Treesearch

B. Shaun Bushman; Kishor Bhattarai; Douglas A. Johnson

2010-01-01

The majority of species used for revegetation in semi-arid western rangelands of North America are grasses, with few forbs and nearly no legumes. Astragalus filipes (Torr. Ex A. Gray) is a western North American legume and a promising candidate for use in rangeland revegetation, but assessments of plant species diversity and structure are necessary to determine which...

Recurrent Interannual Climate Modes and Teleconnection Linking North America Warm Season Precipitation Anomalies to Asia Summer Monsoon Variability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lau, K. M.; Weng, H. Y.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

In this paper, we present results showing that summertime precipitation anomalies over North America and East Asia may be linked via pan-Pacific teleconnection patterns, which are components of two dominant recurring global climate modes. The first mode (Mode-1) features an inverse relationship between rainfall anomaly over the US Midwest/central to the eastern/southeastern regions, coupled to a mid-tropospheric high-low pressure system over the northwest and southeast of the US, which regulates low level moisture transport from the Gulf of Mexico to the Midwest. The regional circulation pattern appears to be a part of a global climate mode spanning Eurasia, the North Pacific, North America, and the Atlantic. This mode is associated with coherent fluctuations of jetstream variability over East Asia, and Eurasia, SST in the North Pacific and the North Atlantic. While Mode-1 is moderately correlated with El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), it appears to be distinct from it, with strong influences from mid-latitude or possibly from higher latitude processes. Results show that Mode-1 not only has an outstanding contribution to the great flood of 1993, it has large contribution to the US precipitation anomalies in other years. Also noted is an apparent increase in influence of Mode-1 on US summertime precipitation in the last two decades since 1977.

Two new carnivores from an unusual late Tertiary forest biota in eastern North America.

PubMed

Wallace, Steven C; Wang, Xiaoming

2004-09-30

Late Cenozoic terrestrial fossil records of North America are biased by a predominance of mid-latitude deposits, mostly in the western half of the continent. Consequently, the biological history of eastern North America, including the eastern deciduous forest, remains largely hidden. Unfortunately, vertebrate fossil sites from this vast region are rare, and few pertain to the critically important late Tertiary period, during which intensified global climatic changes took place. Moreover, strong phylogenetic affinities between the flora of eastern North America and eastern Asia clearly demonstrate formerly contiguous connections, but disparity among shared genera (eastern Asia-eastern North America disjunction) implies significant periods of separation since at least the Miocene epoch. Lacustrine sediments deposited within a former sinkhole in the southern Appalachian Mountains provide a rare example of a late Miocene to early Pliocene terrestrial biota from a forested ecosystem. Here we show that the vertebrate remains contained within this deposit represent a unique combination of North American and Eurasian taxa. A new genus and species of the red (lesser) panda (Pristinailurus bristoli), the earliest and most primitive so far known, was recovered. Also among the fauna are a new species of Eurasian badger (Arctomeles dimolodontus) and the largest concentration of fossil tapirs ever recorded. Cladistical analyses of the two new carnivores strongly suggest immigration events that were earlier than and distinct from previous records, and that the close faunal affinities between eastern North America and eastern Asia in the late Tertiary period are consistent with the contemporaneous botanical record.

Regional assessment of North America: Urbanization trends, biodiversity patterns, and ecosystem services

USGS Publications Warehouse

McPhearson, Timon; Auch, Roger F.; Alberti, Marina

2013-01-01

North America contains some of the most urbanized landscapes in the world. In the United States (U.S.) and Canada, approximately 80 % of the population is urban, with Mexico slightly less (Kaiser Family Foundation 2013). Population growth combined with economic growth has fueled recent urban land expansion in North America. Between 1970 and 2000, urban land area expanded at a rate of 3.31 % (Seto et al. 2011) creating unique challenges for conserving biodiversity and maintaining regional and local ecosystem services.

Thermal state of permafrost in North America: A contribution to the international polar year

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, S.L.; Romanovsky, V.E.; Lewkowicz, A.G.; Burn, C.R.; Allard, M.; Clow, G.D.; Yoshikawa, K.; Throop, J.

2010-01-01

A snapshot of the thermal state of permafrost in northern North America during the International Polar Year (IPY) was developed using ground temperature data collected from 350 boreholes. More than half these were established during IPY to enhance the network in sparsely monitored regions. The measurement sites span a diverse range of ecoclimatic and geological conditions across the continent and are at various elevations within the Cordillera. The ground temperatures within the discontinuous permafrost zone are generally above -3°C, and range down to -15°C in the continuous zone. Ground temperature envelopes vary according to substrate, with shallow depths of zero annual amplitude for peat and mineral soils, and much greater depths for bedrock. New monitoring sites in the mountains of southern and central Yukon suggest that permafrost may be limited in extent. In concert with regional air temperatures, permafrost has generally been warming across North America for the past several decades, as indicated by measurements from the western Arctic since the 1970s and from parts of eastern Canada since the early 1990s. The rates of ground warming have been variable, but are generally greater north of the treeline. Latent heat effects in the southern discontinuous zone dominate the permafrost thermal regime close to 0°C and allow permafrost to persist under a warming climate. Consequently, the spatial diversity of permafrost thermal conditions is decreasing over time.

Major Threats to Environmental Quality in North America.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogl, Robert; And Others

1986-01-01

Reports study findings of environmental educators' opinions on issues which pose threats to environmental quality in North America and the status of the availability of educational materials for the issues. Identified as priority items were hazardous wastes management, water contamination, and acid deposition. Compares responses of American and…

Ticks and rickettsiae from wildlife in Belize, Central America.

PubMed

Lopes, Marcos G; May Junior, Joares; Foster, Rebecca J; Harmsen, Bart J; Sanchez, Emma; Martins, Thiago F; Quigley, Howard; Marcili, Arlei; Labruna, Marcelo B

2016-02-02

The agents of spotted fevers in Latin America are Rickettsia rickettsii, R. parkeri, Rickettsia sp. strain Atlantic rainforest, and R. massiliae. In Continental Central America, R. rickettsii remains the only known pathogenic tick-borne rickettsia. In the present study, ticks were collected from wild mammals in natural areas of Belize. Besides providing new data of ticks from Belize, we investigated rickettsial infection in some of these ticks. Our results provide ticks harboring rickettsial agents for the first time in Central America. Between 2010 and 2015, wild mammals were lived-trapped in the tropical broadleaf moist forests of central and southern Belize. Ticks were collected from the animals and identified to species by morphological and molecular analysis (DNA sequence of the tick mitochondrial 16S RNA gene). Some of the ticks were tested for rickettsial infection by molecular methods (DNA sequences of the rickettsial gltA and ompA genes). A total of 84 ticks were collected from 8 individual hosts, as follows: Amblyomma pacae from 3 Cuniculus paca; Amblyomma ovale and Amblyomma coelebs from a Nasua narica; A. ovale from an Eira Barbara; A. ovale, Amblyomma cf. oblongoguttatum, and Ixodes affinis from a Puma concolor; and A. ovale, A. coelebs, A. cf. oblongoguttatum, and I. affinis from two Panthera onca. Three rickettsial agents were detected: Rickettsia amblyommii in A. pacae, Rickettsia sp. strain Atlantic rainforest in A. ovale, and Rickettsia sp. endosymbiont in Ixodes affinis. The present study provides unprecedented records of ticks harboring rickettsial agents in the New World. An emerging rickettsial pathogen of South America, Rickettsia sp. strain Atlantic rainforest, is reported for the first time in Central America. Besides expanding the distribution of 3 rickettsial agents in Central America, our results highlight the possible occurrence of Rickettsia sp. strain Atlantic rainforest-caused spotted fever human cases in Belize, since its possible

The flight periodicity, attack patterns, and life history of Dryocoetes confusus Swaine (Coleoptera: Curculionida: Scolytinae), the western balsam bark beetle, in north central Colorado

Treesearch

Jose F. Negron; John B. Popp

2009-01-01

Dryocoetes confusus Swaine, the western balsam bark beetle, is an important bark beetle associated with Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt. (subalpine fir) in western North America. Little information is available on the life cycle and ecology of this insect in Colorado. In this study in north central Colorado, we examined its...

Progress in the classical biological control of Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in North America

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Discovered in North America in 2002, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) is a phloem-feeding beetle from Asia that attacks and kills ash trees (Fraxinus spp.). Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) populations surveyed for natural enemies in North America reveal low prevalence of native larva...

North America's net terrestrial CO 2 exchange with the atmosphere 1990–2009

DOE PAGES

King, Anthony W.; Andres, Robert; Davis, Kenneth J.; ...

2015-01-21

Scientific understanding of the global carbon cycle is required for developing national and international policy to mitigate fossil fuel CO 2 emissions by managing terrestrial carbon uptake. Toward that understanding and as a contribution to the REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes (RECCAP) project, this paper provides a synthesis of net land–atmosphere CO 2 exchange for North America (Canada, United States, and Mexico) over the period 1990–2009. Only CO 2 is considered, not methane or other greenhouse gases. This synthesis is based on results from three different methods: atmospheric inversion, inventory-based methods and terrestrial biosphere modeling. All methods indicate thatmore » the North American land surface was a sink for atmospheric CO 2, with a net transfer from atmosphere to land. Estimates ranged from -890 to -280 Tg C yr -1, where the mean of atmospheric inversion estimates forms the lower bound of that range (a larger land sink) and the inventory-based estimate using the production approach the upper (a smaller land sink). This relatively large range is due in part to differences in how the approaches represent trade, fire and other disturbances and which ecosystems they include. Integrating across estimates, \\"best\\" estimates (i.e., measures of central tendency) are -472 ± 281 Tg C yr -1 based on the mean and standard deviation of the distribution and -360 Tg C yr -1 (with an interquartile range of -496 to -337) based on the median. Considering both the fossil fuel emissions source and the land sink, our analysis shows that North America was, however, a net contributor to the growth of CO 2 in the atmosphere in the late 20th and early 21st century. With North America's mean annual fossil fuel CO 2 emissions for the period 1990–2009 equal to 1720 Tg C yr -1 and assuming the estimate of -472 Tg C yr -1 as an approximation of the true terrestrial CO 2 sink, the continent's source : sink ratio for this time period was 1720:472, or

North America's net terrestrial CO2 exchange with the atmosphere 1990–2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

King, A.W.; Andres, R.J.; Davis, K.J.; Hafer, M.; Hayes, D.J.; Huntzinger, Deborah N.; de Jong, Bernardus; Kurz, W.A.; McGuire, A. David; Vargas, Rodrigo I.; Wei, Y.; West, Tristram O.; Woodall, Christopher W.

2015-01-01

Scientific understanding of the global carbon cycle is required for developing national and international policy to mitigate fossil fuel CO2 emissions by managing terrestrial carbon uptake. Toward that understanding and as a contribution to the REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes (RECCAP) project, this paper provides a synthesis of net land–atmosphere CO2 exchange for North America (Canada, United States, and Mexico) over the period 1990–2009. Only CO2 is considered, not methane or other greenhouse gases. This synthesis is based on results from three different methods: atmospheric inversion, inventory-based methods and terrestrial biosphere modeling. All methods indicate that the North American land surface was a sink for atmospheric CO2, with a net transfer from atmosphere to land. Estimates ranged from −890 to −280 Tg C yr−1, where the mean of atmospheric inversion estimates forms the lower bound of that range (a larger land sink) and the inventory-based estimate using the production approach the upper (a smaller land sink). This relatively large range is due in part to differences in how the approaches represent trade, fire and other disturbances and which ecosystems they include. Integrating across estimates, "best" estimates (i.e., measures of central tendency) are −472 ± 281 Tg C yr−1 based on the mean and standard deviation of the distribution and −360 Tg C yr−1 (with an interquartile range of −496 to −337) based on the median. Considering both the fossil fuel emissions source and the land sink, our analysis shows that North America was, however, a net contributor to the growth of CO2 in the atmosphere in the late 20th and early 21st century. With North America's mean annual fossil fuel CO2 emissions for the period 1990–2009 equal to 1720 Tg C yr−1 and assuming the estimate of −472 Tg C yr−1 as an approximation of the true terrestrial CO2 sink, the continent's source : sink ratio for this time period was

North America's net terrestrial CO 2 exchange with the atmosphere 1990–2009

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

King, Anthony W.; Andres, Robert; Davis, Kenneth J.

Scientific understanding of the global carbon cycle is required for developing national and international policy to mitigate fossil fuel CO 2 emissions by managing terrestrial carbon uptake. Toward that understanding and as a contribution to the REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes (RECCAP) project, this paper provides a synthesis of net land–atmosphere CO 2 exchange for North America (Canada, United States, and Mexico) over the period 1990–2009. Only CO 2 is considered, not methane or other greenhouse gases. This synthesis is based on results from three different methods: atmospheric inversion, inventory-based methods and terrestrial biosphere modeling. All methods indicate thatmore » the North American land surface was a sink for atmospheric CO 2, with a net transfer from atmosphere to land. Estimates ranged from -890 to -280 Tg C yr -1, where the mean of atmospheric inversion estimates forms the lower bound of that range (a larger land sink) and the inventory-based estimate using the production approach the upper (a smaller land sink). This relatively large range is due in part to differences in how the approaches represent trade, fire and other disturbances and which ecosystems they include. Integrating across estimates, \\"best\\" estimates (i.e., measures of central tendency) are -472 ± 281 Tg C yr -1 based on the mean and standard deviation of the distribution and -360 Tg C yr -1 (with an interquartile range of -496 to -337) based on the median. Considering both the fossil fuel emissions source and the land sink, our analysis shows that North America was, however, a net contributor to the growth of CO 2 in the atmosphere in the late 20th and early 21st century. With North America's mean annual fossil fuel CO 2 emissions for the period 1990–2009 equal to 1720 Tg C yr -1 and assuming the estimate of -472 Tg C yr -1 as an approximation of the true terrestrial CO 2 sink, the continent's source : sink ratio for this time period was 1720:472, or

Invasion by a Japanese marine microorganism in western North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGann, M.; Sloan, D.; Cohen, A.N.

2000-01-01

The earliest record in western North America of Trochammina hadai Uchio, a benthic foraminifer common in Japanese estuaries, is from sediment collected in Puget Sound in 1971. It was first found in San Francisco Bay in sediment samples taken in 1983, and since 1986 has been collected at 91% of the sampled sites in the Bay, constituting up to 93% of the foraminiferal assemblage at individual sites. The species is also present in recent sediment samples from 12 other sites along the west coast of North America. The evidence indicates that T. hadai is a recent introduction to San Francisco Bay, and is probably also not native to the other North American sites. Trochammina hadai was probably transported from Japan in ships' ballast tanks, in mud associated with anchors, or in sediments associated with oysters imported for mariculture. Its remarkable invasion of San Francisco Bay suggests the potential for massive, rapid invasions by other marine microorganisms.

75 FR 56991 - Grant of Authority for Subzone Status Michelin North America, Inc. (Tire Distribution and Wheel...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-17

... Status Michelin North America, Inc. (Tire Distribution and Wheel Assembly) Baltimore, MD Pursuant to its... warehouse/distribution and wheel assembly facility of Michelin North America, Inc., located in Elkton, MD... tire accessories warehousing and distribution and wheel assembly at the facility of Michelin North...

Physical Processes Involved in the 1988 Drought and 1993 Floods in North America.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trenberth, Kevin E.; Guillemot, Christian J.

1996-06-01

An analysis of the spring-summer 1988 drought and 1993 floods over North America reveals a reversal in the sign of anomalies in several fields. Large sea surface temperature anomalies of opposite signs existed in the tropical Pacific with strong La Niña conditions in 1988 and a mature El Niño in 1993. The distribution of tropical convection in the convergence zones and associated latent heating of the atmosphere were correspondingly altered, implying a large-scale switch in the anomalous tropical heating and forcing of extratropical quasi-stationary waves in the atmosphere, influencing the subtropical jet stream over the North Pacific and across North America. In 1988 the jet stream and the closely related storm track of high-frequency disturbances in the upper troposphere were displaced into Canada well north of the normal location-the farthest north of any year from 1979 to 1993. In 1993 a broader jet stream and the storm track were displaced well south of normal to a more springlike location across the United States-the farthest south by over 200 km of any year from 1979 to 1993. High-frequency eddy activity in the Pacific-North American storm track is shown to reinforce the anomalous jet streams in both years.An analysis of the moisture budgets reveals a stronger river of atmospheric moisture flowing across the Gulf of Mexico into the central and eastern United States in 1993. Also, in the lower atmosphere, the storm track in 1993 was more active, and its lower latitude allowed the cyclonic disturbances to tap into the moisture source, transport moisture into the upper Mississippi River basin, and precipitate it out. It is deduced that local evaporation may have enhanced the precipitation and helped perpetuate and prolong the conditions. In contrast, in 1988 disturbances were weaker and displaced far enough north to avoid most of the moisture source, and the drought was perpetuated by the dry conditions. Consequently, these effects should be viewed as

The genus Kochia (Chenopodiaceae) in North America

Treesearch

Ge-Lin Chu; Stewart Sanderson

2008-01-01

The genus Kochia and Bassia with which it has been combined, of Chenopodiaceae tribe Camphorosmeae, were at one time considered to include plants native to Eurasia, Australia, and North America, and included species of both C3 and C4 photosynthetic types. This aggregate has been reduced in size by removal of a large group of C3 Australian genera and species. Because of...

Implications of the Central America-Dominican Republic-Free Trade Agreement for the nutrition transition in Central America.

PubMed

Hawkes, Corinna; Thow, Anne Marie

2008-11-01

To identify potential impacts of the Central America-Dominican Republic-Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) on food consumption patterns associated with the nutrition transition, obesity, and diet-related chronic diseases. Examination of CAFTA-DR agreement to identify measures that have the potential to affect food availability and retail prices. CAFTA-DR includes agreements on tariffs, tariff-rate quotas (TRQs), and sanitary and phytosanitary regulations with direct implications for the availability and prices of various foods. Agreements on investment, services, and intellectual property rights (IPR) are also relevant because they create a business climate more conducive to long-term investment by the transnational food industry. Trade liberalization under CAFTA-DR is likely to increase availability and lower relative prices of two food groups associated with the nutrition transition: meat and processed foods. These outcomes are expected to occur as the direct result of increased imports from the United States and increased production by U.S. companies based in Central America, and the indirect result of increased domestic meat production (due to increased availability of cheaper animal feed) and increased production of processed foods by domestic companies (due to a more competitive market environment). CAFTA-DR is likely to further the nutrition transition in Central America by increasing the consumption of meat; highly processed foods; and new, non-traditional foods. The public health community should be more aware of the implications of trade agreements for dietary health. Governments and related stakeholders should assess the coherence between changes fostered by specific trade agreements with national policies on diet and nutrition.

75 FR 76037 - HAVI Logistics, North America a Subsidiary of HAVI Group, LP Including On-Site Leased Workers of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-07

... Logistics, North America a Subsidiary of HAVI Group, LP Including On-Site Leased Workers of Express Personnel Services and the La Salle Network, Bloomingdale, IL; Havi Logistics, North America, Lisle, IL..., applicable to workers of HAVI Logistics, North America, a subsidiary of HAVI Group, LP, including on-site...

Social determinants of workers' health in Central America.

PubMed

Aragón, Aurora; Partanen, Timo; Felknor, Sarah; Corriols, Marianela

2011-01-01

This communication summarizes the available data on work-related determinants of health in Central America. The Central American working population is young and moving from agriculture toward industry and services. Ethnicity, gender, migration, subemployment and precarious work, informality, rural conditions, low-level educational, poverty, ubiquitous worksite health hazards, insufficient occupational health services, low labor inspection density, and weak unions define the constellation of social determinants of workers' health in Central America. Data are, however, scanty both for hazards and work-related illnesses and injuries. Governments and industries have the responsibility of opening decent work opportunities, especially for those facing multiple inequalities in social determinants of health. A first step would be the ratification and implementation of the ILO Convention (187) on occupational safety and health by the seven national governments of the region.

Progress in the classical biological control of Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in North America

Treesearch

Leah S. Bauer; Jian J. Duan; Juli R. Gould; Roy. Van Driesche

2015-01-01

First detected in North America in 2002, the emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire; Coleoptera: Buprestidae), an invasive phloem-feeding beetle from Asia, has killed tens of millions of ash (Fraxinus Linnaeus; Oleaceae) trees. Although few parasitoids attack EAB in North America, three parasitoid species were found...

Impact of North America on the aerosol composition in the North Atlantic free troposphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García, M. Isabel; Rodríguez, Sergio; Alastuey, Andrés

2017-06-01

In the AEROATLAN project we study the composition of aerosols collected over ˜ 5 years at Izaña Observatory (located at ˜ 2400 m a.s.l. in Tenerife, the Canary Islands) under the prevailing westerly airflows typical of the North Atlantic free troposphere at subtropical latitudes and midlatitudes. Mass concentrations of sub-10 µm aerosols (PM10) carried by westerly winds to Izaña, after transatlantic transport, are typically within the range 1.2 and 4.2 µg m-3 (20th and 80th percentiles). The main contributors to background levels of aerosols (PM10 within the 1st-50th percentiles = 0.15-2.54 µg m-3) are North American dust (53 %), non-sea-salt sulfate (14 %) and organic matter (18 %). High PM10 events (75th-95th percentiles ≈ 4.0-9.0 µg m-3) are prompted by dust (56 %), organic matter (24 %) and non-sea-salt sulfate (9 %). These aerosol components experience a seasonal evolution explained by (i) their spatial distribution in North America and (ii) the seasonal shift of the North American outflow, which migrates from low latitudes in winter (˜ 32° N, January-March) to high latitudes in summer (˜ 52° N, August-September). The westerlies carry maximum loads of non-sea-salt sulfate, ammonium and organic matter in spring (March-May), of North American dust from midwinter to mid-spring (February-May) and of elemental carbon in summer (August-September). Our results suggest that a significant fraction of organic aerosols may be linked to sources other than combustion (e.g. biogenic); further studies are necessary for this topic. The present study suggests that long-term evolution of the aerosol composition in the North Atlantic free troposphere will be influenced by air quality policies and the use of soils (potential dust emitter) in North America.

The first Late Eocene continental faunal assemblage from tropical North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiménez-Hidalgo, Eduardo; Smith, Krister T.; Guerrero-Arenas, Rosalia; Alvarado-Ortega, Jesus

2015-01-01

To date, the terrestrial faunal record of the North American late Eocene has been recovered from its subtropical and temperate regions. We report the first late Eocene continental faunal assemblage from tropical North America, in southern Mexico. Fossil specimens were collected from mudstones that crop out in the Municipality of Santiago Yolomécatl, in northwestern Oaxaca. Previously published K-Ar ages of 32.9 ± 0.9 and 35.7 ± 1.0 Ma in overlain nearby volcanic rocks and biostratigraphy of these new localities suggests a Chadronian mammal age for this new local fauna. The assemblage is composed by two turtle taxa, Rhineura, two caniform taxa, a sciurid, a jimomyid rodent, a geomyine rodent, Gregorymys, Leptochoerus, Perchoerus probus, Merycoidodon, a protoceratid, Poebrotherium, Nanotragulus, Miohippus assinoboiensis, a chalicotherid, a tapiroid, cf. Amynodontopsis, Trigonias and the hymenopteran ichnofossils Celliforma curvata and Fictovichnus sciuttoi. The records of these taxa in northwestern Oaxaca greatly expand southerly their former geographic distribution in North America. The records of the geomorph rodents and Nanotragulus extend their former known biochronological range to the late Eocene. The hymenopteran ichnofossils in the localities suggest the presence of a bare soil after periodic waterlogging, under a sub-humid to sub-arid climate. This new local fauna represents the first glimpse of Eocene vertebrate and invertebrate terrestrial life from tropical North America.

Contextualizing the Trauma Experience of Women Immigrants From Central America, South America, and Mexico

PubMed Central

Kaltman, Stacey; de Mendoza, Alejandra Hurtado; Gonzales, Felisa A.; Serrano, Adriana; Guarnaccia, Peter J.

2012-01-01

Trauma has been understudied among Latina immigrants from Central and South America. This study examined the types and context of trauma exposure experienced by immigrant women from Central America, South America, and Mexico living in the United States. Twenty-eight women seeking care in primary care or social service settings completed life history interviews. The majority of the women reported some type of trauma exposure in their countries of origin, during immigration, and/or in the United States. In the interviews, we identified types of trauma important to the experience of these immigrants that are not queried by trauma assessments typically used in the United States. We also identified factors that are likely to amplify the impact of trauma exposure. The study highlights the importance of utilizing a contextualized approach when assessing trauma exposure among immigrant women. PMID:22144133

Ecosystem carbon dioxide fluxes after disturbance in forests of North America

Treesearch

B. D. Amiro; A. G. Barr; J. G. Barr; T. A. Black; R. Bracho; al. et.

2010-01-01

[1] Disturbances are important for renewal of North American forests. Here we summarize more than 180 site years of eddy covariance measurements of carbon dioxide flux made at forest chronosequences in North America. The disturbances included standreplacing fire (Alaska, Arizona, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan) and harvest (British Columbia, Florida, New Brunswick, Oregon...

Large-Scale Antecedent Conditions Associated with 2014-2015 Winter Onset over North America and mid-Winter Storminess Along the North Atlantic Coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosart, L. F.; Papin, P. P.; Bentley, A. M.; Benjamin, M.; Winters, A. C.

2015-12-01

Winter 2014-2015 was marked by the coldest November weather in 35 years east of the Rockies and record-breaking snowstorms and cold from the eastern Great Lakes to Atlantic Canada in January and February 2015. Record-breaking warmth prevailed across the Intermountain West and Rockies beneath a persistent upper-level ridge. Winter began with a series of arctic air mass surges that culminated in an epic lake-effect snowstorm occurred over western New York before Thanksgiving and was followed by a series of snow and ice storms that disrupted Thanksgiving holiday travel widely. Winter briefly abated in part of December, but returned with a vengeance between mid-January and mid-February 2015 when multiple extreme weather events that featured record-breaking monthly and seasonal snowfalls and record-breaking daily minimum temperatures were observed. This presentation will show how: (1) the recurvature and extratropical transition (ET) of Supertyphoon (STY) Nuri in the western Pacific in early November 2014, and its subsequent explosive reintensification as an extratropical cyclone (EC), disrupted the North Pacific jet stream and downstream Northern Hemisphere (NH) circulation, produced high-latitude ridging and the formation of an omega block over western North America, triggered downstream baroclinic development and the formation of a deep trough over eastern North America, and ushered in winter 2014-2015, (2) the ET/EC of STY Nuri increased subsequent week two predictability over the North Pacific and North America in association with diabatically influenced high-latitude ridge building, and (3) the amplification of the large-scale NH flow pattern beginning in January 2015 resulted in the formation of persistent high-amplitude ridges over northeastern Russia, Alaska, western North America, and the North Atlantic while deep troughs formed over the eastern North Pacific and eastern North America. This persistent amplified flow pattern supported the occurrence of frequent

Gravity anomalies, plate tectonics and the lateral growth of Precambrian North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, M. D.; Grieve, R. A. F.; Sharpton, V. L.

1988-01-01

The widespread gravity coverage of North America provides a picture of the gross structural fabric of the continent via the trends of gravity anomalies. The structural picture so obtained reveals a mosaic of gravity trend domains, many of which correlate closely with structural provinces and orogenic terranes. The gravity trend map, interpreted in the light of plate-tectonic theory, thus provides a new perspective for examining the mode of assembly and growth of North America. Suture zones, palaeosubduction directions, and perhaps, contrasting tectonic histories may be identified using gravity patterns.

Linking biotic homogenization to habitat type, invasiveness and growth form of naturalized alien plants in North America

Treesearch

Hong Qian; Qinfeng Guo

2010-01-01

Aim Biotic homogenization is a growing phenomenon and has recently attracted much attention. Here, we analyse a large dataset of native and alien plants in North America to examine whether biotic homogenization is related to several ecological and biological attributes. Location North America (north of Mexico). Methods We assembled...

Emma Lucy Braun's forest plots in eastern North America.

PubMed

Ricklefs, Robert E

2018-02-01

Relative abundances of tree species are presented for the 348 forest plots described in E. Lucy Braun's (1950) book, Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America (Hafner, New York, facsimile reprint 1972). Information about the plots includes forest type, location with latitude and longitude, WorldClim climate variables, and sources of original studies where applicable. No copyright restrictions are associated with the use of this data set. Please cite this article when the data are used in other publications. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

Tree biomass in the North Central Region.

Treesearch

Gerhard K. Raile; Pamela J. Jakes

1982-01-01

Methods for calculating tree biomass are outlined, and the biomass on commercial forest land is estimated for 11 north-central states. Tree biomass in the North Central Region totals 3.6 billion tons, or 50 tons per commercial forest acre. For all species, total tree biomass is concentrated in growing-stock boles.

North America Today: A Reproducible Atlas. 1995 Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1995

This book contains illustrative maps, tables and graphs depicting North America's: size; population; resources; commodities; trade; languages; religions; cities; environment; food and agriculture; schooling; jobs; energy; industry, demographic statistics; women; aspects of government; and territorial disputes. Sections of the book include: (1)…

West Nile virus: North American experience

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hofmeister, Erik K.

2011-01-01

West Nile virus, a mosquito-vectored flavivirus of the Japanese encephalitis serogroup, was first detected in North America following an epizootic in the New York City area in 1999. In the intervening 11 years since the arrival of the virus in North America, it has crossed the contiguous USA, entered the Canadian provinces bordering the USA, and has been reported in the Caribbean islands, Mexico, Central America and, more recently, South America. West Nile virus has been reported in over 300 species of birds in the USA and has caused the deaths of thousands of birds, local population declines of some avian species, the clinical illness and deaths of thousands of domestic horses, and the clinical disease in over 30 000 Americans and the deaths of over 1000. Prior to the emergence of West Nile virus in North America, St. Louis encephalitis virus and Dengue virus were the only other known mosquito-transmitted flaviviruses in North America capable of causing human disease. This review will discuss the North American experience with mosquito-borne flavivirus prior to the arrival of West Nile virus, the entry and spread of West Nile virus in North America, effects on wild bird populations, genetic changes in the virus, and the current state of West Nile virus transmission.

Academic Talent Development in North America and Europe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarvin, Linda; Subotnik, Rena F.

2015-01-01

First we describe one particular model of talent development (Jarvin and Subotnik in The handbook of secondary gifted education. Prufrock Press, Waco, 2006) and situate it in perspective to other models developed in North America and Europe. We then discuss the implications of this view of giftedness on education and review related resources and…

Uranium provinces of North America; their definition, distribution, and models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Finch, Warren Irvin

1996-01-01

Uranium resources in North America are principally in unconformity-related, quartz-pebble conglomerate, sandstone, volcanic, and phosphorite types of uranium deposits. Most are concentrated in separate, well-defined metallogenic provinces. Proterozoic quartz-pebble conglomerate and unconformity-related deposits are, respectively, in the Blind River–Elliot Lake (BRELUP) and the Athabasca Basin (ABUP) Uranium Provinces in Canada. Sandstone uranium deposits are of two principal subtypes, tabular and roll-front. Tabular sandstone uranium deposits are mainly in upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks in the Colorado Plateau Uranium Province (CPUP). Roll-front sandstone uranium deposits are in Tertiary rocks of the Rocky Mountain and Intermontane Basins Uranium Province (RMIBUP), and in a narrow belt of Tertiary rocks that form the Gulf Coastal Uranium Province (GCUP) in south Texas and adjacent Mexico. Volcanic uranium deposits are concentrated in the Basin and Range Uranium Province (BRUP) stretching from the McDermitt caldera at the Oregon-Nevada border through the Marysvale district of Utah and Date Creek Basin in Arizona and south into the Sierra de Peña Blanca District, Chihuahua, Mexico. Uraniferous phosphorite occurs in Tertiary sediments in Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina and in the Lower Permian Phosphoria Formation in Idaho and adjacent States, but only in Florida has economic recovery been successful. The Florida Phosphorite Uranium Province (FPUP) has yielded large quantities of uranium as a byproduct of the production of phosphoric acid fertilizer. Economically recoverable quantities of copper, gold, molybdenum, nickel, silver, thorium, and vanadium occur with the uranium deposits in some provinces.Many major epochs of uranium mineralization occurred in North America. In the BRELUP, uranium minerals were concentrated in placers during the Early Proterozoic (2,500–2,250 Ma). In the ABUP, the unconformity-related deposits were most likely

Potential for small-diameter sawtimber utilization by the current sawmill industry in western North America.

Treesearch

Francis G. Wagner; Charles E. Keegan; Roger D. Fight; Susan Willits

1998-01-01

New silvicultural prescriptions for ecosystem management on both public and private timberlands in western North America will likely result in an influx of relatively small-diameter sawtimber for processing. Since sawmills currently process a majority of sawtimber harvested in western North America (more than 80% in some regions), this study concentrated on...

Earth and water resources and hazards in Central America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cunningham, Charles G.; Fary, R.W.; Guffanti, Marianne; Laura, Della; Lee, M.P.; Masters, C.D.; Miller, R.L.; Quinones-Marques, Ferdinand; Peebles, R.W.; Reinemund, J.A.; Russ, D.P.

1984-01-01

Long-range economic development in Central America will depend in large part on production of indigenous mineral, energy, and water resources and on mitigation of the disastrous effects of geologic and hydrologic hazards such as landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and floods. The region has six world-class metal mines at present as well as additional evidence of widespread mineralization. Systematic investigations using modern mineral exploration techniques should reveal more mineral deposits suitable for development. Widespread evidence of lignite and geothermal resources suggests that intensive studies could identify producible energy sources in most Central American countries. Water supply and water quality vary greatly from country to country. Local problems of ground- and surface-water availability and of contamination create a need for systematic programs to provide better hydrologic data, capital improvements, and management. Disastrous earthquakes have destroyed or severely damaged many cities in Central America. Volcanic eruptions, landslides, mudflows, and floods have devastated most of the Pacific side of Central America at one time or another. A regional approach to earthquake, volcano, and flood-risk analysis and monitoring, using modern technology and concepts, would provide the facilities and means for acquiring knowledge necessary to reduce future losses. All Central American countries need to strengthen institutions and programs dealing with earth and water resources and natural hazards. Some of these needs may be satisfied through existing or pending projects and technical and economic assistance from U.S. or other sources. The need for a comprehensive study of the natural resources of Central America and the requirements for their development is evident. The U.S. Caribbean Basin Initiative offers both an excellent opportunity for a regional approach to these pervasive problems and an opportunity for international cooperation.

New developments in canine hepatozoonosis in North America: a review

PubMed Central

Little, Susan E; Allen, Kelly E; Johnson, Eileen M; Panciera, Roger J; Reichard, Mason V; Ewing, Sidney A

2009-01-01

Canine hepatozoonosis is caused by Hepatozoon canis and Hepatozoon americanum, apicomplexan parasites transmitted to dogs by ingestion of infectious stages. Although the two agents are phylogenetically related, specific aspects, including characteristics of clinical disease and the natural history of the parasites themselves, differ between the two species. Until recently, H. canis infections had not been clearly documented in North America, and autochthonous infection with H. americanum has yet to be reported outside of the southern United States. However, recent reports demonstrate H. canis is present in areas of North America where its vector tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, has long been endemic, and that the range of H. americanum is likely expanding along with that of its vector tick, Amblyomma maculatum; co-infections with the two organisms have also been identified. Significant intraspecific variation has been reported in the 18S rRNA gene sequence of both Hepatozoon spp.-infecting dogs, suggesting that each species may represent a complex of related genogroups rather than well-defined species. Transmission of H. americanum to dogs via ingestion of cystozoites in muscle of infected vertebrates was recently demonstrated, supporting the concept of predation as a means of natural transmission. Although several exciting advances have occurred in recent years, much remains to be learned about patterns of infection and the nature of clinical disease caused by the agents of canine hepatozoonosis in North America. PMID:19426444

76 FR 67406 - Approval for Expanded Manufacturing Authority; Foreign-Trade Subzone 158D Nissan North America...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-01

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [Order No. 1794] Approval for Expanded Manufacturing Authority; Foreign-Trade Subzone 158D Nissan North America, Inc.; (Motor Vehicles) Canton, MS...), the Foreign-Trade Zones Board (the Board) adopts the following Order. Whereas, Nissan North America...

77 FR 39689 - Application To Export Electric Energy; IPR-GDF SUEZ Energy Marketing North America, Inc.

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-05

... Energy Marketing North America, Inc. AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, DOE. ACTION: Notice of application. SUMMARY: IPR-GDF SUEZ Energy Marketing North America, Inc. (GSEMNA) has... Mexico would be surplus energy purchased from electric utilities, Federal power marketing agencies, and...

Use of Nonhuman Primates in Research in North America

PubMed Central

Turner, Patricia V; Mullan, Robert J; Galland, G Gale

2014-01-01

In North America, the biomedical research community faces social and economic challenges to nonhuman primate (NHP) importation that could reduce the number of NHP available for research needs. The effect of such limitations on specific biomedical research topics is unknown. The Association of Primate Veterinarians (APV), with assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, developed a survey regarding biomedical research involving NHP in the United States and Canada. The survey sought to determine the number and species of NHP maintained at APV members’ facilities, current uses of NHP to identify the types of biomedical research that rely on imported animals, and members’ perceived trends in NHP research. Of the 149 members contacted, 33 (22%) replied, representing diverse facility sizes and types. Cynomolgus and rhesus macaques were the most common species housed at responding institutions and comprised the majority of newly acquired and imported NHP. The most common uses for NHP included pharmaceutical research and development and neuroscience, neurology, or neuromuscular disease research. Preclinical safety testing and cancer research projects usually involved imported NHP, whereas research on aging or degenerative disease, reproduction or reproductive disease, and organ or tissue transplantation typically used domestic-bred NHP. The current results improve our understanding of the research uses for imported NHP in North America and may facilitate estimating the potential effect of any future changes in NHP accessibility for research purposes. Ensuring that sufficient NHP are available for critical biomedical research remains a pressing concern for the biomedical research community in North America. PMID:24827570

Simulation and Prediction of Warm Season Drought in North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Hailan; Chang, Yehui; Schubert, Siegfried D.; Koster, Randal D.

2018-01-01

This presentation presents our recent work on model simulation and prediction of warm season drought in North America. The emphasis will be on the contribution from the leading modes of subseasonal atmospheric circulation variability, which are often present in the form of stationary Rossby waves. Here we take advantage of the results from observations, reanalyses, and simulations and reforecasts performed using the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-5) atmospheric and coupled General Circulation Model (GCM). Our results show that stationary Rossby waves play a key role in Northern Hemisphere (NH) atmospheric circulation and surface meteorology variability on subseasonal timescales. In particular, such waves have been crucial to the development of recent short-term warm season heat waves and droughts over North America (e.g. the 1988, 1998, and 2012 summer droughts) and northern Eurasia (e.g., the 2003 summer heat wave over Europe and the 2010 summer drought and heat wave over Russia). Through an investigation of the physical processes by which these waves lead to the development of warm season drought in North America, it is further found that these waves can serve as a potential source of drought predictability. In order to properly represent their effect and exploit this source of predictability, a model needs to correctly simulate the Northern Hemisphere (NH) mean jet streams and be able to predict the sources of these waves. Given the NASA GEOS-5 AGCM deficiency in simulating the NH jet streams and tropical convection during boreal summer, an approach has been developed to artificially remove much of model mean biases, which leads to considerable improvement in model simulation and prediction of stationary Rossby waves and drought development in North America. Our study points to the need to identify key model biases that limit model simulation and prediction of regional climate extremes, and diagnose the origin of these biases so as to inform modeling

Weed Community Response to No-Till in North America

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Scientists and producers in Ukraine are interested in no-till crop production, but are concerned about weed management. In North America, producers have used no-till systems for several decades without increasing weed community density in croplands. Initially, weed density escalated with no-till, ...

A revised estimate of Pacific-North America motion and implications for Western North America plate boundary zone tectonics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Demets, Charles; Gordon, Richard G.; Stein, Seth; Argus, Donald F.

1987-01-01

Marine magnetic profiles from the Gulf of Californa are studied in order to revise the estimate of Pacific-North America motion. It is found that since 3 Ma spreading has averaged 48 mm/yr, consistent with a new global plate motion model derived without any data. The present data suggest that strike-slip motion on faults west of the San Andreas is less than previously thought, reducing the San Andreas discrepancy with geodetic, seismological, and other geologic observations.

Shear wave velocity structure in North America from large-scale waveform inversions of surface waves

USGS Publications Warehouse

Alsina, D.; Woodward, R.L.; Snieder, R.K.

1996-01-01

A two-step nonlinear and linear inversion is carried out to map the lateral heterogeneity beneath North America using surface wave data. The lateral resolution for most areas of the model is of the order of several hundred kilometers. The most obvious feature in the tomographic images is the rapid transition between low velocities in the technically active region west of the Rocky Mountains and high velocities in the stable central and eastern shield of North America. The model also reveals smaller-scale heterogeneous velocity structures. A high-velocity anomaly is imaged beneath the state of Washington that could be explained as the subducting Juan de Fuca plate beneath the Cascades. A large low-velocity structure extends along the coast from the Mendocino to the Rivera triple junction and to the continental interior across the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Its shape changes notably with depth. This anomaly largely coincides with the part of the margin where no lithosphere is consumed since the subduction has been replaced by a transform fault. Evidence for a discontinuous subduction of the Cocos plate along the Middle American Trench is found. In central Mexico a transition is visible from low velocities across the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) to high velocities beneath the Yucatan Peninsula. Two elongated low-velocity anomalies beneath the Yellowstone Plateau and the eastern Snake River Plain volcanic system and beneath central Mexico and the TMVB seem to be associated with magmatism and partial melting. Another low-velocity feature is seen at depths of approximately 200 km beneath Florida and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The inversion technique used is based on a linear surface wave scattering theory, which gives tomographic images of the relative phase velocity perturbations in four period bands ranging from 40 to 150 s. In order to find a smooth reference model a nonlinear inversion based on ray theory is first performed. After

How well can fishes prey on zebra mussels in eastern North America?

USGS Publications Warehouse

French, John R. P.

1993-01-01

Literature on mollusk-eating fishes was reviewed to determine the potential for different species of fish to control zebra mussels in eastern North America. At least six species are potential predators of zebra mussels because they possess (1) both upper and lower pharyngeal teeth or (2) lower pharyngeal teeth and chewing pads located on the dorsal roof for crushing mollusk shells. Freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens) and two centrarchids, redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) and pumpkinseed (L. gibbosus), possess both upper and lower pharyngeal teeth and are likely to consume more zebra mussels than fishes with only lower pharyngeal teeth. Only two catostomid species, copper and river redhorses (Moxostoma hubbsi and M. carinatum), have chewing pads that enable them to crush mollusks. The exotic omnivorous common carp (Cyprinus carpio), possessing lower teeth and a chewing pad, may prey on zebra mussels when aquatic insect larvae, its preferred food, become rare. Managing populations of drum, sunfishes and redhorses to reduce exploitation of large individuals and improve their habitats are suggested as means to intensify biological control of zebra mussels in eastern North America. Other Eurasian molluscivores, the roach (Rutilus rutilus) and the black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) should not be introduced into North America because research has shown repeatedly that an introduced biological controller usually does not forage for unwanted pests or reside only in preferred habitats of pests. Drum, sunfishes and redhorses should be preferred over these exotics as biological controllers of zebra mussels in North America because these native fishes will likely occupy newly established habitats of zebra mussels.

An ictidosaur fossil from north america.

PubMed

Chatterjee, S

1983-06-10

Teeth of a North American ictidosaur, Pachygenelus milleri, n. sp., found in the Upper Triassic Dockum Group of Texas, indicate that it is very similar to Pachygenelus monus of South Africa and Chaliminia musteloides of South America. The presence of a Gondwana element in the Northern Hemisphere attests to the ease of dispersal of the Late Triassic vertebrates through Pangea. Ictidosaurs are small, highly advanced, carnivorous cynodonts that display a mosaic of reptilian and mammalian features in the masticatory apparatus. They were contemporaneous with early mammals and probably closely related to them.

Lessons learned from research and surveillance directed at highly pathogenic influenza A viruses in wild birds inhabiting North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ramey, Andy M.; DeLiberto, Thomas J.; Berhane, Yohannes; Swayne, David E.; Stallknecht, David E.

2018-01-01

Following detections of highly pathogenic (HP) influenza A viruses (IAVs) in wild birds inhabiting East Asia after the turn of the millennium, the intensity of sampling of wild birds for IAVs increased throughout much of North America. The objectives for many research and surveillance efforts were directed towards detecting Eurasian origin HP IAVs and understanding the potential of such viruses to be maintained and dispersed by wild birds. In this review, we highlight five important lessons learned from research and surveillance directed at HP IAVs in wild birds inhabiting North America: (1) Wild birds may disperse IAVs between North America and adjacent regions via migration, (2) HP IAVs can be introduced to wild birds in North America, (3) HP IAVs may cross the wild bird-poultry interface in North America, (4) The probability of encountering and detecting a specific virus may be low, and (5) Population immunity of wild birds may influence HP IAV outbreaks in North America. We review empirical support derived from research and surveillance efforts for each lesson learned and, furthermore, identify implications for future surveillance efforts, biosecurity, and population health. We conclude our review by identifying five additional areas in which we think future mechanistic research relative to IAVs in wild birds in North America are likely to lead to other important lessons learned in the years ahead.

Lessons learned from research and surveillance directed at highly pathogenic influenza A viruses in wild birds inhabiting North America.

PubMed

Ramey, Andrew M; DeLiberto, Thomas J; Berhane, Yohannes; Swayne, David E; Stallknecht, David E

2018-05-01

Following detections of highly pathogenic (HP) influenza A viruses (IAVs) in wild birds inhabiting East Asia after the turn of the millennium, the intensity of sampling of wild birds for IAVs increased throughout much of North America. The objectives for many research and surveillance efforts were directed towards detecting Eurasian origin HP IAVs and understanding the potential of such viruses to be maintained and dispersed by wild birds. In this review, we highlight five important lessons learned from research and surveillance directed at HP IAVs in wild birds inhabiting North America: (1) Wild birds may disperse IAVs between North America and adjacent regions via migration, (2) HP IAVs can be introduced to wild birds in North America, (3) HP IAVs may cross the wild bird-poultry interface in North America, (4) The probability of encountering and detecting a specific virus may be low, and (5) Population immunity of wild birds may influence HP IAV outbreaks in North America. We review empirical support derived from research and surveillance efforts for each lesson learned and, furthermore, identify implications for future surveillance efforts, biosecurity, and population health. We conclude our review by identifying five additional areas in which we think future mechanistic research relative to IAVs in wild birds in North America are likely to lead to other important lessons learned in the years ahead. Published by Elsevier Inc.

77 FR 45596 - Shell Energy North America (US), L.P. v. California Independent System Operator Corporation...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-01

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. EL12-88 -000] Shell Energy North America (US), L.P. v. California Independent System Operator Corporation; Notice of Complaint Take... (Commission) Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.206, Shell Energy North America (US), L.P...

Bat white-nose syndrome in North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blehert, David S.; Lorch, Jeffrey M.; Ballmann, Anne E.; Cryan, Paul M.; Meteyer, Carol U.

2011-01-01

* The newly described fungus, Geomyces destructans, causes an invasive skin infection in bats and is the likely agent of white-nose syndrome (WNS). * With immune system functions and body temperatures reduced during hibernation, bats may be unusually susceptible to a pathogenic fungus such as G. destructans. * WNS was first observed in a popular show cave near Albany, New York, leading some investigators to suspect that a visitor inadvertently introduced G. destructans at this site, triggering a wider WNS outbreak in North America. * Biologists trying to manage WNS within North American bat populations face major challenges, including the variety of susceptible host species, incredible dispersal capabilities of bats, difficulties in treating such populations, and persistence of the pathogen in their vulnerable underground habitats.

Preserve America News

Science.gov Websites

America Grants Save Our History Awards Ceremony Held with Historic Preservation Caucus Texas Heritage , San Diego, California; and, Natchitoches-Cane River Region Heritage Tourism, north-central Louisiana . In the Private Preservation category, The History Channel, Save Our History, an effort that is

Simulation of summertime ozone over North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacob, Daniel J.; Logan, Jennifer A.; Yevich, Rose M.; Gardner, Geraldine M.; Spivakovsky, Clarisa M.; Wofsy, Steven C.; Munger, J. W.; Sillman, Sanford; Prather, Michael J.; Rogers, Michael O.

1993-01-01

The concentrations of O3 and its precursors over North America are simulated for three summer months with a 3D, continental-scale photochemical model using meteorological input from the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) GCM. The model has 4 x 5 deg grid resolution and represents nonlinear chemistry in urban and industrial plumes with a subgrid nested scheme. Simulated median afternoon O3 concentrations at rural U.S. sites are within 5 ppb of observations in most cases, except in the south central U.S., where concentrations are overpredicted by 15-20 ppb. The model captures successfully the development of regional high-O3 episodes over the northeastern United States on the back side of weak, warm, stagnant anticyclones. Simulated concentrations of CO and nonmethane hydrocarbons are generally in good agreement with observations, concentrations of NO(x) are underpredicted by 10-30 percent, and concentrations of PANs are overpredicted by a factor of 2 to 3. The overprediction of PANs is attributed to flaws in the photochemical mechanism, including excessive production from oxidation of isoprene, and may also reflect an underestimate of PANs deposition. Subgrid nonlinear chemistry as captured by the nested plumes scheme decreases the net O3 production computed in the U.S. boundary layer by 8 percent on average.

2014 outbreak of enterovirus D68 in North America.

PubMed

Messacar, Kevin; Abzug, Mark J; Dominguez, Samuel R

2016-05-01

Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is an emerging picornavirus which causes severe respiratory disease, predominantly in children. In 2014, the largest and most widespread outbreak of EV-D68 described to date was reported in North America. Hospitals throughout the United States and Canada reported surges in patient volumes and resource utilization from August to October, 2014. In the US a total of 1,153 infections were confirmed in 49 states, although this is an underestimate of the likely millions of cases that occurred but were not tested. EV-D68 was detected in 14 patients who died; the role of the virus in these deaths is unknown. A possible association between EV-D68 and cases of acute flaccid paralysis with spinal cord gray matter lesions, known as acute flaccid myelitis, was observed during the outbreak and is under investigation. The 2014 outbreak of EV-D68 in North America demonstrates the public health importance of this emerging pathogen. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

What drove the Pacific and North America climate anomalies in winter 2014/15?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Peitao; Kumar, Arun; Hu, Zeng-Zhen

2017-12-01

In late 2014 and early 2015, the canonical atmospheric response to the El Niño and Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event was not observed in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, although Niño3.4 index exceeded the threshold for a weak El Niño. In an effort to understand why it was so, this study deconvoluted the observed 2014/15 December-January-February (DJF) mean sea surface temperature (SST), precipitation and 200 hPa stream function anomalies into the leading patterns related to the principal components of DJF SST variability. It is noted that the anomalies of these variables were primarily determined by the patterns related to two SST modes: one is the North Pacific mode (NPM), and the other the ENSO mode. The NPM was responsible for the apparent lack of coupled air-sea relationship in the central equatorial Pacific and the east-west structure of the circulation anomalies over North America, while the ENSO mode linked to SSTs in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific as well as the circulation in the central equatorial Pacific. Further, the ENSO signal in DJF 2014/15 likely evolved from the NPM pattern in winter 2013/14. Its full development, however, was impeded by the easterly anomalies in the central equatorial Pacific that was associated with negative SST anomalies in the southeastern subtropical Pacific. In addition, the analyses also indicates that the SST anomalies in the Niño3.4 region alone were not adequate for capturing the coupling of oceanic and atmospheric anomalies in the tropical Pacific, due to the fact that this index cannot distinguish whether the SST anomaly in the Niño3.4 region is associated with the ENSO mode or NPM, or both.

49 CFR Appendix to Subpart H of... - Explanation of Pre-Authorization Safety Audit Evaluation Criteria for Non-North America-Domiciled...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Evaluation Criteria for Non-North America-Domiciled Motor Carriers Appendix to Subpart H of Part 385... Special Rules for New Entrant Non-North America-Domiciled Carriers Pt. 385, Subpt. H, App. Appendix to... America-Domiciled Motor Carriers I. General (a) FMCSA will perform a safety audit of each non-North...

49 CFR Appendix to Subpart H of... - Explanation of Pre-Authorization Safety Audit Evaluation Criteria for Non-North America-Domiciled...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Evaluation Criteria for Non-North America-Domiciled Motor Carriers Appendix to Subpart H of Part 385... Special Rules for New Entrant Non-North America-Domiciled Carriers Pt. 385, Subpt. H, App. Appendix to... America-Domiciled Motor Carriers I. General (a) FMCSA will perform a safety audit of each non-North...

49 CFR Appendix to Subpart H of... - Explanation of Pre-Authorization Safety Audit Evaluation Criteria for Non-North America-Domiciled...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Evaluation Criteria for Non-North America-Domiciled Motor Carriers Appendix to Subpart H of Part 385... Special Rules for New Entrant Non-North America-Domiciled Carriers Pt. 385, Subpt. H, App. Appendix to... America-Domiciled Motor Carriers I. General (a) FMCSA will perform a safety audit of each non-North...

49 CFR Appendix to Subpart H of... - Explanation of Pre-Authorization Safety Audit Evaluation Criteria for Non-North America-Domiciled...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Evaluation Criteria for Non-North America-Domiciled Motor Carriers Appendix to Subpart H of Part 385... Special Rules for New Entrant Non-North America-Domiciled Carriers Pt. 385, Subpt. H, App. Appendix to... America-Domiciled Motor Carriers I. General (a) FMCSA will perform a safety audit of each non-North...

Reconciling migration models to the Americas with the variation of North American native mitogenomes

PubMed Central

Achilli, Alessandro; Perego, Ugo A.; Lancioni, Hovirag; Olivieri, Anna; Gandini, Francesca; Hooshiar Kashani, Baharak; Battaglia, Vincenza; Grugni, Viola; Angerhofer, Norman; Rogers, Mary P.; Herrera, Rene J.; Woodward, Scott R.; Labuda, Damian; Smith, David Glenn; Cybulski, Jerome S.; Semino, Ornella; Malhi, Ripan S.; Torroni, Antonio

2013-01-01

In this study we evaluated migration models to the Americas by using the information contained in native mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) from North America. Molecular and phylogeographic analyses of B2a mitogenomes, which are absent in Eskimo–Aleut and northern Na-Dene speakers, revealed that this haplogroup arose in North America ∼11–13 ka from one of the founder Paleo-Indian B2 mitogenomes. In contrast, haplogroup A2a, which is typical of Eskimo–Aleuts and Na-Dene, but also present in the easternmost Siberian groups, originated only 4–7 ka in Alaska, led to the first Paleo-Eskimo settlement of northern Canada and Greenland, and contributed to the formation of the Na-Dene gene pool. However, mitogenomes also show that Amerindians from northern North America, without any distinction between Na-Dene and non–Na-Dene, were heavily affected by an additional and distinctive Beringian genetic input. In conclusion, most mtDNA variation (along the double-continent) stems from the first wave from Beringia, which followed the Pacific coastal route. This was accompanied or followed by a second inland migratory event, marked by haplogroups X2a and C4c, which affected all Amerindian groups of Northern North America. Much later, the ancestral A2a carriers spread from Alaska, undertaking both a westward migration to Asia and an eastward expansion into the circumpolar regions of Canada. Thus, the first American founders left the greatest genetic mark but the original maternal makeup of North American Natives was subsequently reshaped by additional streams of gene flow and local population dynamics, making a three-wave view too simplistic. PMID:23940335

Reconciling migration models to the Americas with the variation of North American native mitogenomes.

PubMed

Achilli, Alessandro; Perego, Ugo A; Lancioni, Hovirag; Olivieri, Anna; Gandini, Francesca; Hooshiar Kashani, Baharak; Battaglia, Vincenza; Grugni, Viola; Angerhofer, Norman; Rogers, Mary P; Herrera, Rene J; Woodward, Scott R; Labuda, Damian; Smith, David Glenn; Cybulski, Jerome S; Semino, Ornella; Malhi, Ripan S; Torroni, Antonio

2013-08-27

In this study we evaluated migration models to the Americas by using the information contained in native mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) from North America. Molecular and phylogeographic analyses of B2a mitogenomes, which are absent in Eskimo-Aleut and northern Na-Dene speakers, revealed that this haplogroup arose in North America ∼11-13 ka from one of the founder Paleo-Indian B2 mitogenomes. In contrast, haplogroup A2a, which is typical of Eskimo-Aleuts and Na-Dene, but also present in the easternmost Siberian groups, originated only 4-7 ka in Alaska, led to the first Paleo-Eskimo settlement of northern Canada and Greenland, and contributed to the formation of the Na-Dene gene pool. However, mitogenomes also show that Amerindians from northern North America, without any distinction between Na-Dene and non-Na-Dene, were heavily affected by an additional and distinctive Beringian genetic input. In conclusion, most mtDNA variation (along the double-continent) stems from the first wave from Beringia, which followed the Pacific coastal route. This was accompanied or followed by a second inland migratory event, marked by haplogroups X2a and C4c, which affected all Amerindian groups of Northern North America. Much later, the ancestral A2a carriers spread from Alaska, undertaking both a westward migration to Asia and an eastward expansion into the circumpolar regions of Canada. Thus, the first American founders left the greatest genetic mark but the original maternal makeup of North American Natives was subsequently reshaped by additional streams of gene flow and local population dynamics, making a three-wave view too simplistic.

The climate space of fire regimes in north-western North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Whitman, Ellen; Batllori, Enric; Parisien, Marc-André; Miller, Carol; Coop, Jonathan D.; Krawchuk, Meg A.; Chong, Geneva W.; Haire, Sandra L.

2015-01-01

Aim. Studies of fire activity along environmental gradients have been undertaken, but the results of such studies have yet to be integrated with fire-regime analysis. We characterize fire-regime components along climate gradients and a gradient of human influence. Location. We focus on a climatically diverse region of north-western North America extending from northern British Columbia, Canada, to northern Utah and Colorado, USA.Methods. We used a multivariate framework to collapse 12 climatic variables into two major climate gradients and binned them into 73 discrete climate domains. We examined variation in fire-regime components (frequency, size, severity, seasonality and cause) across climate domains. Fire-regime attributes were compiled from existing databases and Landsat imagery for 1897 large fires. Relationships among the fire-regime components, climate gradients and human influence were examined through bivariate regressions. The unique contribution of human influence was also assessed.Results. A primary climate gradient of temperature and summer precipitation and a secondary gradient of continentality and winter precipitation in the study area were identified. Fire occupied a distinct central region of such climate space, within which fire-regime components varied considerably. We identified significant interrelations between fire-regime components of fire size, frequency, burn severity and cause. The influence of humans was apparent in patterns of burn severity and ignition cause.Main conclusions. Wildfire activity is highest where thermal and moisture gradients converge to promote fuel production, flammability and ignitions. Having linked fire-regime components to large-scale climate gradients, we show that fire regimes – like the climate that controls them – are a part of a continuum, expanding on models of varying constraints on fire activity. The observed relationships between fire-regime components, together with the distinct role of climatic

First recognition of the genus Verneuilia Hall and Clarke (Brachiopoda, Spiriferida) from North America (west-central Alaska)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blodgett, R.B.; Johnson, J.G.

1994-01-01

The brachiopod genus Verneuilia Hall and Clarke, 1893, is recognized for the first time in North America, where it is represented by a new species described here. V. langenstrasseni. This occurrence extends not only the geographic range of the genus, but also the lower age and stratigraphic limit into the Eifelian (early Middle Devonian). Previously, the oldest known species was the type, V. cheiropteryx d'Archiac and de Verneuil, 1842, from the Givetian (late Middle Devonian) of Germany. Internal structures of V. langenstrasseni n.sp. are similar to those of genera in the ambocoeliid subfamily Rhynchospiriferinae, providing the first good evidence of a systematic relationship. -Authors

Rainfall Induced Natural Disaster in Central America, a challenge for Regional Risk Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Estuardo Guinea Barrientos, Héctor; Swain, Ashok

2013-04-01

Rainfall induced natural disasters rank first among all natural disasters in Central America. According to the records of the EM-DAT international database, 248 out of 486 disasters registered in Central America were disasters triggered by rainfall invents, in countries like Belize and Honduras, rainfall-induced natural disasters, mainly floods and landslides, account for more than 90% of the total number of casualties as well as the economic damage of all the disasters. Due to the natural conditions of the Central American Isthmus, precipitation events often struck more than one country at the time, for example Hurricane Mitch in 1998 affected the entire Central American region causing more than 18,000 casualties. In this context, the Central America countries have been working on joint programs and policies aiming transboundary cooperation and management of natural disasters, a clear example of this effort is CEPREDENAC which is the intergovernmental body with the mandate of promoting activities, projects and programs towards reduction of the risks to disasters in order to avoid loss of life and economic assets in the Central America, however, transnational management face several challenges that fall mostly in the political, economical and technical areas. In this paper we described and analyzed the rainfall induced natural disasters, their impacts and the inherent management challenges in the Central American context. Key words: Central America, Natural Disasters, Risk Management, International Cooperation

Genetic and morphological divergence among Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) populations breeding in north-central and western North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sonsthagen, Sarah A.; Rosenfield, Robert N.; Bielefeldt, John; Murphy, Robert K.; Stewart, Andrew C.; Stout, William C.; Driscoll, Timothy G.; Bozek, Michael A.; Sloss, Brian L.; Talbot, Sandra L.

2012-01-01

Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) populations breeding in the northern portion of the species' range exhibit variation in morphological traits that conforms to predictions based on differences in prey size, tree stand density, and migratory behavior. We examined genetic structure and gene flow and compared divergence at morphological traits (PST) and genetic markers (FST) to elucidate mechanisms (selection or genetic drift) that promote morphological diversification among Cooper's Hawk populations. Cooper's Hawks appear to conform to the genetic pattern of an east-west divide. Populations in British Columbia are genetically differentiated from north-central populations (Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota; pairwise microsatellite FST= 0.031-0.050; mitochondrial DNA ΦST = 0.177-0.204), which suggests that Cooper's Hawks were restricted to at least two Pleistocene glacial refugia. The strength of the Rocky Mountains—Great Plains area as a barrier to dispersal is further supported by restricted gene-flow rates between British Columbia and other sampled breeding populations. Divergence in morphological traits (PST) was also observed across study areas, but with British Columbia and North Dakota differentiated from Wisconsin and Minnesota, a pattern not predicted on the basis of FST and ΦST interpopulation estimates. Comparison of PSTand FSTestimates suggests that heterogeneous selection may be acting on Cooper's Hawks in the northern portion of their distribution, which is consistent with hypotheses that variation in prey mass and migratory behavior among populations may be influencing overall body size and wing chord. We were unable to distinguish between the effects of genetic drift and selection on tail length in the study populations.

Phytogeography of Najas gracillima (Hydrocharitaceae) in North America and its cryptic introduction to California.

PubMed

Les, Donald H; Peredo, Elena L; Benoit, Lori K; Tippery, Nicholas P; King, Ursula M; Sheldon, Sallie P

2013-09-01

The discontinuous North American distribution of Najas gracillima has not been explained satisfactorily. Influences of extirpation, nonindigenous introduction, and postglacial migration on its distribution were evaluated using field, fossil, morphological, and molecular data. Najas is a major waterfowl food, and appropriate conservation measures rely on accurate characterization of populations as indigenous or imperiled. • Seed lengths of N. gracillima from native Korean populations, a nonindigenous Italian population, and North American populations were compared using digital image analysis. DNA sequence analyses from these regions provided nine nrITS genotypes and eight cpDNA haplotypes. • Najas gracillima seeds from Eurasia and California are shorter than those from eastern North America. Nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences of N. gracillima from Korea and Italy were identical to California material but differed from native eastern North American plants. Eastern North American specimens of N. gracillima at localities above the last glacial maximum boundary were identical or similar genetically to material from the northeastern United States and Atlantic Coastal Plain and Piedmont but divergent from plants of the Interior Highlands-Mississippi Embayment region. • In California, N. gracillima is nonindigenous and introduced from Asia. In eastern North America, populations that colonized deglaciated areas were derived primarily from refugia in the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Piedmont. Genetic data indicate initial postglacial migration to northeastern North America, with subsequent westward dispersal into the Upper Great Lakes. These results differentiate potentially invasive California populations from seriously imperiled indigenous eastern North American populations.

Federacion de Universidades Privadas de America Central y Panama: Boletin Estadistico (Federation of Private Universities of Central America and Panama: Statistical Bulletin).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Serrano, Jorge A.

This statistical bulletin provides details on the universities belonging to the Federation of Private Universities of Central America and Panama (FUPAC): Central American University, Rafael Landivar University, Saint John's College, University of Santa Maria La Antigua, Jose Simeon Canas University, Doctor Mariano Galvez University, and the…

The descriptive epidemiology of gastric cancer in Central America and comparison with United States Hispanic populations.

PubMed

Corral, Juan E; Delgado Hurtado, Juan J; Domínguez, Ricardo L; Valdez de Cuéllar, Marisabel; Balmore Cruz, Carlos; Morgan, Douglas R

2015-03-01

The aims of this study were to delineate the epidemiology of gastric adenocarcinoma in Central America and contrast it with Hispanic-Latino populations in the USA. Published literature and Central America Ministry of Health databases were used as primary data sources, including national, population-based, and hospital-based registries. US data was obtained from the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Epidemiology End Results Program (SEER) registry. Incident gastric adenocarcinoma cases were analyzed for available data between 1985 and 2011, including demographic variables and pathology information. In Central America, 19,741 incident gastric adenocarcinomas were identified. Two thirds of the cases were male, 20.5 % were under age 55, and 58.5 %were from rural areas. In the SEER database (n = 7871), 57.8 % were male and 28.9 % were under age 55. Among the US Hispanics born in Central America with gastric cancer (n = 1210), 50.3 % of cases were male and 38.1 % were under age 55. Non-cardia gastric cancer was more common in Central America (83.3 %), among US Hispanics (80.2 %), and Hispanics born in Central America (86.3 %). Cancers of the antrum were more common in Central America (73.6 %), whereas cancers of the corpus were slightly more common among US Hispanics (54.0 %). Adenocarcinoma of the diffuse subtype was relatively common, both in Central America (35.7 %) and US Hispanics (69.5 %), although Lauren classification was reported in only 50 % of cases. A significant burden of gastric adenocarcinoma is observed in Central America based upon limited available data. Differences are noted between Central America and US Hispanics. Strengthening population-based registries is needed for improved cancer control in Central America, which may have implications for the growing US Hispanic population.

Tomotectonic constraints on the assembly of Jura-cretaceous western North America, and a southwest Pacific analogue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mihalynuk, M. G.; Sigloch, K.

2017-12-01

We integrate the topology of subducted slabs imaged beneath North America by seismic tomography, with surviving Atlantic and Pacific seafloor isochrons, to reveal evolving arc, trench, and plate geometries back to the breakup of Pangea. Land geological evidence is used to independently validate or reject the inferred paleogeographies. Such tomotectonic analysis offers a methodology for resolving fundamental questions about the assembly of North America. For example: When, where and how did superterranes collide with North America? Did an Andean-type margin exist along western North America for all times between Cenozoic Cascade arc formation and the Jurassic, when an arc was rooted in continental crust of southwest USA? Deep mantle and seafloor isochron evidence show that TWO massive arc complexes originated in the seas west of Pangea as it started to fragment ( 190-170 Ma), a time when eastward subduction beneath the continental margin arc was shutting down. Most recognizable, and 2000-4000 km off the west coast of Pangea, is a >10,000 km long, east-pointing chevron of slab walls in the lower mantle, with its apex near present-day Nova Scotia. Formerly considered Farallon slab, its location and geometry are not consistent with continent-hugging, Jurassic to Recent Farallon subduction. Instead, a second massive and more westerly slab wall, 4000 - 6000 km west of Pangea, must have intercepted and consumed all northern Farallon lithosphere, and continues to do so beneath the Cascades. Both slabs initiated intraoceanic. Their arcs did not contribute to an Andean-style margin until they were diachronously overridden by North America, beginning 155 Ma. Implied is a continent-spanning suture between these two arc complexes and North America. Land geological evidence of this suture is an Alaska to Mexico track of at least 12 Jura-Cretaceous basins that collapsed between the Insular and Intermontane microcontinents, over half of which contain relicts of mantle. A

Monthly Mean Pressure Reconstructions for Europe (1780-1980) and North America (1858-1980) (1987) (NDP-025)

DOE Data Explorer

Jones, P D. [University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom; Wigley, T. M. L. [University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom; Briffa, K. R. [University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom

2012-01-01

Real and reconstructed measurements of monthly mean pressure data have been constructed for Europe for 1780 through 1980 and North America for 1858 through 1980. The reconstructions use early pressure, temperature, and precipitation data from a variety of sources including World Weather Records, meteorological and national archives, circulation maps, and daily chart series. Each record contains the year, monthly mean pressure, quality code, and annual mean pressure. These reconstructed gridded monthly pressures provide a reliable historical record of mean sea-level pressures for Europe and North America. The data are in two files: pressure reconstructions for Europe (1.47 MB) and for North America (0.72 MB).

Recent Rates of Forest Harvest and Conversion in North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Masek, Jeffrey G.; Cohen, Warren B.; Leckie, Donald; Wulder, Michael A.; Vargas, Rodrigo; de Jong, Ben; Healey, Sean; Law, Beverly; Birdsey, Richard; Houghton, R. A.;

Armillaria altimontana, a new species from the western interior of North America

Treesearch

Nicholas J. Brazee; Beatriz Ortiz-Santana; Mark T. Banik; Daniel L. Lindner

2012-01-01

Armillaria altimontana, previously considered North American biological species (NABS) X, is described as new. To date, it appears that A. altimontana prefers higher-elevation, mesic sites within the dry, conifer forest zone of western interior North America. This species has been found on hardwoods and conifers and is associated...

How does land use link terrestrial and aquatic carbon in western North America?: Implications from an agricultural case study in central Montana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ewing, S. A.; Sigler, W. A.

2014-12-01

The fate of soil organic matter with expanding human land use is of increasing concern for planetary health and ecological sustainability. In North American grasslands, cultivation has commonly resulted in loss of stored soil organic carbon to dissolved phases in groundwater and surface water, as well as to atmospheric CO2 via decomposition. In addition, cultivation has released nutrients stored in organic matter and facilitated water movement through soils to benefit crops, increasing groundwater recharge rates. This has altered groundwater chemistry both by changing biogeochemistry of the terrestrial-aquatic interface and by increasing addition of nutrients, herbicides, and pesticides to these systems. In this presentation, we consider the effects of food production practices on terrestrial-aquatic carbon linkages in former grassland ecosystems of western North America. Our data from an agricultural area in central Montana begin to reveal how elevated nitrate and pesticide levels in groundwater on an isolated landform reflect transformation over the last century of a temperate grassland ecosystem for wheat and cattle production. Rates and pathways of carbon and nitrogen loss are inferred from the concentration and isotopic character of both water and carbon and nitrogen over three years in soils, shallow groundwater, emergent springs and surface waters. In this semi-arid, non-irrigated context, the fate of soil organic matter is linked with redistribution of pedogenic carbonate as well as other soil and rock derived solutes. We consider implications for future trends in dissolved carbon and nitrogen in surface waters in the region.

Evidence for the exchange of blood parasites between North America and the Neotropics in blue-winged teal (Anas discors).

PubMed

Ramey, Andrew M; Reed, John A; Walther, Patrick; Link, Paul; Schmutz, Joel A; Douglas, David C; Stallknecht, David E; Soos, Catherine

2016-10-01

Blue-winged teal (Anas discors) are abundant, small-bodied dabbling ducks that breed throughout the prairies of the northcentral USA and central Canada and that winter in the southern USA and northern Neotropics. Given the migratory tendencies of this species, it is plausible that blue-winged teal may disperse avian pathogens, such as parasites causing avian malaria, between spatially distant areas. To test the hypothesis that blue-winged teal play a role in the exchange of blood parasites between North America and areas further south, we collected information on migratory tendencies of this species and sampled birds at spatially distant areas during breeding and non-breeding periods to diagnose and genetically characterize parasitic infections. Using a combination of band recovery data, satellite telemetry, molecular diagnostics, and genetic analyses, we found evidence for (1) migratory connectivity of blue-winged teal between our sampling locations in the Canadian prairies and along the US Gulf Coast with areas throughout the northern Neotropics, (2) parasite acquisition at both breeding and non-breeding areas, (3) infection of blue-winged teal sampled in Canada and the USA with Plasmodium parasite lineages associated with the Neotropics, and (4) infection of blue-winged teal with parasites that were genetically related to those previously reported in waterfowl in both North America and South America. Collectively, our results suggest that blue-winged teal likely play a role in the dispersal of blood parasites between the Neotropics and North America, and therefore, the targeting of this species in surveillance programs for the early detection of Neotropical-origin avian pathogens in the USA may be informative.

Evidence for the exchange of blood parasites between North America and the Neotropics in blue-winged teal (Anas discors)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ramey, Andy M.; Reed, John; Walther, Patrick; Link, Paul; Schmutz, Joel A.; Douglas, David C.; Stallknecht, David E.; Soos, Catherine

2016-01-01

Blue-winged teal (Anas discors) are abundant, small-bodied dabbling ducks that breed throughout the prairies of the northcentral USA and central Canada and that winter in the southern USA and northern Neotropics. Given the migratory tendencies of this species, it is plausible that blue-winged teal may disperse avian pathogens, such as parasites causing avian malaria, between spatially distant areas. To test the hypothesis that blue-winged teal play a role in the exchange of blood parasites between North America and areas further south, we collected information on migratory tendencies of this species and sampled birds at spatially distant areas during breeding and non-breeding periods to diagnose and genetically characterize parasitic infections. Using a combination of band recovery data, satellite telemetry, molecular diagnostics, and genetic analyses, we found evidence for (1) migratory connectivity of blue-winged teal between our sampling locations in the Canadian prairies and along the US Gulf Coast with areas throughout the northern Neotropics, (2) parasite acquisition at both breeding and non-breeding areas, (3) infection of blue-winged teal sampled in Canada and the USA withPlasmodium parasite lineages associated with the Neotropics, and (4) infection of blue-winged teal with parasites that were genetically related to those previously reported in waterfowl in both North America and South America. Collectively, our results suggest that blue-winged teal likely play a role in the dispersal of blood parasites between the Neotropics and North America, and therefore, the targeting of this species in surveillance programs for the early detection of Neotropical-origin avian pathogens in the USA may be informative.

Exploring the origins of ecological forestry in North America

Treesearch

Anthony W. ​D' Amato; Brian J. Palik; Jerry F. Franklin; David R. Foster

2016-01-01

The use of ecological forestry to achieve management objectives, such as the maintenance of native biodiversity, has become increasingly common on public and private ownerships in North America. These approaches generally use natural disturbance processes and their structural and compositional outcomes as models for designing silvicultural prescriptions that restore or...

Summer precipitation anomalies in Asia and North America induced by Eurasian non-monsoon land heating versus ENSO.

PubMed

Zhao, Ping; Wang, Bin; Liu, Jiping; Zhou, Xiuji; Chen, Junming; Nan, Sulan; Liu, Ge; Xiao, Dong

2016-02-26

When floods ravage Asian monsoon regions in summer, megadroughts often attack extratropical North America, which feature an intercontinental contrasting precipitation anomaly between Asia and North America. However, the characteristics of the contrasting Asian-North American (CANA) precipitation anomalies and associated mechanisms have not been investigated specifically. In this article, we firmly establish this summer CANA pattern, providing evidence for a significant effect of the land surface thermal forcing over Eurasian non-monsoon regions on the CANA precipitation anomalies by observations and numerical experiments. We show that the origin of the CANA precipitation anomalies and associated anomalous anticyclones over the subtropical North Pacific and Atlantic has a deeper root in Eurasian non-monsoon land surface heating than in North American land surface heating. The ocean forcing from the ENSO is secondary and tends to be confined in the tropics. Our results have strong implications to interpretation of the feedback of global warming on hydrological cycle over Asia and North America. Under the projected global warming due to the anthropogenic forcing, the prominent surface warming over Eurasian non-monsoon regions is a robust feature which, through the mechanism discussed here, would favor a precipitation increase over Asian monsoon regions and a precipitation decrease over extratropical North America.

Catalogue of Geadephaga (Coleoptera, Adephaga) of America, north of Mexico

PubMed Central

Bousquet, Yves

2012-01-01

Abstract All scientific names of Trachypachidae, Rhysodidae, and Carabidae (including cicindelines) recorded from America north of Mexico are catalogued. Available species-group names are listed in their original combinations with the author(s), year of publication, page citation, type locality, location of the name-bearing type, and etymology for many patronymic names. In addition, the reference in which a given species-group name is first synonymized is recorded for invalid taxa. Genus-group names are listed with the author(s), year of publication, page citation, type species with way of fixation, and etymology for most. The reference in which a given genus-group name is first synonymized is recorded for many invalid taxa. Family-group names are listed with the author(s), year of publication, page citation, and type genus. The geographical distribution of all species-group taxa is briefly summarized and their state and province records are indicated. One new genus-group taxon, Randallius new subgenus (type species: Chlaenius purpuricollis Randall, 1838), one new replacement name, Pterostichus amadeus new name for Pterostichus vexatus Bousquet, 1985, and three changes in precedence, Ellipsoptera rubicunda (Harris, 1911) for Ellipsoptera marutha (Dow, 1911), Badister micans LeConte, 1844 for Badister ocularis Casey, 1920, and Agonum deplanatum Ménétriés, 1843 for Agonum fallianum (Leng, 1919), are proposed. Five new genus-group synonymies and 65 new species-group synonymies, one new species-group status, and 12 new combinations (see Appendix 5) are established. The work also includes a discussion of the notable private North American carabid collections, a synopsis of all extant world geadephagan tribes and subfamilies, a brief faunistic assessment of the fauna, a list of valid species-group taxa, a list of North American fossil Geadephaga (Appendix 1), a list of North American Geadephaga larvae described or illustrated (Appendix 2), a list of Geadephaga species

Recent History of Large-Scale Ecosystem Disturbances in North America Derived from the AVHRR Satellite Record

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potter, Christopher; Tan, Pang-Ning; Kumar, Vipin; Kicharik, Chris; Klooster, Steven; Genovese, Vanessa

2004-01-01

Ecosystem structure and function are strongly impacted by disturbance events, many of which in North America are associated with seasonal temperature extremes, wildfires, and tropical storms. This study was conducted to evaluate patterns in a 19-year record of global satellite observations of vegetation phenology from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) as a means to characterize major ecosystem disturbance events and regimes. The fraction absorbed of photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR) by vegetation canopies worldwide has been computed at a monthly time interval from 1982 to 2000 and gridded at a spatial resolution of 8-km globally. Potential disturbance events were identified in the FPAR time series by locating anomalously low values (FPAR-LO) that lasted longer than 12 consecutive months at any 8-km pixel. We can find verifiable evidence of numerous disturbance types across North America, including major regional patterns of cold and heat waves, forest fires, tropical storms, and large-scale forest logging. Summed over 19 years, areas potentially influenced by major ecosystem disturbances (one FPAR-LO event over the period 1982-2000) total to more than 766,000 km2. The periods of highest detection frequency were 1987-1989, 1995-1997, and 1999. Sub- continental regions of Alaska and Central Canada had the highest proportion (greater than 90%) of FPAR-LO pixels detected in forests, tundra shrublands, and wetland areas. The Great Lakes region showed the highest proportion (39%) of FPAR-LO pixels detected in cropland areas, whereas the western United States showed the highest proportion (16%) of FPAR-LO pixels detected in grassland areas. Based on this analysis, an historical picture is emerging of periodic droughts and heat waves, possibly coupled with herbivorous insect outbreaks, as among the most important causes of ecosystem disturbance in North America.

GPS and Relative Sea-level Constraints on Glacial Isostatic Adjustment in North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

James, T. S.; Simon, K.; Henton, J. A.; Craymer, M.

2015-12-01

Recently, new GIA models have been developed for the Innuitian Ice Sheet and for the north-central portion of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (Simon, 2014; Simon et al., 2015). This new combined model, herein called Innu-Laur15, was developed from the ICE-5G model and load adjustments were made to improve the fit to relative sea-level observations and to GPS-constrained vertical crustal motion in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and around Hudson Bay. Here, the predictions of Innu-Laur15 are compared to observations and other GIA models over an extended region comprising much of North America east of the Rocky Mountains. GIA predictions are made using compressible Maxwell Earth models with gravitationally self-consistent ocean loading, changing coastlines, and ocean-water inundation where marine ice retreats or floats. For this study, GPS time series are the NA12 solution (Blewitt et al., 2013) downloaded from http://geodesy.unr.edu/NGLStationPages/GlobalStationList and fit with a linear trend, annual and semi-annual terms, and offsets as indicated by station logs and by inspection of the time series. For example, a comparison of GPS observations of vertical crustal motion from the NA12 solution at 360 sites gives root-mean-square (RMS) residuals of 3.2 mm/yr (null hypothesis), 1.8 mm/yr (Innu-Laur15), and 2.9 mm/yr (ICE-5G) for the VM5a Earth model. Preliminary comparisons with other Earth models give similar patterns where Innu-Laur15 provides a better fit than ICE-5G. Further adjustments to the Innu-Laur15 ice sheet history could improve the fit to GPS rates in other regions of North America.

Managing white-tailed deer: eastern North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robinson, Kelly F.; Diefenbach, Duane R.; Fuller, Angela K.; Hurst, Jeremy E.; Rosenberry, Christopher S.

2014-01-01

Many studies have documented that coyotes (Canis latrans) are the greatest source of natural mortality for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) neonates (<3 months old). With the range expansion of coyotes eastward in North America, many stakeholders are concerned that coyote predation may be affecting deer populations adversely. We hypothesized that declines in neonate survival, perhaps caused by increasing coyote predation, could be offset by adjusting or eliminating antlerless harvest allocations. We used a stochastic, age-based population simulation model to evaluate combinations of low neonate survival rates, severe winters, and low adult deer survival rates to determine the effectiveness of reduced antlerless harvest at stabilizing deer populations. We found that even in regions with high winter mortality, reduced antlerless harvest rates could stabilize deer populations with recruitment and survival rates reported in the literature. When neonate survival rates were low (25%) and yearling and adult female survival rates were reduced by 10%, elimination of antlerless harvests failed to stabilize populations. Our results suggest increased deer mortality from coyotes can be addressed through reduced hunting harvest of adult female deer in most circumstances throughout eastern North America. However, specific knowledge of adult female survival rates is important for making management decisions in areas where both neonate and adult survival may be affected by predation and other mortality factors.

The Role of Soil Water and Land Feedbacks in Decadal Drought in Western North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langford, S.; Chikamoto, Y.; Noone, D. C.

2013-12-01

Western North America is susceptible to severe impacts of megadroughts, as evidenced by tree-core or lake sediment records. Future predictions suggest that this region will become more arid, with further consequences for water resources. Understanding the mechanisms of drought variability and persistence in western North America is critical for the eventual development of effective forecasting methods. The ocean is expected to be the main source of decadal memory in the system as the atmosphere varies on a much shorter timescale. The ocean's role in driving the low-frequency variability of the system is potentially predictable. However, low-frequency precipitation anomalies in western North America can occur in the absence of ocean feedbacks. Sea surface temperature anomalies in the north Pacific Ocean only account for around 20 per cent of the low-frequency winter precipitation in California in the CMIP5 historical runs. This is not sufficient to use the skill of global coupled models in predicting ocean conditions ahead of time to successfully forecast the possibility of long-term drought in western North America. Megadroughts therefore may be generated by unpredictable atmospheric noise, or persisted by other sources of low-frequency variability such as land processes and feedbacks. Snowpack in western North America is a crucial water resource for the surrounding communities, storing the winter precipitation for use later in the year. Likewise, soil moisture integrates the precipitation signal; the time scale depends on the depth and characteristics of the soil. Water storage and related variables are more predictable on longer timescales than precipitation, as measured by anomaly correlation for hindcasts compared to a 'perfect model' control run with CESM1.0.3. The importance of antecedent land conditions in persisting megadroughts in western North America is explored with ensemble simulations of CESM1.0.3, where the atmosphere is perturbed at the initiation

Icacinaceae from the eocene of Western North America.

PubMed

Allen, Sarah E; Stull, Gregory W; Manchester, Steven R

2015-05-01

The Icacinaceae are a pantropical family of trees, shrubs, and climbers with an extensive Paleogene fossil record. Our improved understanding of phylogenetic relationships within the family provides an excellent context for investigating new fossil fruit and leaf material from the Eocene of western North America. We examined fossils from early and middle Eocene sediments of western Wyoming, northeastern Utah, northwestern Colorado, and Oregon and compared them with extant species of Iodes and other icacinaceous genera as well as previously described fossils of the family. Three new fossil species are described, including two based on endocarps (Iodes occidentalis sp. nov. and Icacinicaryites lottii sp. nov.) and one based on leaves (Goweria bluerimensis sp. nov.). The co-occurrence of I. occidentalis and G. bluerimensis suggests these might represent detached organs of a single species. A new genus, Biceratocarpum, is also established for morphologically distinct fossil fruits of Icacinaceae previously placed in Carpolithus. Biceratocarpum brownii gen. et comb. nov. resembles the London Clay species "Iodes" corniculata in possessing a pair of subapical protrusions. These fossils increase our knowledge of Icacinaceae in the Paleogene of North America and highlight the importance of the Northern Hemisphere in the early diversification of the family. They also document interchange with the Eocene flora of Europe and biogeographic connections with modern floras of Africa and Asia, where Icacinaceae are diverse today. The present-day restriction of this family to tropical regions offers ecological implications for the Eocene floras in which they occur. © 2015 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

[Book review] Ducks, geese and swans of North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krapu, Gary L.

1983-01-01

This is the 3rd edition of the classic work "The Ducks, Geese and Swans of North America," which was first published in December 1942.  The original edition was authored by Francis C. Kortright with color plates by T. M. Shortt. An authoritative reference on North American waterfowl for many years, the book had become outdated as a result of major advances in the field of waterfowl biology. The need to update the 1st edition culminated in the publication in 1976 of a 2nd edition authored by Frank Bellrose. Readers interested in comparing features of the 1976 edition with other major recent works on North American waterfowl by P. A. Johnsgard and R. S. Palmer should read Weller (1977, Auk 94: 173).

Validation of attenuation models for ground motion applications in central and eastern North America

DOE PAGES

Pasyanos, Michael E.

2015-11-01

Recently developed attenuation models are incorporated into standard one-dimensional (1-D) ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs), effectively making them two-dimensional (2-D) and eliminating the need to create different GMPEs for an increasing number of sub-regions. The model is tested against a data set of over 10,000 recordings from 81 earthquakes in North America. The use of attenuation models in GMPEs improves our ability to fit observed ground motions and should be incorporated into future national hazard maps. The improvement is most significant at higher frequencies and longer distances which have a greater number of wave cycles. This has implications for themore » rare high-magnitude earthquakes, which produce potentially damaging ground motions over wide areas, and drive the seismic hazards. Furthermore, the attenuation models can be created using weak ground motions, they could be developed for regions of low seismicity where empirical recordings of ground motions are uncommon and do not span the full range of magnitudes and distances.« less

76 FR 18212 - E.ON Climate & RenewablesNorth America, LLC, et al. v. Midwest Independent Transmission System...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-01

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. EL11-30-000] E.ON Climate & RenewablesNorth America, LLC, et al. v. Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.; Notice of... comprised of Clipper Windpower Development Co., Inc., E.ON Climate & Renewables North America, LLC, Horizon...

One haploid parent contributes 100% of the gene pool for a widespread species in northwest North America.

PubMed

Karlin, E F; Andrus, R E; Boles, S B; Shaw, A J

2011-02-01

The monoicous peatmoss Sphagnum subnitens has a tripartite distribution that includes disjunct population systems in Europe (including the Azores), northwestern North America and New Zealand. Regional genetic diversity was highest in European S. subnitens but in northwestern North America, a single microsatellite-based multilocus haploid genotype was detected across 16 sites ranging from Coos County, Oregon, to Kavalga Island in the Western Aleutians (a distance of some 4115 km). Two multilocus haploid genotypes were detected across 14 sites on South Island, New Zealand. The microsatellite-based regional genetic diversity detected in New Zealand and North American S. subnitens is the lowest reported for any Sphagnum. The low genetic diversity detected in both of these regions most likely resulted from a founder event associated with vegetative propagation and complete selfing, with one founding haploid plant in northwest North America and two in New Zealand. Thus, one plant appears to have contributed 100% of the gene pool for the population systems of S. subnitens occurring in northwest North America, and this is arguably the most genetically uniform group of plants having a widespread distribution yet detected. Although having a distribution spanning 12.5° of latitude and 56° of longitude, there was no evidence of any genetic diversification in S. subnitens in northwest North America. No genetic structure was detected among the three regions, and it appears that European plants of S. subnitens provided the source for New Zealand and northwest North American populations. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Special challenges of maintaining wild animals in captivity in North America.

PubMed

Cambre, R C; Buick, W W

1996-03-01

The maintenance of wild animals in captivity in North America is regulated by a number of different laws and government agencies in each country. Member institutions of zoo and aquarium associations in Canada, the United States of America and Mexico experience an extra tier of regulation in the form of industry standards, which are sometimes stricter than those imposed by government. Climate, natural disasters and harmful pest species all contribute to the challenge of keeping animals in certain locales. Vigilance against zoonotic disease transmission is maintained through industry and government-mandated sanitation standards, which are fortified by reporting regulations of local, regional and Federal health agencies. Current controversies in the keeping of particular taxa in North America include the threat to non-human primate breeding programmes precipitated by strict new import regulations, the fear of herpesvirus B infection, and commercial airline transport bans. Successive human fatalities among elephant handlers have prompted the industry and governments to re-examine the manner in which these potentially dangerous creatures are maintained in captivity.

First North American fossil monkey and early Miocene tropical biotic interchange.

PubMed

Bloch, Jonathan I; Woodruff, Emily D; Wood, Aaron R; Rincon, Aldo F; Harrington, Arianna R; Morgan, Gary S; Foster, David A; Montes, Camilo; Jaramillo, Carlos A; Jud, Nathan A; Jones, Douglas S; MacFadden, Bruce J

2016-05-12

New World monkeys (platyrrhines) are a diverse part of modern tropical ecosystems in North and South America, yet their early evolutionary history in the tropics is largely unknown. Molecular divergence estimates suggest that primates arrived in tropical Central America, the southern-most extent of the North American landmass, with several dispersals from South America starting with the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama 3-4 million years ago (Ma). The complete absence of primate fossils from Central America has, however, limited our understanding of their history in the New World. Here we present the first description of a fossil monkey recovered from the North American landmass, the oldest known crown platyrrhine, from a precisely dated 20.9-Ma layer in the Las Cascadas Formation in the Panama Canal Basin, Panama. This discovery suggests that family-level diversification of extant New World monkeys occurred in the tropics, with new divergence estimates for Cebidae between 22 and 25 Ma, and provides the oldest fossil evidence for mammalian interchange between South and North America. The timing is consistent with recent tectonic reconstructions of a relatively narrow Central American Seaway in the early Miocene epoch, coincident with over-water dispersals inferred for many other groups of animals and plants. Discovery of an early Miocene primate in Panama provides evidence for a circum-Caribbean tropical distribution of New World monkeys by this time, with ocean barriers not wholly restricting their northward movements, requiring a complex set of ecological factors to explain their absence in well-sampled similarly aged localities at higher latitudes of North America.

First North American fossil monkey and early Miocene tropical biotic interchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bloch, Jonathan I.; Woodruff, Emily D.; Wood, Aaron R.; Rincon, Aldo F.; Harrington, Arianna R.; Morgan, Gary S.; Foster, David A.; Montes, Camilo; Jaramillo, Carlos A.; Jud, Nathan A.; Jones, Douglas S.; MacFadden, Bruce J.

2016-05-01

New World monkeys (platyrrhines) are a diverse part of modern tropical ecosystems in North and South America, yet their early evolutionary history in the tropics is largely unknown. Molecular divergence estimates suggest that primates arrived in tropical Central America, the southern-most extent of the North American landmass, with several dispersals from South America starting with the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama 3-4 million years ago (Ma). The complete absence of primate fossils from Central America has, however, limited our understanding of their history in the New World. Here we present the first description of a fossil monkey recovered from the North American landmass, the oldest known crown platyrrhine, from a precisely dated 20.9-Ma layer in the Las Cascadas Formation in the Panama Canal Basin, Panama. This discovery suggests that family-level diversification of extant New World monkeys occurred in the tropics, with new divergence estimates for Cebidae between 22 and 25 Ma, and provides the oldest fossil evidence for mammalian interchange between South and North America. The timing is consistent with recent tectonic reconstructions of a relatively narrow Central American Seaway in the early Miocene epoch, coincident with over-water dispersals inferred for many other groups of animals and plants. Discovery of an early Miocene primate in Panama provides evidence for a circum-Caribbean tropical distribution of New World monkeys by this time, with ocean barriers not wholly restricting their northward movements, requiring a complex set of ecological factors to explain their absence in well-sampled similarly aged localities at higher latitudes of North America.

Medical student depression, anxiety and distress outside North America: a systematic review.

PubMed

Hope, Valerie; Henderson, Max

2014-10-01

North American medical students are more depressed and anxious than their peers. In the UK, the regulator now has responsibility for medical students, which may potentially increase scrutiny of their health. This may either help or hinder medical students in accessing appropriate care. The prevalences of anxiety, depression and psychological distress in medical students outside North America are not clear. A better understanding of the prevalence of, risk factors for and results of psychological distress will guide the configuration of support services, increasingly available for doctors, for medical students too. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalences of depression, anxiety and psychological distress in students in medical schools in the UK, Europe and elsewhere in the English-speaking world outside North America. A systematic review was conducted using search terms encompassing psychological distress amongst medical students. OvidSP was used to search the following databases: Ovid MEDLINE (R) from 1948 to October 2013; PsycINFO from 1806 to October 2013, and EMBASE from 1980 to October 2013. Results were restricted to medical schools in Europe and the English-speaking world outside North America, and were evaluated against a set of inclusion criteria including the use of validated assessment tools. The searches identified 29 eligible studies. Prevalences of 7.7-65.5% for anxiety, 6.0-66.5% for depression and 12.2-96.7% for psychological distress were recorded. The wide range of results reflects the variable quality of the studies. Almost all were cross-sectional and many did not mention ethical approval. Better-quality studies found lower prevalences. There was little information on the causes or consequences of depression or anxiety. Prevalences of psychological distress amongst medical students outside North America are substantial. Future research should move on from simple cross-sectional studies to better-quality longitudinal work which can

Pleistocene to holocene expansion of the black-belt cichlid in Central America, Vieja maculicauda (Teleostei: Cichlidae)

PubMed Central

Ginger, Luke; Cage, Marcy; David, Kyle T.; Chakrabarty, Prosanta; Johnston, Mark; Matamoros, Wilfredo A.

2017-01-01

The distributions of many Northern Hemisphere organisms have been influenced by fluctuations in sea level and climatic conditions during Pleistocene interglacial periods. These cycles are associated with range contraction and refugia for northern-distributed organisms as a response to glaciers. However, lower sea levels in the tropics and sub-tropics created available habitat for expansion of the ranges of freshwater organisms. The goal of this study was to use ecological niche modeling to test the hypothesis of north to south range expansion of Vieja maculicauda associated with Pleistocene glacial cycles. Understanding the biogeography of this widespread species may help us better understand the geology and interconnectivity of Central American freshwaters. Occurrence data for V. maculicauda was based on georeferencing of all museum records of specimens recovered from FishNet2. General patterns of phylogeographic structure were assessed with mtDNA. Present day niche models were generated and subsequently projected onto paleoclimatic maps of the region during the Last Interglacial, Last Glacial Maximum, and mid-Holocene. Phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA sequence data showed no phylogeographic structure throughout the range of this widespread species. Present day niche models were congruent with the observed distribution of V. maculicauda in Central America. Results showed a lack of suitable freshwater habitat in northern Central America and Mexico during the Last Interglacial, with greatest range expansion during the Last Glacial Maximum and mid-Holocene. Results support the hypothesis of a north to south range expansion of V. maculicauda associated with glacial cycles. The wide distribution of this species compared to other closely related cichlids indicates the latter did not respond to the degree of V. maculicauda in expansion of their distributions. Future work aimed at comparisons with other species and modeling of future climatic scenarios will be a fruitful

Drivers of pluvial lake distributions in western North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibarra, D. E.; Oster, J. L.; Winnick, M.; Caves, J. K.; Ritch, A. J.; Chamberlain, C. P.; Maher, K.

2016-12-01

The distribution of large inland lakes in western North America during the Plio-Pleistocene is intimately linked to the regional hydroclimate and moisture delivery dynamics. We investigate the climatological conditions driving terminal basin lakes in western North America during the mid-Pliocene warm period and the latest Pleistocene glacial maximum. Lacustrine deposits and geologic proxies suggest that lakes and wet conditions persisted during both warm and cold periods in the southwest, despite dramatically different global climate, ice sheet configuration and pCO2 levels. We use two complementary methods to quantify the hydroclimate drivers of terminal basin lake levels. First, a quantitative proxy-model comparison is conducted using compilations of geologic proxies and an ensemble of climate models. We utilize archived climate model simulations of the Last Glacial Maximum (21 ka, LGM) and mid-Pliocene (3.3 Ma) produced by the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP and PlioMIP). Our proxy network is made up of stable isotope records from caves, soils and paleosols, lake deposits and shorelines, glacier chronologies, and packrat middens. Second, we forward model the spatial distribution of lakes in the region using a Budyko framework to constrain the water balance for terminally draining watersheds, and make quantitative comparisons to mapped lacustrine shorelines and outcrops. Cumulatively these two approaches suggest that reduced evaporation and moderate increases in precipitation, relative to modern, drove moderate to large pluvial lakes during the LGM in the Great Basin. In contrast, larger precipitation increases appear to be the primary driver of lake levels during the mid-Pliocene in the southwest, with this spatial difference suggesting a role for El Niño teleconnections. These results demonstrate that during past periods of global change patterns of `dry-gets-drier, wet-gets-wetter' do not hold true for western North America.

Can coyotes affect deer populations in southeastern North America?

Treesearch

John C. Kilgo; H. Scott Ray; Charles Ruth; Karl V. Miller

2009-01-01

The coyote (Canis latrans) is a recent addition to the fauna of eastern North America, and in many areas coyote populations have been established for only a decade or two. Although coyotes are known predators of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in their historic range, effects this new predator may have on eastern deer...

The evolution of wilderness wildlife research in North America

Treesearch

R. Gerald Wright; Lisa K. Garrett

2000-01-01

Most wildlife research in North America has focused on a standard suite of questions, asked of a limited assemblage of economically important species and studied using a relatively limited set of techniques, study site characteristics and narrow time-frames. We describe why these factors are not necessarily conducive to conducting wildlife research in wilderness...

Central America: A Strategic Imperative.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-03-01

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, A AMA 87 1 7 2 , o2, 7... , ,. , ,. AIR WAR COLLEGE AIR UNIVERSITY CENTRAL AMERICA: A STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE by a Florian H. Yoste... FORCE BASE, ALABAMA @ i MARCH 1987 ti Acoession For DTIC TAB 0 Utinnounced 0 Justificato-- By Distributionl Availability Codes 7-- Avall and/or ’Dist...College or the Department of the Air Force . This document is the property of the United States Government and is not to be reproduced in whole or in

Volcanic hazards in Central America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rose, William I.; Bluth, Gregg J.S.; Carr, Michael J.; Ewert, John W.; Patino, Lina C.; Vallance, James W.

2006-01-01

This volume is a sampling of current scientific work about volcanoes in Central America with specific application to hazards. The papers reflect a variety of international and interdisciplinary collaborations and employ new methods. The book will be of interest to a broad cross section of scientists, especially volcanologists. The volume also will interest students who aspire to work in the field of volcano hazards mitigation or who may want to work in one of Earth’s most volcanically active areas.

Micro and Macroscale Drivers of Nutrient Concentrations in Urban Streams in South, Central and North America.

PubMed

Loiselle, Steven A; Gasparini Fernandes Cunha, Davi; Shupe, Scott; Valiente, Elsa; Rocha, Luciana; Heasley, Eleanore; Belmont, Patricia Pérez; Baruch, Avinoam

Global metrics of land cover and land use provide a fundamental basis to examine the spatial variability of human-induced impacts on freshwater ecosystems. However, microscale processes and site specific conditions related to bank vegetation, pollution sources, adjacent land use and water uses can have important influences on ecosystem conditions, in particular in smaller tributary rivers. Compared to larger order rivers, these low-order streams and rivers are more numerous, yet often under-monitored. The present study explored the relationship of nutrient concentrations in 150 streams in 57 hydrological basins in South, Central and North America (Buenos Aires, Curitiba, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City and Vancouver) with macroscale information available from global datasets and microscale data acquired by trained citizen scientists. Average sub-basin phosphate (P-PO4) concentrations were found to be well correlated with sub-basin attributes on both macro and microscales, while the relationships between sub-basin attributes and nitrate (N-NO3) concentrations were limited. A phosphate threshold for eutrophic conditions (>0.1 mg L-1 P-PO4) was exceeded in basins where microscale point source discharge points (eg. residential, industrial, urban/road) were identified in more than 86% of stream reaches monitored by citizen scientists. The presence of bankside vegetation covaried (rho = -0.53) with lower phosphate concentrations in the ecosystems studied. Macroscale information on nutrient loading allowed for a strong separation between basins with and without eutrophic conditions. Most importantly, the combination of macroscale and microscale information acquired increased our ability to explain sub-basin variability of P-PO4 concentrations. The identification of microscale point sources and bank vegetation conditions by citizen scientists provided important information that local authorities could use to improve their management of lower order river ecosystems.

Micro and Macroscale Drivers of Nutrient Concentrations in Urban Streams in South, Central and North America

PubMed Central

Loiselle, Steven A.; Gasparini Fernandes Cunha, Davi; Shupe, Scott; Valiente, Elsa; Rocha, Luciana; Heasley, Eleanore; Belmont, Patricia Pérez; Baruch, Avinoam

2016-01-01

Global metrics of land cover and land use provide a fundamental basis to examine the spatial variability of human-induced impacts on freshwater ecosystems. However, microscale processes and site specific conditions related to bank vegetation, pollution sources, adjacent land use and water uses can have important influences on ecosystem conditions, in particular in smaller tributary rivers. Compared to larger order rivers, these low-order streams and rivers are more numerous, yet often under-monitored. The present study explored the relationship of nutrient concentrations in 150 streams in 57 hydrological basins in South, Central and North America (Buenos Aires, Curitiba, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City and Vancouver) with macroscale information available from global datasets and microscale data acquired by trained citizen scientists. Average sub-basin phosphate (P-PO4) concentrations were found to be well correlated with sub-basin attributes on both macro and microscales, while the relationships between sub-basin attributes and nitrate (N-NO3) concentrations were limited. A phosphate threshold for eutrophic conditions (>0.1 mg L-1 P-PO4) was exceeded in basins where microscale point source discharge points (eg. residential, industrial, urban/road) were identified in more than 86% of stream reaches monitored by citizen scientists. The presence of bankside vegetation covaried (rho = –0.53) with lower phosphate concentrations in the ecosystems studied. Macroscale information on nutrient loading allowed for a strong separation between basins with and without eutrophic conditions. Most importantly, the combination of macroscale and microscale information acquired increased our ability to explain sub-basin variability of P-PO4 concentrations. The identification of microscale point sources and bank vegetation conditions by citizen scientists provided important information that local authorities could use to improve their management of lower order river

76 FR 13662 - Pass & Seymour/Legrand a Subsidiary of Legrand North America; Including On-Site Leased Workers...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-14

... Subsidiary of Legrand North America; Including On-Site Leased Workers From Select Staffing, also Known as... subsidiary of Legrand North America, including on-site leased workers from Select Staffing and Aerotek... reviewed the certification for workers of the subject firm. The company reports that Select Staffing, an on...

Suitability of pines and other conifers as hosts for the invasive Mediterranean pine engraver (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in North America.

PubMed

Lee, Jana C; Flint, Mary Louise; Seybold, Steven J

2008-06-01

The invasive Mediterranean pine engraver, Orthotomicus erosus (Wollaston) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), was detected in North America in 2004, and it is currently distributed in the southern Central Valley of California. It originates from the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, and Asia, and it reproduces on pines (Pinus spp.). To identify potentially vulnerable native and adventive hosts in North America, no-choice host range tests were conducted in the laboratory on 22 conifer species. The beetle reproduced on four pines from its native Eurasian range--Aleppo, Canary Island, Italian stone, and Scots pines; 11 native North American pines--eastern white, grey, jack, Jeffrey, loblolly, Monterey, ponderosa, red, Sierra lodgepole, singleleaf pinyon, and sugar pines; and four native nonpines--Douglas-fir, black and white spruce, and tamarack. Among nonpines, fewer progeny developed and they were of smaller size on Douglas-fir and tamarack, but sex ratios of progeny were nearly 1:1 on all hosts. Last, beetles did not develop on white fir, incense cedar, and coast redwood. With loblolly pine, the first new adults emerged 42 d after parental females were introduced into host logs at temperatures of 20-33 degrees C and 523.5 or 334.7 accumulated degree-days based on lower development thresholds of 13.6 or 18 degrees C, respectively.

Risk of ricin from commercial castor production in North America

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Commercial production of castor, as a source of highly valuable hydroxyl fatty acids, has been limited by both the real and perceived risks of commercial castor production in North America. Crop commodity groups, regulatory governmental agencies, and much of the general public may have reservations ...

Proceedings of the 2013 sorghum improvement conference of north america

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The 2013 Sorghum Improvement Conference of North America (SICNA) meeting was held at the International Cultural Center, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, from August 28-30, 2013. The meeting attracted a large group of participants from a wide spectrum of the sorghum research community, represe...

Cloud formation over Western Atlantic Ocean north of South America

NASA Image and Video Library

1962-10-03

S62-06606 (3 Oct. 1962) --- Cloud formation over Western Atlantic Ocean north of South America taken during the fourth orbit pass of the Mercury-Atlas 8 (MA-8) mission by astronaut Walter M. Schirra Jr. with a hand-held camera. Photo credit: NASA

On the Development of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Networks: Practical experiences from North and Central America.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mencin, David; Hodgkinson, Kathleen; Braun, John; Meertens, Charles; Mattioli, Glen; Phillips, David; Blume, Fredrick; Berglund, Henry; Fox, Otina; Feaux, Karl

2015-04-01

The GAGE facility, managed by UNAVCO, maintains and operates about 1300 GNSS stations distributed across North and Central America as part of the EarthScope Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) and the Continuously Operating Caribbean GPS Observational Network (COCONet). UNAVCO has upgraded about 450 stations in these networks to real-time and high-rate (RT-GNSS) and included surface meteorological instruments. The majority of these streaming stations are part of the PBO but also include approximately 50 RT-GNSS stations in the Caribbean and Central American region as part of the COCONet and TLALOCNet projects. Based on community input UNAVCO has been exploring ways to increase the capability and utility of these resources to improve our understanding in diverse areas of geophysics including seismic, volcanic, magmatic and tsunami deformation sources, extreme weather events such as hurricanes and storms, and space weather. The RT-GNSS networks also have the potential to profoundly transform our ability to rapidly characterize geophysical events, provide early warning, as well as improve hazard mitigation and response. Specific applications currently under development with university, commercial, non-profit and government collaboration on national and international scales include earthquake and tsunami early warning systems and near real-time tropospheric modeling of hurricanes and precipitable water vapor estimate assimilation. Using tsunami early warning as an example, an RT-GNSS network can provide multiple inputs in an operational system starting with rapid assessment of earthquake sources and associated deformation which informs the initial modeled tsunami. The networks can then can also provide direct measurements of the tsunami wave heights and propagation by tracking the associated ionospheric disturbance from several 100's of km away as the waves approaches the shoreline. These GNSS based constraints can refine the tsunami and inundation models and potentially

Ecology of West Nile Virus in North America

PubMed Central

Reisen, William K.

2013-01-01

The introduction, dispersal and establishment of West Nile virus in North America were reviewed, focusing on factors that may have enhanced receptivity and enabled the invasion process. The overwintering persistence of this tropical virus within temperate latitudes was unexpected, but was key in the transition from invasion to endemic establishment. The cascade of temporal events allowing sporadic amplification to outbreak levels was discussed within a future perspective. PMID:24008376

Synchrony in the snowshoe hare cycle in Northwestern North America, 1970-2012

Treesearch

C.J. Krebs; K. Kielland; J.P Bryant; M. O' Donoghue; F. Doyle; C. McIntyre; D. DiFolco; N. Berg; S. Carriere; R. Boonstra; S. Boutin; A. J. Kenney; D. G. Reid; K. Bodony; J. Putera; H. K. Timm; T. Burke.

2013-01-01

Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777) fluctuate in 9–10 year cycles throughout much of their North American range. Regional synchrony has been assumed to be the rule for these cycles, so that hare populations in virtually all of northwestern North America have been assumed to be in phase. We gathered qualitative and quantitative data on...

Holy smoke: tobacco use among native american tribes in North America.

PubMed

Godlaski, Theodore M

2013-01-01

The use of tobacco by Native Americans in North America seems to have ancient origins and significant spiritual meaning. This article reviews archeological and anthropological data about the use of tobacco and its sacred significance.

Glass Walls in North America. Technical Paper No. 179.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hutcheon, N. B.

Solar heat gains (radiation) and its effects on the building environment are discussed, in conjunction with the proper and improper use of large glass areas in the exterior walls of buildings in North America. The difficulties of solar heat gain and of controlling natural light and glare are outlined and said to influence building comfort and air…

History of black walnut genetics research in North America

Treesearch

Erin Victory; Keith Woeste; Olin E., Jr. Rhodes

2004-01-01

Eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) is an economically and ecologically important hardwood species that has been used throughout the history of settlement in North America. It was a resource that helped Native Americans in their everyday life, it helped European settlers carve a living out of the wilderness, and it has helped rural farmers and...

Land cover mapping of North and Central America—Global Land Cover 2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Latifovic, Rasim; Zhu, Zhi-Liang

2004-01-01

The Land Cover Map of North and Central America for the year 2000 (GLC 2000-NCA), prepared by NRCan/CCRS and USGS/EROS Data Centre (EDC) as a regional component of the Global Land Cover 2000 project, is the subject of this paper. A new mapping approach for transforming satellite observations acquired by the SPOT4/VGTETATION (VGT) sensor into land cover information is outlined. The procedure includes: (1) conversion of daily data into 10-day composite; (2) post-seasonal correction and refinement of apparent surface reflectance in 10-day composite images; and (3) extraction of land cover information from the composite images. The pre-processing and mosaicking techniques developed and used in this study proved to be very effective in removing cloud contamination, BRDF effects, and noise in Short Wave Infra-Red (SWIR). The GLC 2000-NCA land cover map is provided as a regional product with 28 land cover classes based on modified Federal Geographic Data Committee/Vegetation Classification Standard (FGDC NVCS) classification system, and as part of a global product with 22 land cover classes based on Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) of the Food and Agriculture Organisation. The map was compared on both areal and per-pixel bases over North and Central America to the International Geosphere–Biosphere Programme (IGBP) global land cover classification, the University of Maryland global land cover classification (UMd) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Global land cover classification produced by Boston University (BU). There was good agreement (79%) on the spatial distribution and areal extent of forest between GLC 2000-NCA and the other maps, however, GLC 2000-NCA provides additional information on the spatial distribution of forest types. The GLC 2000-NCA map was produced at the continental level incorporating specific needs of the region.

Is Microseismicity Relevant to Estimating Seismic Hazards in North Central New Mexico?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

House, L.; Roberts, P.; Gardner, J. N.

2003-12-01

The Rio Grande rift extends south from southern Colorado through central New Mexico and into northern Mexico. It is a major tectonic feature in New Mexico, yet seismicity in the rift is comparable to or lower than in the adjacent stable Great Plains and Colorado Plateau provinces (Sanford, et al, 1991). In north-central New Mexico, thirty years of microearthquake monitoring have provided more than 650 epicenters in an area of about 28 000 sq km. The largest earthquake was about magnitude 3. Epicenters show only a slight association with recently active faults, and most lie away from faults (mislocation of epicenters could produce this scatter, though we think it is unlikely). The Pajarito fault system is presently the western boundary of the Rio Grande rift in the area of the Espanola Basin (from Santa Fe to Espanola), yet has little seismicity associated with it, and only for 15 km of its 50 km length. That seismicity includes five earthquakes that were been felt in the Los Alamos area since 1991 (most recently in April 2003). Paleoseismic studies (Gardner et al, 2001) found evidence for large slip events along that same 15 km portion of the Pajarito fault system as recently as 2 ka. Recurrence times of these events are not known, but may be 10 ka or longer. The remainder of the rift boundary in north-central New Mexico is not discernable from seismicity. A simple model of opening of the rift (at an assumed rate of 0.1 mm/yr) produces an estimate of seismic moment release that is several orders of magnitude greater than seen in the seismicity. Microseismicity seems to have little relation to the macroseismicity that may occur on long time intervals (perhaps thousands of years) and may not be relevant for understanding seismic hazards in this part of the Rio Grande rift. Sanford, A.R., L.H. Jaksha, and D.J. Cash (1991), Seismicity of the Rio Grande rift in New Mexico, in Slemmons, D.B., E.R. Engdahl, M.D. Zoback, and D.D. Blackwell (eds), Neotectonics of North

A dated phylogeny of the palm tribe Chamaedoreeae supports Eocene dispersal between Africa, North and South America.

PubMed

Cuenca, Argelia; Asmussen-Lange, Conny B; Borchsenius, Finn

2008-02-01

The palm tribe Chamaedoreeae reaches its higher diversity in Central America, however, its distribution ranges from the north eastern part of Mexico to Bolivia with a disjunction to the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean. The disjunct distribution of Chamaedoreeae is generally considered a result of Gondwana vicariance and extinction from Africa and/or Madagascar. However, latitudinal migrations and their role in shaping the distribution of this tribe in the Americas have been largely overlooked. In this study we used seven plastid and two nuclear DNA regions to investigate the phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of the Chamaedoreeae. The resulting phylogeny fully resolved the generic relationships within the tribe. The exact area of origin of the tribe remains uncertain, but dating analyses indicated an initial diversification of the Chamaedoreeae during the Early Eocene, followed by long distance dispersion to the Mascarene Islands in the late Miocene. The radiation of Hyophorbe could have taking place on islands in the Indian Ocean now submerged, but its former presence in Africa or Madagascar cannot be ruled out. At least two independent migrations between North and South America predating the rise of the Panama isthmus need to be postulated to explain the distribution of Chamaedoreeae, one during the Middle Eocene and a second during the Miocene. Whereas the traditional interpretation of distribution of Chamaedoreeae species assumes a west Gondwana origin of the group, the findings presented in this paper make it equally possible to interpret the group as a primarily boreotropical element.

Mountain uplift explains differences in Palaeogene patterns of mammalian evolution and extinction between North America and Europe

PubMed Central

Eronen, Jussi T.; Janis, Christine M.; Chamberlain, C. Page; Mulch, Andreas

2015-01-01

Patterns of late Palaeogene mammalian evolution appear to be very different between Eurasia and North America. Around the Eocene–Oligocene (EO) transition global temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere plummet: following this, European mammal faunas undergo a profound extinction event (the Grande Coupure), while in North America they appear to pass through this temperature event unscathed. Here, we investigate the role of surface uplift to environmental change and mammalian evolution through the Palaeogene (66–23 Ma). Palaeogene regional surface uplift in North America caused large-scale reorganization of precipitation patterns, particularly in the continental interior, in accord with our combined stable isotope and ecometric data. Changes in mammalian faunas reflect that these were dry and high-elevation palaeoenvironments. The scenario of Middle to Late Eocene (50–37 Ma) surface uplift, together with decreasing precipitation in higher-altitude regions of western North America, explains the enigma of the apparent lack of the large-scale mammal faunal change around the EO transition that characterized western Europe. We suggest that North American mammalian faunas were already pre-adapted to cooler and drier conditions preceding the EO boundary, resulting from the effects of a protracted history of surface uplift. PMID:26041349

Conservation of native Pacific trout diversity in Western North America

Treesearch

Brooke E. Penaluna; Alicia Abadía-Cardoso; Jason B. Dunham; Francisco J. García-Dé León; Robert E. Gresswell; Arturo Ruiz Luna; Eric B. Taylor; Bradley B. Shepard; Robert Al-Chokhachy; Clint C. Muhlfeld; Kevin R. Bestgen; Kevin Rogers; Marco A. Escalante; Ernest R. Keeley; Gabriel M. Temple; Jack E. Williams; Kathleen R. Matthews; Ron Pierce; Richard L. Mayden; Ryan P. Kovach; John Carlos Garza; Kurt D. Fausch

2016-01-01

Pacific trout Oncorhynchus spp. in western North America are strongly valued in ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural views, and have been the subject of substantial research and conservation efforts. Despite this, the understanding of their evolutionary histories, overall diversity, and challenges to their conservation is incomplete. We review...

Data-driven diagnostics of terrestrial carbon dynamics over North America

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The exchange of carbon dioxide is a key measure of ecosystem metabolism and a critical intersection between the terrestrial biosphere and the Earth's climate. Despite the general agreement that the terrestrial ecosystems in North America provide a sizeable carbon sink, the size and distribution of t...

Shaded Relief with Height as Color, North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

This image of North America was generated with data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). For this broad view the resolution of the data was first reduced to 30 arcseconds (about 928 meters north-south and 736 meters east-west in central North America), matching the best previously existing global digital topographic data set called GTOPO30. The data were then resampled to a Mercator projection with approximately square pixels (about one kilometer, or 0.6 miles, on each side). Even at this decreased resolution the variety of landforms comprising the North American continent is readily apparent.

Active tectonics (structural deformation of the Earth's crust) along and near the Pacific -- North American plate boundary creates the great topographic relief seen along the Pacific coast. Earth's crustal plates converge in southern Mexico and in the northwest United States, melting the crust and producing volcanic cones. Along the California coast, the plates are sliding laterally past each other, producing a pattern of slices within the San Andreas fault system. And, where the plates are diverging, the crust appears torn apart as one huge tear along the Gulf of California (northwest Mexico), and as the several fractures comprising the Basin and Range province (in and around Nevada).

Across the Great Plains, erosional patterns dominate, with streams channels surrounding and penetrating the remnants of older smooth slopes east of the Rocky Mountains. This same erosion process is exposing the bedrock structural patterns of the Black Hills in South Dakota and the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. Lateral erosion and sediment deposition by the Mississippi River has produced the flatlands of the lower Mississippi Valley and the Mississippi Delta.

To the north, evidence of the glaciers of the last ice age is widely found, particularly east of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and around the Great Lakes. From northeastern British Columbia, across Alberta, Saskatchewan

A Bayesian modelling framework for tornado occurrences in North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Vincent Y. S.; Arhonditsis, George B.; Sills, David M. L.; Gough, William A.; Auld, Heather

2015-03-01

Tornadoes represent one of nature’s most hazardous phenomena that have been responsible for significant destruction and devastating fatalities. Here we present a Bayesian modelling approach for elucidating the spatiotemporal patterns of tornado activity in North America. Our analysis shows a significant increase in the Canadian Prairies and the Northern Great Plains during the summer, indicating a clear transition of tornado activity from the United States to Canada. The linkage between monthly-averaged atmospheric variables and likelihood of tornado events is characterized by distinct seasonality; the convective available potential energy is the predominant factor in the summer; vertical wind shear appears to have a strong signature primarily in the winter and secondarily in the summer; and storm relative environmental helicity is most influential in the spring. The present probabilistic mapping can be used to draw inference on the likelihood of tornado occurrence in any location in North America within a selected time period of the year.

A Bayesian modelling framework for tornado occurrences in North America.

PubMed

Cheng, Vincent Y S; Arhonditsis, George B; Sills, David M L; Gough, William A; Auld, Heather

2015-03-25

Tornadoes represent one of nature's most hazardous phenomena that have been responsible for significant destruction and devastating fatalities. Here we present a Bayesian modelling approach for elucidating the spatiotemporal patterns of tornado activity in North America. Our analysis shows a significant increase in the Canadian Prairies and the Northern Great Plains during the summer, indicating a clear transition of tornado activity from the United States to Canada. The linkage between monthly-averaged atmospheric variables and likelihood of tornado events is characterized by distinct seasonality; the convective available potential energy is the predominant factor in the summer; vertical wind shear appears to have a strong signature primarily in the winter and secondarily in the summer; and storm relative environmental helicity is most influential in the spring. The present probabilistic mapping can be used to draw inference on the likelihood of tornado occurrence in any location in North America within a selected time period of the year.

Detection of group 1 coronaviruses in bats in North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dominguez, S.R.; O'Shea, T.J.; Oko, L.M.; Holmes, K.V.

2007-01-01

The epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was caused by a newly emerged coronavirus (SARS-CoV). Bats of several species in southern People's Republic of China harbor SARS-like CoVs and may be reservoir hosts for them. To determine whether bats in North America also harbor coronaviruses, we used reverse transcription-PCR to detect coronavirus RNA in bats. We found coronavirus RNA in 6 of 28 fecal specimens from bats of 2 of 7 species tested. The prevalence of viral RNA shedding was high: 17% in Eptesicus fuscus and 50% in Myotis occultus. Sequence analysis of a 440-bp amplicon in gene 1b showed that these Rocky Mountain bat coronaviruses formed 3 clusters in phylogenetic group 1 that were distinct from group 1 coronaviruses of Asian bats. Because of the potential for bat coronaviruses to cause disease in humans and animals, further surveillance and characterization of bat coronaviruses in North America are needed.

Eocene euthecosomatous pteropoda (gastropoda) of North America

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hodgkinson, K.A.; Allan, W.H.; Garvie, C.

1985-02-01

Thirty-four species of Eocene pteropods (minute, shell-bearing, planktonic gastropods) are added to the 11 previously known from North America. They can, on occasion, be used effectively for global correlation of synchronous strata. As pteropods receive further attention, the number and accuracy of these correlations will increase. Pteropods are one of the most abundant and ubiquitous members of the plankton community in modern oceans. They were just as diverse and abundant in Eocene seas. There are about 28 modern euthecosome species. The authors identified 45 Eocene species in North America, 7 of which were already known in England and Europe; 27more » are new. They were collected from outcrops in Texas and Alabama and from exploratory wells in Louisiana and the Nova Scotian shelf. All euthecosomatous pteropods have aragonitic shells but there are at least 3 different kinds of microstructure: (1) most spirally coiled species (family Spiratellidae) have crossed-lamellar microstructure, (2) straight or bilaterally symmetrical shells (family Cavoliniidae and Creisidae) have a helical microstructure, and (3) the Eocene species, Plotophysops bearnensis Curry (family Spiratellidae), has both crossed-lamellar and helical microstructure. Helical microstructure, first described in pteropods by Be, MacClintock, and Chew-Currie in the modern species, Cuvierina columnella Rang, is now known to exist in other molluscan groups. The helical rods are nested in such a manner as to give maximum strength to the thin fragile shell, a decided advantage for an organism with a planktonic life style.« less

Tobacco cessation quitlines in North America: a descriptive study

PubMed Central

Cummins, Sharon E; Bailey, Linda; Campbell, Sharon; Koon‐Kirby, Carrie; Zhu, Shu‐Hong

2007-01-01

Background Quitlines have become an integral part of tobacco control efforts in the United States and Canada. The demonstrated efficacy and the convenience of telephone based counselling have led to the fast adoption of quitlines, to the point of near universal access in North America. However, information on how these quitlines operate in actual practice is not often readily available. Objectives This study describes quitline practice in North America and examines commonalities and differences across quitlines. It will serve as a source of reference for practitioners and researchers, with the aim of furthering service quality and promoting continued innovation. Design A self administered questionnaire survey of large, publicly funded quitlines in the United States and Canada. A total of 52 US quitlines and 10 Canadian quitlines participated. Descriptive statistics are provided regarding quitline operational structures, clinical services, quality assurance procedures, funding sources and utilisation rates. Results Clinical services for the 62 state/provincial quitlines are supplied by a total of 26 service providers. Nine providers operate multiple quitlines, creating greater consistency in operation than would otherwise be expected. Most quitlines offer services over extended hours (mean 96 hours/week) and have multiple language capabilities. Most (98%) use proactive multisession counselling—a key feature of protocols tested in previous experimental trials. Almost all quitlines have extensive training programmes (>60 hours) for counselling staff, and over 70% conduct regular evaluation of outcomes. About half of quitlines use the internet to provide cessation information. A little over a third of US quitlines distribute free cessation medications to eligible callers. The average utilisation rate of the US state quitlines in the 2004–5 fiscal year was about 1.0% across states, with a strong correlation between the funding level of the quitlines and the

Introduction: seismology and earthquake engineering in Central and South America.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Espinosa, A.F.

1983-01-01

Reports the state-of-the-art in seismology and earthquake engineering that is being advanced in Central and South America. Provides basic information on seismological station locations in Latin America and some of the programmes in strong-motion seismology, as well as some of the organizations involved in these activities.-from Author

A Ceratopsian Dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Western North America, and the Biogeography of Neoceratopsia

PubMed Central

Farke, Andrew A.; Maxwell, W. Desmond; Cifelli, Richard L.; Wedel, Mathew J.

2014-01-01

The fossil record for neoceratopsian (horned) dinosaurs in the Lower Cretaceous of North America primarily comprises isolated teeth and postcrania of limited taxonomic resolution, hampering previous efforts to reconstruct the early evolution of this group in North America. An associated cranium and lower jaw from the Cloverly Formation (?middle–late Albian, between 104 and 109 million years old) of southern Montana is designated as the holotype for Aquilops americanus gen. et sp. nov. Aquilops americanus is distinguished by several autapomorphies, including a strongly hooked rostral bone with a midline boss and an elongate and sharply pointed antorbital fossa. The skull in the only known specimen is comparatively small, measuring 84 mm between the tips of the rostral and jugal. The taxon is interpreted as a basal neoceratopsian closely related to Early Cretaceous Asian taxa, such as Liaoceratops and Auroraceratops. Biogeographically, A. americanus probably originated via a dispersal from Asia into North America; the exact route of this dispersal is ambiguous, although a Beringian rather than European route seems more likely in light of the absence of ceratopsians in the Early Cretaceous of Europe. Other amniote clades show similar biogeographic patterns, supporting an intercontinental migratory event between Asia and North America during the late Early Cretaceous. The temporal and geographic distribution of Upper Cretaceous neoceratopsians (leptoceratopsids and ceratopsoids) suggests at least intermittent connections between North America and Asia through the early Late Cretaceous, likely followed by an interval of isolation and finally reconnection during the latest Cretaceous. PMID:25494182

Additions and corrections to the check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America north of Mexico

PubMed Central

Lafontaine, J. Donald; Schmidt, B. Christian

2011-01-01

Abstract A total of 115 additions and corrections are listed and discussed for the check list of the Noctuoidea of North America north of Mexico published in 2010. Thirty-two of these are changes in authorship and/or date of publication or spelling. Taxonomic changes are 33 new or revised synonymies, three new combinations, and six revisions in status from synonymy to valid species. PMID:22207802

Key Challenges to Collegiate Music Education Programs in North America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Patrick M.

2012-01-01

Higher education is the linchpin of music education in North America. It is primarily in collegiate institutions that music teachers are educated throughout the life cycles of their careers. This begins with preservice programs, typically at the baccalaureate level, and continues with in-service professional development and graduate degree…

Recent rates of forest harvest and conversion in North America

Treesearch

Jeffrey G. Masek; Warren B. Cohen; Donald Leckie; Michael A. Wulder; Rodrigo Vargas; Ben de Jong; Sean Healey; Beverly Law; Richard Birdsey; R. A. Houghton; David Mildrexler; Samuel Goward; W. Brad Smith

2011-01-01

Incorporating ecological disturbance into biogeochemical models is critical for estimating current and future carbon stocks and fluxes. In particular, anthropogenic disturbances, such as forest conversion and wood harvest, strongly affect forest carbon dynamics within North America. This paper summarizes recent (2000-2008) rates of extraction, including both conversion...

Population trends of grassland birds in North America are linked to the prevalence of an agricultural epizootic in Europe

PubMed Central

Nocera, Joseph J.; Koslowsky, Hannah M.

2011-01-01

Globalization of trade has dramatic socioeconomic effects, and, intuitively, significant ecological effects should follow. However, few quantitative examples exist of the interrelationship of globalization, socioeconomics, and ecological patterns. We present a striking illustration of a cascade in which bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE; “mad cow disease”) outbreaks in Europe exerted pressure on global beef markets, subsequently affecting North American hayfields and grassland bird populations. We examined competing models, which linked the prevalence of BSE in five focal countries, volume of beef exports to those countries from North America, and the amount of hayfield harvested and the abundance of grassland birds in North America. We found that (i) imports from North America increased 1 y after BSE outbreaks; (ii) probably because fewer cattle remained, the hay harvest in North America was reduced 2 y after the outbreak; (iii) the reduced hay harvest yielded a positive response in grassland bird populations 3 y after the outbreak. PMID:21383197

Rapid Middle Eocene temperature change in western North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Methner, Katharina; Mulch, Andreas; Fiebig, Jens; Wacker, Ulrike; Gerdes, Axel; Graham, Stephan A.; Chamberlain, C. Page

2016-09-01

Eocene hyperthermals are among the most enigmatic phenomena of Cenozoic climate dynamics. These hyperthermals represent temperature extremes superimposed on an already warm Eocene climate and dramatically affected the marine and terrestrial biosphere, yet our knowledge of temperature and rainfall in continental interiors is still rather limited. We present stable isotope (δ18O) and clumped isotope temperature (Δ47) records from a middle Eocene (41 to 40 Ma) high-elevation mammal fossil locality in the North American continental interior (Montana, USA). Δ47 paleotemperatures of soil carbonates delineate a rapid +9/-11 °C temperature excursion in the paleosol record. Δ47 temperatures progressively increase from 23 °C ± 3 °C to peak temperatures of 32 °C ± 3 °C and subsequently drop by 11 °C. This hyperthermal event in the middle Eocene is accompanied by low δ18O values and reduced pedogenic carbonate concentrations in paleosols. Based on laser ablation U/Pb geochronology of paleosol carbonates in combination with magnetostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, stable isotope, and Δ47 evidence, we suggest that this pronounced warming event reflects the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) in western North America. The terrestrial expression of northern hemisphere MECO in western North America appears to be characterized by warmer and wetter (sub-humid) conditions, compared to the post-MECO phase. Large and rapid shifts in δ18O values of precipitation and pedogenic CaCO3 contents parallel temperature changes, indicating the profound impact of the MECO on atmospheric circulation and rainfall patterns in the western North American continental interior during this transient warming event.

78 FR 23741 - North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-22

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The North Central Idaho Resource Advisorsy Committee (RAC) will be meet in Grangeville, Idaho. The RAC is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and...

77 FR 51967 - North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-28

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The North Central Idaho RAC will be meeting via... held at the Nez Perce National Forest Supervisors Office, 104 Airport Road, Grangeville, Idaho. Written...

75 FR 4523 - North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-28

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The North Central Idaho RAC will meet in Grangeville, Idaho. The committee is meeting as authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self...

77 FR 43236 - North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-24

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The North Central Idaho RAC will meet in Grangeville, Idaho. The committee is meeting as authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self...

75 FR 64691 - North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-20

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The North Central Idaho RAC will meet in Potlatch, Idaho. The committee is meeting as authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self...

76 FR 1594 - North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-11

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meetings. SUMMARY: The North Central Idaho RAC will meet in Grangeville, Idaho. The committee is meeting as authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self...

76 FR 12933 - North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-09

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service North Central Idaho Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meetings. SUMMARY: The North Central Idaho RAC will meet in Grangeville, Idaho. The committee is meeting as authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self...

Nutrition, poverty alleviation, and development in Central America and Panama.

PubMed

Immink, Maarten D C

2010-03-01

This paper reviews research with policy relevance for food and nutrition in Central America and similar areas. The research was conducted by the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) during the last three decades of the past millennium (1970-99). Six policy areas were selected for this review: agricultural commercialization and rural development; wage and price policies; human resource development; social safety nets, particularly complementary food programs; multi-sectoral nutrition planning; and food and nutrition monitoring for policy formulation. The contents and major conclusions of the work are described, as well as their public policy implications.

WILD SALMON IN WESTERN NORTH AMERICA; THE HISTORICAL AND POLICY CONTEXT

EPA Science Inventory

Nearly all of the participants in the Salmon 2100 Project concluded that wild salmon recovery efforts in western North America (especially California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and southern British Columbia), as earnest, expensive, and socially disruptive as they currently are, ...

Railroad Electrification Activity in North America--A Status Report : 1976-1978

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1980-01-01

In view of the increased activity and interest in railroad electrification in North America, it is appropriate to provide a continuing overview of activities of interest to the railroad industry and the U.S. Government. Major activities completed or ...

A detailed gravimetric geoid from North America to Eurasia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vincent, S. F.; Strange, W. E.; Marsh, J. G.

1972-01-01

A detailed gravimetric geoid of the United States, North Atlantic, and Eurasia, which was computed from a combination of satellite derived and surface gravity data, is presented. The precision of this detailed geoid is + or - 2 to + or - 3 m in the continents but may be in the range of 5 to 7 m in those areas where data is sparse. Comparisons of the detailed gravimetric geoid with results of Rapp, Fischer, and Rice for the United States, Bomford in Europe, and Heiskanen and Fischer in India are presented. Comparisons are also presented with geoid heights from satellite solutions for geocentric station coordinates in North America, the Caribbean, and Europe.

A review of the insects and mites found on Taxus spp. with emphasis on western North America.

Treesearch

John D. Lattin

1998-01-01

Forty-two species of insects and mites found on Taxusare discussed, including all those known to occur in North America, of which 27 occur in western North America. Thirty-eight species are phytophagous, and 28 of these have sucking, rather than chewing, mouth parts. It is suggested that some of the chemical compounds present in the foliage of...

[Conservation tillage systems in North America and their significance for China].

PubMed

Yang, Xueming; Zhang, Xiaoping; Fang, Huajun; Liang, Aizhen; Qi, Xiaoning; Wang, Yang

2004-02-01

Soil degradation through erosion and desertification reduces soil productivity, and is a serious problem in agricultural production of China. To avert our arable land from further degradation, soil management must be shifted from degrading tillage to conservation practices. Over viewing the technology used in the 20th century for controlling soil degradation from erosion, conservation tillage developed in the United States and adopted in South America and Africa is one of the most successful measures to overcome soil degradation problems. This paper reviewed the historical development and the current situation of conservation tillage systems used in North and South America, with special reference to their effects on soil erosion control and soil quality. The increasing adoption of conservation tillage systems in North and South America and Africa followed an enhanced awareness of the increasing risk of soil erosion and the high cost of fuel associated with conventional tillage. Many crucial points for successfully adopting conservation tillage systems were emphasized, such as equipment/tool development and chemical weed control. Adopting conservation tillage could provide China with low-priced means of reducing soil degradation and improving soil and water quality.

Changing perspectives on pearly mussels, North America's most imperiled animals

Treesearch

David L. Strayer; John A. Downing; Wendell R. Haag; Timothy L. King; James B. Layzer; Teresa J. Newton; S. Jerrine Nichols

2004-01-01

Pearly mussels (Unionacea) are widespread, abundant, and important in freshwater ecosystems around the world. Catastrophic declines in pearly mussel populations in North America and other parts of the world have led to a flurry of research on mussel biology, ecology, and conservation. Recent research on mussel feeding, life history, spatial...

First records of Cyclorhipidion fukiense (Eggers) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini), an ambrosia beetle native to Asia, in North America.

PubMed

Hoebeke, E Richard; Rabaglia, Robert J; KnÍŽek, MiloŠ; Weaver, John S

2018-03-13

The Asian ambrosia beetle, Cyclorhipidion fukiense (Eggers) was detected for the first time in North America based on three specimens trapped in 2012 from three localities in South Carolina and two other specimens intercepted at the port of Savannah, Georgia, in 2010. The species is characterized, illustrated with high-resolution images, and compared with two other congeneric, adventive species (C. bodoanum and C. pelliculosum) presently established in eastern North America. Morphometric measurements are provided and a provisional key is presented to the species of Cyclorhipidion occurring in North America.

The last fossil primate in North America, new material of the enigmatic Ekgmowechashala from the Arikareean of Oregon.

PubMed

Samuels, Joshua X; Albright, L Barry; Fremd, Theodore J

2015-09-01

Primates were common in North America through most of the Eocene, but vanished in the Chadronian, about 35 million years ago. In the Arikareean, about 6 million years later, the enigmatic primate Ekgmowechashala appeared in the Great Plains and Oregon. This taxon shows little resemblance to other North American primates and its phylogenetic position has long been debated. New material of this taxon allows a revised assessment of its age and how it is related to other primates. Recently collected Ekgmowechashala specimens from the Turtle Cove Member of the John Day Formation in Oregon are described. These specimens are compared to previously collected material from South Dakota and Nebraska, as well as other fossil primates from North America and Asia. Study of the John Day material allows diagnosis of a new, distinct species. Comparison of Ekgmowechashala to a pair of recently described Asian primates, Muangthanhinius and Bugtilemur, suggests that it is a strepsirrhine adapiform, rather than an omomyid. The well-defined stratigraphy and dated marker beds of the Turtle Cove Member provide a refined age for Ekgmowechashala occurrences in Oregon, during the Oligocene (early Arikareean). The age and morphology of these ekgmowechashaline taxa suggest that the group originated in Asia and dispersed to North America in the Oligocene, after the extinction of other primates in North America. Contemporaneous occurrences of Ekgmowechashala in Oregon and the Great Plains indicate the last non-human primates vanished in North America about 26 million years ago. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mountain uplift explains differences in Palaeogene patterns of mammalian evolution and extinction between North America and Europe.

PubMed

Eronen, Jussi T; Janis, Christine M; Chamberlain, C Page; Mulch, Andreas

2015-06-22

Patterns of late Palaeogene mammalian evolution appear to be very different between Eurasia and North America. Around the Eocene-Oligocene (EO) transition global temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere plummet: following this, European mammal faunas undergo a profound extinction event (the Grande Coupure), while in North America they appear to pass through this temperature event unscathed. Here, we investigate the role of surface uplift to environmental change and mammalian evolution through the Palaeogene (66-23 Ma). Palaeogene regional surface uplift in North America caused large-scale reorganization of precipitation patterns, particularly in the continental interior, in accord with our combined stable isotope and ecometric data. Changes in mammalian faunas reflect that these were dry and high-elevation palaeoenvironments. The scenario of Middle to Late Eocene (50-37 Ma) surface uplift, together with decreasing precipitation in higher-altitude regions of western North America, explains the enigma of the apparent lack of the large-scale mammal faunal change around the EO transition that characterized western Europe. We suggest that North American mammalian faunas were already pre-adapted to cooler and drier conditions preceding the EO boundary, resulting from the effects of a protracted history of surface uplift. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Cultural learning and the Clovis colonization of North America.

PubMed

O'Brien, Michael J; Buchanan, Briggs

2017-11-01

The timing of the earliest colonization of North America is debatable, but what is not at issue is the point of origin of the early colonists: Humans entered the continent from Beringia and then made their way south along or near the Pacific Coast and/or through a corridor that ran between the Cordilleran and Laurentide ice sheets in western North America. At some point, they abandoned their Arctic-based tool complex for one more adapted to an entirely different environment. That new techno-complex is termed "Clovis"; its dispersal allows us to examine, at a fine scale, how colonization processes played out across a vast continent that at the time had, at best, a very small resident population. Clovis has figured prominently in American archeology since the first Clovis points were identified in eastern New Mexico in the 1930s. However, the successful marriage of learning models grounded in evolutionary theory and modern analytical methods that began roughly a decade ago has begun to pay significant dividends in terms of what we know about the rapid spread of human groups across the last sizable landmass to witness human occupation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Liquid Fuels and Natural Gas in the Americas Analysis Brief

EIA Publications

2014-01-01

This report examines the major energy trends and developments of the past decade in the Americas, focusing on liquid fuels and natural gas—particularly, reserves and resources, production, consumption, trade, and investment. The Americas, which include North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, account for a significant portion of global supply, demand, and trade of both liquid fuels and natural gas. Liquid fuels include all petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas liquids, biofuels, and liquids derived from other hydrocarbon sources.

49 CFR Appendix to Subpart H of... - Explanation of Pre-Authorization Safety Audit Evaluation Criteria for Non-North America-Domiciled...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Evaluation Criteria for Non-North America-Domiciled Motor Carriers Appendix to Subpart H of Part 385... Special Rules for New Entrant Non-North America-Domiciled Carriers Pt. 385, Subpt. H, App. Appendix to Subpart H of Part 385—Explanation of Pre-Authorization Safety Audit Evaluation Criteria for Non-North...

Terranes and the tectonic assembly of South America: The fifth Circum-Pacific terrane conference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, G. W.

1994-10-01

A central theme of the 5th Circum-Pacific Terrane Conference held at Santiago, Chile, 11-14 November 1991, was the new theory that Australia and Antarctica separated from western North America during the Late Proterozoic, then crashed into Africa and South America to form Gondwana in the Late Cambrian. Particular interest centered on the Precordillera Terrane, which came from central North America and was accreted to Argentina during the Ordovician, and on the Avalon Terrane, derived from northern South American and accreted to Laurasia during the Taconic Orogeny. The mobility of plates and terranes has been so great that before the Mesozoic the Circum-Pacific and Circum-Atlantic regions were one and the same.

Atmospheric moisture transport to western North America during the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lora, J. M.; Mitchell, J.; Risi, C.; Tripati, A.

2016-12-01

Proxy reconstructions of the paleoclimate of western North America indicate that the southwest was considerably wetter during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; 21 ka) than in the present, while the Pacific Northwest received substantially less rainfall. Pluvial paleolake systems existed in regions that today are arid, from the Great Basin down to the modern Mojave Desert. Many lakes grew to highstands during the early deglaciation, before quickly falling to near-modern levels of dryness around 15 ka, around the same time when moisture in the northwest increased. The timing and distribution of these shifts observed in hydroclimate proxies have been hypothesized to reflect changes in the position of the polar jet stream or the seasonality of precipitation, but the source and delivery processes of the water feeding these regions are debated. Using results from a range of climate models and reanalyses, we explore the role of atmospheric rivers in delivering water to western North America during the glacial, as well as the evolution of water delivery during the deglaciation. Due to the presence of continental ice sheets, deepened Aleutian Low and weakened North Pacific High pressure systems concentrated water transport in atmospheric rivers into California relative to the present, enhancing moisture and precipitation in the southwest and shifting it away from the northwest. As the ice sheets receded, a rapid reorganization of the atmospheric circulation, accompanied by abrupt changes of the semi-permanent pressure systems, precipitated drying and moistening of southwestern and northwestern North America, respectively. We find that during this interval, changes in the water budget of western North America are attributable to the intensity of moisture transport into the continent, and not to the position of the jet stream.

Late Cretaceous restructuring of terrestrial communities facilitated the end-Cretaceous mass extinction in North America.

PubMed

Mitchell, Jonathan S; Roopnarine, Peter D; Angielczyk, Kenneth D

2012-11-13

The sudden environmental catastrophe in the wake of the end-Cretaceous asteroid impact had drastic effects that rippled through animal communities. To explore how these effects may have been exacerbated by prior ecological changes, we used a food-web model to simulate the effects of primary productivity disruptions, such as those predicted to result from an asteroid impact, on ten Campanian and seven Maastrichtian terrestrial localities in North America. Our analysis documents that a shift in trophic structure between Campanian and Maastrichtian communities in North America led Maastrichtian communities to experience more secondary extinction at lower levels of primary production shutdown and possess a lower collapse threshold than Campanian communities. Of particular note is the fact that changes in dinosaur richness had a negative impact on the robustness of Maastrichtian ecosystems against environmental perturbations. Therefore, earlier ecological restructuring may have exacerbated the impact and severity of the end-Cretaceous extinction, at least in North America.

Late Cretaceous restructuring of terrestrial communities facilitated the end-Cretaceous mass extinction in North America

PubMed Central

Roopnarine, Peter D.; Angielczyk, Kenneth D.

2012-01-01

The sudden environmental catastrophe in the wake of the end-Cretaceous asteroid impact had drastic effects that rippled through animal communities. To explore how these effects may have been exacerbated by prior ecological changes, we used a food-web model to simulate the effects of primary productivity disruptions, such as those predicted to result from an asteroid impact, on ten Campanian and seven Maastrichtian terrestrial localities in North America. Our analysis documents that a shift in trophic structure between Campanian and Maastrichtian communities in North America led Maastrichtian communities to experience more secondary extinction at lower levels of primary production shutdown and possess a lower collapse threshold than Campanian communities. Of particular note is the fact that changes in dinosaur richness had a negative impact on the robustness of Maastrichtian ecosystems against environmental perturbations. Therefore, earlier ecological restructuring may have exacerbated the impact and severity of the end-Cretaceous extinction, at least in North America. PMID:23112149

No major stratigraphic gap exists near the Middle-Upper Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian-Missourian) boundary in North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Falcon-Lang, H. J.; Heckel, P.H.; DiMichele, W.A.; Blake, B.M.; Easterday, C.R.; Eble, C.F.; Elrick, S.; Gastaldo, Robert A.; Greb, S.F.; Martino, R.L.; John, Nelson W.; Pfefferkorn, H.W.; Phillips, T.L.; Rosscoe, S.J.

2011-01-01

Interregional correlation of the marine zones of major cyclothems between North America and eastern Europe does not support assertions that a major stratigraphic gap exists between the traditional regional Desmoinesian and Missourian stages in North America. Such a gap was previously proposed to explain an abrupt change in megafloral assemblages in the northern Appalachian Basin and by extension across all of North America. Conodont-based correlation from the essentially complete low-shelf Midcontinent succession (distal from the highstand shoreline), through the mid-shelf Illinois Basin, to the high shelf of the Appalachian Basin (proximal to highstand shoreline) demonstrates that all major ???400 kyr cyclothem groupings in the Midcontinent are recognizable in the Illinois Basin. In the Appalachian Basin, however, the grouping at the base of the Missourian is represented only by paleosols and localized coal. The immediately preceding grouping was removed very locally by paleovalley incision, as is evident at the 7-11 Mine, Columbiana County, Ohio, from which the original megafloral data were derived. At the few localities where incised paleodrainage exists, there may be a gap of ???1000 kyr, but a gap of no more than ???600 kyr occurs elsewhere in the Appalachian Basin at that level and its magnitude progressively decreases westward into the Illinois (???300 kyr) and Midcontinent (<200 kyr) Basins. Thus, while a gap is present near the Desmoinesian-Missourian boundary in North America, it is typically more than an order of magnitude smaller than that originally proposed and is similar to the gaps inferred at sequence boundaries between cyclothems at many horizons in the Pennsylvanian of North America. Copyright ?? 2011, SEPM.

75 FR 52981 - Bluescope Buildings North America, Including Workers Whose Unemployment Insurance (UI) Wages Are...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-30

... America, Including Workers Whose Unemployment Insurance (UI) Wages Are Reported Through Butler... wages reported through a separate unemployment insurance (UI) tax account under the name Butler... as follows: All workers of BlueScope Buildings North America, including workers whose unemployment...

North America's Native Peoples: A Social Justice and Trauma Counseling Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Sherri L.; Pope, Mark

2009-01-01

This article understands North America's indigenous peoples in the context of social justice. The authors discuss the role of legislation in shaping cultural contexts of indigenous people and influencing mental health issues in Native American communities. Trauma counseling with Native Americans is explored.

Development and testing of cool-season grass species, varieties, and hybrids for biomass feedstock production in western North America

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Development and testing of cool-season grasses is needed to improve forage production and expand the range of bioenergy feedstocks throughout western North America. Basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus) and creeping wildrye (Leymus triticoides) are native to semiarid environments of western North America...

Genomic sequencing of deer tick virus and phylogeny of powassan-related viruses of North America.

PubMed

Kuno, G; Artsob, H; Karabatsos, N; Tsuchiya, K R; Chang, G J

2001-11-01

Powassan (POW) virus is responsible for central nervous system infection in humans in North America and the eastern parts of Russia. Recently, a new flavivirus, deer tick (DT) virus, related to POW virus was isolated in the United States, but neither its pathogenic potential in human nor the taxonomic relationship with POW virus has been elucidated. In this study, we obtained the near-full-length genomic sequence of the DT virus and complete sequences of 3 genomic regions of 15 strains of POW-related virus strains. The phylogeny revealed 2 lineages, one of which had the prototype POW virus and the other DT virus. Both lineages can cause central nervous system infection in humans. By use of the combination of molecular definition of virus species within the genus Flavivirus and serological distinction in a 2-way cross-neutralization test, the lineage of DT virus is classified as a distinct genotype of POW virus.

Distribution and protection of climatic refugia in North America.

PubMed

Michalak, Julia L; Lawler, Joshua J; Roberts, David R; Carroll, Carlos

2018-05-10

As evidenced by past climatic refugia, locations projected to harbor remnants of present day climates may serve as critical refugia for current biodiversity in the face of modern climate change. Here, we map potential future climatic refugia across North America, defined as locations with increasingly rare climatic conditions. We identified these locations by tracking projected changes in the size and distribution of climate analogs over time. We used biologically-derived thresholds to define analogs and tested the impacts of dispersal limitation using four distances to limit analog searches. We identified at most 12% of North America as potential climatic refugia. Refugia extent varied depending on the analog threshold, dispersal distance, and climate projection. However, in all cases refugia were concentrated at high elevations and in topographically complex regions. Refugia identified using different climate projections were largely nested, suggesting that identified refugia were relatively robust to climate projection selection. Existing conservation areas cover approximately 10% of North America and yet protected up to 25% of identified refugia, indicating that protected areas disproportionately include refugia. Refugia located at lower latitudes (≤ 40°N) and slightly lower elevations (∼2500 m) were more likely to be unprotected. Based on our results, a 23% expansion of the protected areas network would be sufficient to protect the refugia that were present under all three of the climate projections that we explored. We propose that these refugia are high conservation priorities, due to their potential to harbor rare species in the future. However, these locations are simultaneously highly vulnerable to climate change over the long-term. We found that these refugia contracted substantially between the 2050s and the 2080s, emphasizing that the pace of climate change will strongly determine the availability and effectiveness of refugia for protecting today

Impact of pinewood nematode in north america: present and future.

PubMed

Bergdahl, D R

1988-04-01

Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, pinewood nematode (PWN), is the most serious pest of pine forests in Japan, but in North America its role in pine wilt disease is still being studied. The PWN is known to infest many species of Pinus, with P. nigra, P. sylvestris, and P. thunbergii the most susceptible in the eastern United States. Because of its potential, several European countries (Finland, Norway, and Sweden) and Korea have established embargoes against the importation of coniferous wood from regions of the world known to be infested with the PWN. Although the PWN is not considered an economic pest in North American forests, the recent embargoes have established an impact on current forest management practices and an economic impact on North American export trade.

Assessing the proposed pre-last glacial maximum human occupation of North America at Coats-Hines-Litchy, Tennessee, and other sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tune, Jesse W.; Waters, Michael R.; Schmalle, Kayla A.; DeSantis, Larisa R. G.; Kamenov, George D.

2018-04-01

Genomic studies indicate that the first Pleistocene foragers who entered North America diverged from ancestral populations in Beringia sometime after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM); however, several archaeological sites in North America have been proposed to predate the LGM. We present the results of our excavation and analysis of one such site, Coats-Hines-Litchy, Tennessee, which show that this site is a paleontological locality containing a geofact assemblage that pre-dates the LGM. Other sites in North America that purportedly predate the LGM occur in geomorphic contexts that are also conducive to the formation of geofact assemblages. As such, we propose that the reported artifacts from these sites were created by natural processes. No sites in North America currently provide credible evidence of a pre-LGM occupation.

Emerald ash borer invasion of North America: history, biology, ecology, impacts, and management.

PubMed

Herms, Daniel A; McCullough, Deborah G

2014-01-01

Since its accidental introduction from Asia, emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), has killed millions of ash trees in North America. As it continues to spread, it could functionally extirpate ash with devastating economic and ecological impacts. Little was known about EAB when it was first discovered in North America in 2002, but substantial advances in understanding of EAB biology, ecology, and management have occurred since. Ash species indigenous to China are generally resistant to EAB and may eventually provide resistance genes for introgression into North American species. EAB is characterized by stratified dispersal resulting from natural and human-assisted spread, and substantial effort has been devoted to the development of survey methods. Early eradication efforts were abandoned largely because of the difficulty of detecting and delineating infestations. Current management is focused on biological control, insecticide protection of high-value trees, and integrated efforts to slow ash mortality.

Clustering of 770,000 genomes reveals post-colonial population structure of North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Eunjung; Carbonetto, Peter; Curtis, Ross E.; Wang, Yong; Granka, Julie M.; Byrnes, Jake; Noto, Keith; Kermany, Amir R.; Myres, Natalie M.; Barber, Mathew J.; Rand, Kristin A.; Song, Shiya; Roman, Theodore; Battat, Erin; Elyashiv, Eyal; Guturu, Harendra; Hong, Eurie L.; Chahine, Kenneth G.; Ball, Catherine A.

2017-02-01

Despite strides in characterizing human history from genetic polymorphism data, progress in identifying genetic signatures of recent demography has been limited. Here we identify very recent fine-scale population structure in North America from a network of over 500 million genetic (identity-by-descent, IBD) connections among 770,000 genotyped individuals of US origin. We detect densely connected clusters within the network and annotate these clusters using a database of over 20 million genealogical records. Recent population patterns captured by IBD clustering include immigrants such as Scandinavians and French Canadians; groups with continental admixture such as Puerto Ricans; settlers such as the Amish and Appalachians who experienced geographic or cultural isolation; and broad historical trends, including reduced north-south gene flow. Our results yield a detailed historical portrait of North America after European settlement and support substantial genetic heterogeneity in the United States beyond that uncovered by previous studies.

Clustering of 770,000 genomes reveals post-colonial population structure of North America

PubMed Central

Han, Eunjung; Carbonetto, Peter; Curtis, Ross E.; Wang, Yong; Granka, Julie M.; Byrnes, Jake; Noto, Keith; Kermany, Amir R.; Myres, Natalie M.; Barber, Mathew J.; Rand, Kristin A.; Song, Shiya; Roman, Theodore; Battat, Erin; Elyashiv, Eyal; Guturu, Harendra; Hong, Eurie L.; Chahine, Kenneth G.; Ball, Catherine A.

2017-01-01

Despite strides in characterizing human history from genetic polymorphism data, progress in identifying genetic signatures of recent demography has been limited. Here we identify very recent fine-scale population structure in North America from a network of over 500 million genetic (identity-by-descent, IBD) connections among 770,000 genotyped individuals of US origin. We detect densely connected clusters within the network and annotate these clusters using a database of over 20 million genealogical records. Recent population patterns captured by IBD clustering include immigrants such as Scandinavians and French Canadians; groups with continental admixture such as Puerto Ricans; settlers such as the Amish and Appalachians who experienced geographic or cultural isolation; and broad historical trends, including reduced north-south gene flow. Our results yield a detailed historical portrait of North America after European settlement and support substantial genetic heterogeneity in the United States beyond that uncovered by previous studies. PMID:28169989

Clustering of 770,000 genomes reveals post-colonial population structure of North America.

PubMed

Han, Eunjung; Carbonetto, Peter; Curtis, Ross E; Wang, Yong; Granka, Julie M; Byrnes, Jake; Noto, Keith; Kermany, Amir R; Myres, Natalie M; Barber, Mathew J; Rand, Kristin A; Song, Shiya; Roman, Theodore; Battat, Erin; Elyashiv, Eyal; Guturu, Harendra; Hong, Eurie L; Chahine, Kenneth G; Ball, Catherine A

2017-02-07

Despite strides in characterizing human history from genetic polymorphism data, progress in identifying genetic signatures of recent demography has been limited. Here we identify very recent fine-scale population structure in North America from a network of over 500 million genetic (identity-by-descent, IBD) connections among 770,000 genotyped individuals of US origin. We detect densely connected clusters within the network and annotate these clusters using a database of over 20 million genealogical records. Recent population patterns captured by IBD clustering include immigrants such as Scandinavians and French Canadians; groups with continental admixture such as Puerto Ricans; settlers such as the Amish and Appalachians who experienced geographic or cultural isolation; and broad historical trends, including reduced north-south gene flow. Our results yield a detailed historical portrait of North America after European settlement and support substantial genetic heterogeneity in the United States beyond that uncovered by previous studies.

Impact of opening of the Central America Seaway on climate in a coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea-ice model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrier, N.; Ferreira, D.; Marshall, J.

2012-04-01

We investigate the climatic impact of opening the Central America Seaway (CAS) in a coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea-ice model. A highly idealized land distribution is employed in which two meridional barriers extend from the North Pole in to the southern hemisphere, thus dividing the ocean in to a large basin, a small basin and a circumpolar flow around the South Pole. Such a configuration captures the essential zonal and inter-hemispheric asymmetries of the current climate. These simple geometrical constraints are sufficient to localize the deep-reaching meridional overturning circulation (MOC) to the northern extremity of the small basin. Given this reference experiment, we open up an analogue of the Central America Seaway on the western margin of the small basin north of the equator. Both deep and shallow passageways are considered. We find that although a major reorganization of ocean circulation occurs, along with significant local water-mass changes, global heat and freshwater meridional transports are largely unchanged, as are temperatures over the North Pole. In particular we do not observe a weakening of the MOC in the small basin, with salinity exchange between the large basin playing only a minor role. The simplicity of the geometrical configuration used in our experiments enables us to tease apart exactly what is going on. Experiments in which the salinity and temperature states of the small and large basins are interchanged, for example, show that our solutions are robust, with deep convection returning to the small basin after 800 years or so. Our experiments suggest to us that the closing of the CAS alone is not sufficient to lead to the onset of northern hemisphere glaciations 2 Ma years or so ago.

Red brome (Bromus rubens subsp. madritensis) in North America: Possible modes for early introductions, subsequent spread

USGS Publications Warehouse

Salo, L.F.

2005-01-01

Although invasions by exotic plants have increased dramatically as human travel and commerce have increased, few have been comprehensively described. Understanding the patterns of invasive species spread over space and time will help guide management activities and policy. Tracing the earliest appearances of an exotic plant reveals likely sites of introduction, paving the way for genetic studies to quantify founder events and identify potential source populations. Red brome (Bromus madritensis subsp. rubens) is a Mediterranean winter annual grass that has invaded even relatively undisturbed areas of western North America, where it threatens native plant communities. This study used herbarium records and contemporary published accounts to trace the early introductions and subsequent spread of red brome in western North America. The results challenge the most frequently cited sources describing the early history of this grass and suggest three possible modes for early introductions: the California Gold Rush and Central Valley wheat, southern California shipping, and northern California sheep. Subsequent periods of most rapid spread into new areas, from 1930 to 1942, and of greatest spread into new regions, during the past 50 years, coincide with warm Pacific Decadal Oscillation regimes, which are linked to increased winter precipitation in the southwestern USA and northern Mexico. Global environmental change, including increased atmospheric CO2 levels and N deposition, may be contributing to the success of red brome, relative to native species.

Infant botulism in Costa Rica: first report from Central America.

PubMed

Hernández-de Mezerville, Marcela; Rojas-Solano, Mariela; Gutierrez-Mata, Alfonso; Hernández-Con, Laura; Ulloa-Gutierrez, Rolando

2014-01-15

Clostridium botulinum is known to cause descending paralysis in infants throughout the world. The subject of this study was a three-month-old Costa Rican boy who was hospitalized because of poor suction and feeding, hypotonia, and constipation. Clinical history and physical examination findings suggested infant botulism. Samples were sent to the Winnipeg Public Health Laboratory, where Clostridium botulinum toxin A was identified by PCR and culture from the stools, making this the first report of infant botulism in Central America. Although infant botulism is a known disease, the limitations in identifying it in Central America contributes to the misdiagnosis and under-reporting of this disease.

Zebra mussel infestation of unionid bivalves (Unionidae) in North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schloesser, Don W.; Nalepa, Thomas F.; Mackie, Gerald L.

1996-01-01

In 1989, zebra mussels received national attention in North America when they reached densities exceeding 750,000/m2 in a water withdrawal facility along the shore of western Lake Erie of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Although water withdrawal problems caused by zebra mussels have been of immediate concern, ecological impacts attributed to mussels are likely to be the more important long-term issue for surface waters in North America. To date, the epizoic colonization (i.e., infestation) of unionid bivalve mollusks by zebra mussels has caused the most direct and severe ecological impact. Infestation of and resulting impacts caused by zebra mussels on unionids in the Great Lakes began in 1988. By 1990, mortality of unionids was occurring at some locations; by 1991, extant populations of unionids in western Lake Erie were nearly extirpated; by 1992, unionid populations in the southern half of Lake St. Clair were extirpated; by 1993, unionids in widely separated geographic areas of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River showed high mortality due to mussel infestation. All infested unionid species in the Great Lakes (23) have become infested and exhibited mortality within two to four years after heavy infestation began. Data indicate that mean zebra mussel densities >5,000–6,000/m2 and infestation intensities >100-200/unionid in the presence of heavy zebra mussel recruitment results in near total mortality of unionids. At present, all unionid species in rivers, streams, and akes that sympatrically occur with zebra mussels have been infested and, in many locations, negatively impacted by zebra mussels. We do not know the potential consequences of infestation on the 297 unionid species found in North America, but believe zebra mussels pose an immediate threat to the abundance and diversity of unionids.

Pan-Continental Droughts in North America over the Last Millennium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cook, Benjamin I.; Smerdon, Jason E.; Seager, Richard; Cook, Edward R.

2014-01-01

Regional droughts are common in North America, but pan-continental droughts extending across multiple regions, including the 2012 event, are rare relative to single-region events. Here, the tree-ring-derived North American Drought Atlas is used to investigate drought variability in four regions over the last millennium, focusing on pan-continental droughts. During the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), the central plains (CP), Southwest (SW), and Southeast (SE) regions experienced drier conditions and increased occurrence of droughts and the Northwest (NW) experienced several extended pluvials. Enhanced MCA aridity in the SW and CP manifested as multidecadal megadroughts. Notably, megadroughts in these regions differed in their timing and persistence, suggesting that they represent regional events influenced by local dynamics rather than a unified, continental-scale phenomena. There is no trend in pan-continental drought occurrence, defined as synchronous droughts in three or more regions. SW, CP, and SE (SW+CP+SE) droughts are the most common, occurring in 12 percent of all years and peaking in prevalence during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries; patterns involving three other regions occur in about 8 percent of years. Positive values of the Southern Oscillation index (La Nina conditions) are linked to SW, CP, and SE (SW+CP+SE) droughts and SW, CP, and NW (SW+CP+NW) droughts, whereas CP, NW, and SE (CP+NW+SE) droughts are associated with positive values of the Pacific decadal oscillation and Atlantic multidecadal oscillation. While relatively rare, pan-continental droughts are present in the paleo record and are linked to defined modes of climate variability, implying the potential for seasonal predictability. Assuming stable drought teleconnections, these events will remain an important feature of future North American hydroclimate, possibly increasing in their severity in step with other expected hydroclimate responses to increased greenhouse gas forcing.

Emerging Causes of Arbovirus Encephalitis in North America: Powassan, Chikungunya, and Zika Viruses.

PubMed

Doughty, Christopher T; Yawetz, Sigal; Lyons, Jennifer

2017-02-01

Arboviruses are arthropod-borne viruses transmitted by the bite of mosquitoes, ticks, or other arthropods. Arboviruses are a common and an increasing cause of human illness in North America. Powassan virus, Chikungunya virus, and Zika virus are arboviruses that have all recently emerged as increasing causes of neurologic illness. Powassan virus almost exclusively causes encephalitis, but cases are rare, sporadic, and restricted to portions of North America and Russia. Chikungunya virus has spread widely across the world, causing millions of infections. Encephalitis is a rare manifestation of illness but is more common and severe in neonates and older adults. Zika virus has recently spread through much of the Americas and has been associated mostly with microcephaly and other congenital neurologic complications. Encephalitis occurring in infected adults has also been recently reported. This review will discuss the neuropathogenesis of these viruses, their transmission and geographic distribution, the spectrum of their neurologic manifestations, and the appropriate method of diagnosis.

Discovery of the oldest record of Nitellopsis obtusa (Charophyceae, Charophyta) in North America.

PubMed

Karol, Kenneth G; Sleith, Robin S

2017-10-01

Studies of the colonization and spread of invasive species improves our understanding of key concepts in population biology as well as informs control and prevention efforts. The characean green alga Nitellopsis obtusa (starry stonewort) is rare in its native Eurasian range but listed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as an aggressive invasive in North America. First documented in North America in 1978 from New York, United States, it has since been reported from numerous inland lakes from Minnesota to Vermont, and from Lake Ontario and inland lakes in southern Ontario, Canada. While the ecological impacts of N. obtusa are not clearly understood in its invasive range, initial results show negative environmental effects. We have discovered a liquid-preserved herbarium specimen that predates the 1978 records by at least 4 years, and is the first confirmed record of N. obtusa in Québec. © 2017 Phycological Society of America.

40 CFR 81.157 - North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air... Air Quality Control Regions § 81.157 North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air Quality Control Region consists of the territorial area...

40 CFR 81.157 - North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air... Air Quality Control Regions § 81.157 North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air Quality Control Region consists of the territorial area...

40 CFR 81.157 - North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air... Air Quality Control Regions § 81.157 North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air Quality Control Region consists of the territorial area...

40 CFR 81.157 - North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air... Air Quality Control Regions § 81.157 North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air Quality Control Region consists of the territorial area...

40 CFR 81.157 - North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air... Air Quality Control Regions § 81.157 North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The North Central Wisconsin Intrastate Air Quality Control Region consists of the territorial area...

Narco-scapes: Cocaine Trafficking and Deforestation in Central America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wrathall, D.; McSweeney, K.; Nielsen, E.; Pearson, Z.

2015-12-01

Narcotics trafficking and drug interdiction efforts have resulted in a well-documented social crisis in Central America, but more recently, has been tightly linked to environmental catastrophe and accelerated deforestation in transit zones. This talk will outline synthesis findings from multi-country, interdisciplinary research on cocaine trafficking as an engine of forest loss in Central America. During the "narco-boom" of the mid-2000s, we observed a geographical evolution of cocaine flows into Central America, and the transit of cocaine through new spaces, accompanied by specific patterns of social and environmental change in new nodes of transit. We coarsely estimated that the total amount of cocaine flowing through Central America increased from 70 metric tons in 2000 to 350 mt in 2012, implying that total cocaine trafficking revenue in the region increased from roughly 600 million dollars to 3.5 billion in that time. We describe the mechanism by which these locally captured cocaine rents resulted in a rapid conversion of forest into cattle pasture. Narco-traffickers are drawn to invest in the cattle economy, as a direct means of laundering and formalizing proceeds. Ranching is a land intensive activity, and new narco-enriched cattle pastures can be isolated from other forms forest loss solely by their spatial and temporal change characteristics. A preliminary forest change study in Honduras, for example, indicated that areas of accelerated deforestation were in close proximity to known narcotics trafficking routes and were thirteen times more extensive on average than other forest clearings. Deforested areas commonly appeared in isolated and biodiverse lowland tropical rainforest regions that often intersected with protected areas and indigenous reserves. We find that narco-deforestation is a readily identifiable signal of the extent and health of the cocaine economy. This talk will feature summaries of both ethnographic and land cover change we have observed

Aerosols from overseas rival domestic emissions over North America.

PubMed

Yu, Hongbin; Remer, Lorraine A; Chin, Mian; Bian, Huisheng; Tan, Qian; Yuan, Tianle; Zhang, Yan

2012-08-03

Many types of aerosols have lifetimes long enough for their transcontinental transport, making them potentially important contributors to air quality and climate change in remote locations. We estimate that the mass of aerosols arriving at North American shores from overseas is comparable with the total mass of particulates emitted domestically. Curbing domestic emissions of particulates and precursor gases, therefore, is not sufficient to mitigate aerosol impacts in North America. The imported contribution is dominated by dust leaving Asia, not by combustion-generated particles. Thus, even a reduction of industrial emissions of the emerging economies of Asia could be overwhelmed by an increase of dust emissions due to changes in meteorological conditions and potential desertification.

Public bikesharing In North America : early operator and user understanding [research brief].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-06-01

Public bikesharingthe shared use of a bicycle fleetis an innovative transportation strategy that has recently emerged in North America. Bikesharing systems typically position bicycles at docking stations for immediate access. Trips can be one-w...

Medicinal Plants from North and Central America and the Caribbean Considered Toxic for Humans: The Other Side of the Coin

PubMed Central

Ruiz-Padilla, Alan Joel; Campos-Xolalpa, Nimsi; Carranza-Alvarez, Candy; Maldonado-Miranda, Juan Jose

2017-01-01

The consumption of medicinal plants has notably increased over the past two decades. People consider herbal products as safe because of their natural origin, without taking into consideration whether these plants contain a toxic principle. This represents a serious health problem. A bibliographic search was carried out using published scientific material on native plants from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, which describe the ethnobotanical and toxicological information of medicinal plants empirically considered to be toxic. A total of 216 medicinal plants belonging to 77 families have been reported as toxic. Of these plants, 76 had been studied, and 140 plants lacked studies regarding their toxicological effects. The toxicity of 16 plants species has been reported in clinical cases, particularly in children. From these plants, deaths have been reported with the consumption of Chenopodium ambrosioides, Argemone mexicana, and Thevetia peruviana. In most of the cases, the principle of the plant responsible for the toxicity is unknown. There is limited information about the toxicity of medicinal plants used in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. More toxicological studies are necessary to contribute information about the safe use of the medicinal plants cited in this review. PMID:29234446

Erosion of the Laurentide region of North America by glacial and glaciofluvial processes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bell, M.; Laine, E.P.

1985-01-01

Collection of seismic reflection data from continental margins and ocean basins surrounding North America makes it possible to estimate the amount of material eroded from the area formerly covered by Laurentide ice sheets since major glaciation began in North America. A minimum estimate is made of 1.62 ?? 106 km3, or an average 120 m of rock physically eroded from the Laurentide region. This figure is an order of magnitude higher than earlier estimates based on the volume of glacial drift, Cenozoic marine sediments, and modern sediment loads of rivers. Most of the sediment produced during Laurentide glaciation has already been transported to the oceans. The importance of continental glaciation as a geomorphic agency in North America may have to be reevaluated. Evidence from sedimentation rates in ocean basins surrounding Greenland and Antarctica suggests that sediment production, sediment transport, and possibly denudation by permanent ice caps may be substantially lower than by periodic ice caps, such as the Laurentide. Low rates of sediment survival from the time of the Permo-Carboniferous and Precambrian glaciations suggest that predominance of marine deposition during some glacial epochs results in shorter lived sediment because of preferential tectonism and cycling of oceanic crust versus continental crust. ?? 1985.

U.S. Policy for Central America: A Briefing,

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-03-01

do not promote upheavals else- waere or align with our global adversaries. For their part, nationalist leaders in and around Central America should...See Joseph H. Stodder and Kevin F. McCarthy, Profiles of the Caribbean Basin in 1960/1980: Changing Geopolitical and Geostrategic Dimcnsim.. The Rand

World's highest tides: Hypertidal coastal systems in North America, South America and Europe