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The Effects of Site Characterization Activities on the Abundance of Ravens (Corvus corax) in the Yucca Mountain Area

Description: In response to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 and the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) developed and is implementing the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project. Raven abundance was measured from August 1991 through August 1995 along treatment and control routes to evaluate whether site characterization activities resulted in increased raven abundance at Yucca Mountain. This study fulfills the requirement set forth in the incidental tak… more
Date: May 8, 1998
Creator: Lederle, P.E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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DESERT PAVEMENTS AND SOILS ON BASALTIC PYROCLASTIC DEPOSITS AT LATHROP WELLS AND RED CONE VOLCANOES, SOUTHERN NEVADA

Description: Formation of desert pavement and accretionary soils are intimately linked in arid environments such as the Mojave Desert. Well-sorted fallout scoria lapilli at Lathrop Wells (75-80 ky) and Red Cone ({approx}1 Ma) volcanoes (southern Nevada) formed an excellent starting material for pavement, allowing infiltration of eolian silt and fine sand that first clogs the pore space of underlying tephra and then aggrades and develops vesicular A (Av) horizons. Variations in original pyroclast sizes provi… more
Date: August 10, 2005
Creator: Valentine, G.A. & Harrington, C.D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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UNCOVERING BURIED VOLCANOES: NEW DATA FOR PROBABILISTIC VOLCANIC HAZARD ASSESSMENT AT YUCCA MOUNTAIN

Description: Basaltic volcanism poses a potential hazard to the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository because multiple episodes of basaltic volcanism have occurred in the Yucca Mountain region (YMR) in the past 11 Ma. Intervals between eruptive episodes average about 1 Ma. Three episodes have occurred in the Quaternary at approximately 1.1 Ma (5 volcanoes), 350 ka (2 volcanoes), and 80 ka (1 volcano). Because Yucca Mountain lies within the Basin and Range Province, a significant portion of the pr… more
Date: October 13, 2005
Creator: Perry, F.V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Seasonality of Annual Plant Establishment Influences the Interactionbetween the Non-Native Annual Grass Bromus Madritensis Ssp. Rubens and Mojave Desert Perennials

Description: Competition between native and non-native species can change the composition and structure of plant communities, but in deserts the timing of non-native plant establishment can modulate their impacts to native species. In a field experiment, we varied densities of the non-native annual grass Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens around individuals of three native perennials--Larrea iridentata, Achnatherum hymenoides, and Pleuraphis rigida--in either winter or spring. Additional plots were prepared for… more
Date: January 1, 2004
Creator: Defalco, L A.; Fernandez, G. C. & Nowak, R. S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Improvement in Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System/Surface and Atmosphere Radiation Budget Dust Aerosol Properties, Effects on Surface Validation of Clouds and Radiative Swath

Description: Within the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) science team (Wielicki et al. 1996), the Surface and Atmospheric Radiation Budget (SARB) group is tasked with calculating vertical profiles of heating rates, globally, and continuously, beneath CERES footprint observations of Top of Atmosphere (TOA) fluxes. This is accomplished using a fast radiative transfer code originally developed by Qiang Fu and Kuo-Nan Liou (Fu and Liou 1993) and subsequently highly modified by the SARB team.… more
Date: March 18, 2005
Creator: Rutan, D.; Rose, F. & Charlock, T. P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Coupled Environmental Processes and Long-term Performance of Landfill Covers in the northern Mojave Desert

Description: Evapotransiration (ET) covers have gained widespread acceptance as a closure feature for waste disposal sites, particularly in the arid and semi-arid regions of the southwestern U.S. But as landforms, ET covers are subject to change over time because of processes such as pedogenesis, hydrologic processes, vegetation establishment and change, and biological processes. To better understand the effects of coupled process changes to ET covers, a series of four primary analog sites in Yucca Flat on … more
Date: May 12, 2004
Creator: Shafer, David; Young, Michael; Zitzer, Stephen; McDonald, Eric & Caldwell, Todd
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF AMBIENT FINE PARTICULATE MATTER (PM2.5) DATA OBTAINED FROM URBAN AND RURAL MONITORING SITES ALONG THE UPPER OHIO RIVER VALLEY

Description: Advanced Technology Systems, Inc. (ATS), with Desert Research Institute (DRI) and Ohio University as subcontractors, was contracted by the NETL in September 1998 to manage the Upper Ohio River Valley Project (UORVP), which included the establishment and operation of four ambient air monitoring sites located in the Upper Ohio River Valley (UORV). Two urban and two rural monitoring sites were included in the UORVP. The four sites selected for the UOVRP were collocated at existing local or state a… more
Date: December 27, 2004
Creator: Khosah, Robinson P.; Shimshock, John P. & Penland, Jerry L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Photosynthesis and Resource Allocation of Three Mojave Desert Grasses in Response to Elevated Atmospheric CO2

Description: Gas exchange, biomass and N allocation were compared among three Mojave Desert grasses representing different functional types to determine if photosynthetic responses and the associated allocation of resources within the plant changed after prolonged exposure to elevated CO{sub 2}. Leaf gas exchange characteristics were measured for Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens (C{sub 3} invasive annual), Achnatherum hymenoides (C{sub 3} native perennial) and Pleuraphis rigida (C{sub 4} native perennial) exp… more
Date: January 1, 2004
Creator: Defalco, L. A.; Ivans, C. K.; Vivin, P.; Seemann, J. R. & Nowak, R. S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Ecological Monitoring and Compliance Program Fiscal Year 2001

Description: The Ecological Monitoring and Compliance program, funded through the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Operations Office, monitors the ecosystem of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and ensures compliance with laws and regulations pertaining to NTS biota. This report summarizes the program's activities conducted by Bechtel Nevada during fiscal year 2001. Program activities included: (1) biological surveys at proposed construction sites, (2) desert tortoise comp… more
Date: December 1, 2001
Creator: Wills, C. A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Biodiversity Analysis of Vegetation on the Nevada Test Site

Description: The Nevada Test Site (NTS) located in south central Nevada encompasses approximately 3,561 square kilometers and straddles two major North American deserts, Mojave and Great Basin. Transitional areas between the two desert types have been created by gradients in elevation, precipitation, temperature, and soils. From 1996-1998, more than 1,500 ecological landform units were sampled at the NTS for numerous biotic and abiotic parameters. These data provide a basis for spatial evaluations of biodiv… more
Date: June 1, 2001
Creator: Ostler, W. K. & Hansen, D. J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Worldwide Historical Estimates of Leaf Area Index, 1932-2000

Description: Approximately 1000 published estimates of leaf area index (LAI) from nearly 400 unique field sites, covering the period 1932-2000, have been compiled into a single data set. LA1 is a key parameter for global and regional models of biosphere/atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other materials. It also plays an integral role in determining the energy balance of the land surface. This data set provides a benchmark of typical values and ranges of LA1 for a variety of biomes and … more
Date: February 6, 2002
Creator: Scurlock, J. M. O; Asner, G. P. & Gower, S. T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

New Technologies to Reclaim Arid Lands User's Manual

Description: Approximately 70 percent of all U.S. military training lands are located in arid and semi-arid areas. Training activities in such areas frequently adversely affect vegetation, damaging plants and reducing the resilience of vegetation to recover once disturbed. Fugitive dust resulting from a loss of vegetation creates additional problems for human health, increasing accidents due to decreased visibility, and increasing maintenance costs for roads, vehicles, and equipment. Under conventional tech… more
Date: October 1, 2002
Creator: Ostler, W. K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Demonstration of the Military Ecological Risk Assessment Framework (MERAF): Apache Longbow - Hell Missile Test at Yuma Proving Ground

Description: This ecological risk assessment for a testing program at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, is a demonstration of the Military Ecological Risk Assessment Framework (MERAF; Suter et al. 2001). The demonstration is intended to illustrate how risk assessment guidance concerning-generic military training and testing activities and guidance concerning a specific type of activity (e.g., low-altitude aircraft overflights) may be implemented at a military installation. MERAF was developed with funding from … more
Date: May 9, 2002
Creator: Efroymson, R.A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Corrective Action Decision Document for Corrective Action Unit 230: Area 22 Sewage Lagoons and Corrective Action Unit 320: Area 22 Desert Rock Airport Strainer Box, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Rev. 0

Description: This Corrective Action Decision Document identifies and rationalizes the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office's selection of a recommended corrective action alternative (CAA) appropriate to facilitate the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 230, Area 22 Sewage Lagoons, and CAU 320, Area 22 Desert Rock Airport Strainer Box, under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. Referred to as CAU 230/320, both CAUs are located at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and comprise two Co… more
Date: April 20, 2000
Creator: U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The complete mitochondrial genome of a gecko and the phylogeneticposition of the Middle Eastern teratoscincus keyserlingii

Description: Sqamate reptiles are traditionally divided into six groups: Iguania, Anguimorpha, Scincomorpha, Gekkota (these four are lizards), Serpentes (snakes), and Amphisbaenia (the so-called worm lizards). Currently there are complete mitochondrial genomes from two representatives of the Iguania (Janke et al., 2001; Kumazawa, 2004), three from the Anguimorpha (Kumazawa, 2004; Kumazawa and Endo, 2004), two from the Scincomorpha (Kumazawa and Nishida, 1999; Kumazawa, 2004), two from Serpentes (Kumazawa et… more
Date: April 22, 2005
Creator: Macey, J. Robert; Fong, Jonathan J.; Kuehl, Jennifer V.; Shafiei,Soheila; Ananjeva, Natalia B.; Papenfuss, Theodore J. et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Colonization of Larrea Tridentata and Ambrosia Dumosa Roots Varies With Precipitation and Season in the Mojave Desert

Description: The percentage of fine roots colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi varied with season and with species in the co-dominant shrubs Lurreu tridentutu and Ambrosia dumosu at a site adjacent to the Nevada Desert FACE (Free-Air CO{sub 2} Enrichment) Facility (NDFF) in the Mojave Desert. We excavated downward and outward from the shrub bases in both species to collect and examine fine roots (< 1.0 mm diameter) at monthly intervals throughout 2001 and from October 2002 to September 2003. Fu… more
Date: January 1, 2004
Creator: Apple, M. E.; Thee, C. I.; Smith-Longozo, V. L.; Cogar, C. R.; Wells, C. E. & Nowak, R. S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Biotic Processes Regulating the Carbon Balance of Desert Ecosystems

Description: This project provided the funding to operate and maintain the Nevada Desert FACE Facility. This support funds the CO{sub 2}, system repairs and maintenance, basic physical and biological site information, and personnel that are essential for the experiment to continue. They have continued to assess the effects of elevated CO{sub 2} on three key processes: (1) leaf- to plant-level responses of desert vegetation to elevated atmospheric CO{sub 2}; (2) ecosystem-level responses; and (3) integration… more
Date: July 26, 2005
Creator: Nowak, R. S.; Arnone, J.; Fenstermaker, L. & Smith, and S. D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

CO2 Effects on Mojave Desert Plant Interactions

Description: Seasonal and interannual droughts characteristic of deserts have the potential to modify plant interactions as atmospheric CO{sub 2} concentrations continue to rise. At the Nevada Desert FACE (free-air CO{sub 2} enrichment) facility in the northern Mojave Desert, the effects of elevated atmospheric C02 (550 vs. ambient {approx}360 {micro}mol mol{sup -1}) on plant interactions were examined during two years of high and low rainfall. Results suggest that CO{sub 2} effects on the interaction betwe… more
Date: January 1, 2004
Creator: Defalco, L. A.; Fernandez, G. C.; Smith, S. D. & Nowak, R. S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF AMBIENT FINE PARTICULATE MATTER (PM2.5) DATA OBTAINED FROM URBAN AND RURAL MONITORING SITES ALONG THE UPPER OHIO RIVER VALLEY

Description: Advanced Technology Systems, Inc. (ATS), with Desert Research Institute (DRI) and Ohio University as subcontractors, was contracted by the NETL in September 1998 to manage the Upper Ohio River Valley Project (UORVP), which included the establishment and operation of four ambient air monitoring sites located in the Upper Ohio River Valley (UORV). Two urban and two rural monitoring sites were included in the UORVP. The four sites selected for the UOVRP were collocated at existing local and/or sta… more
Date: October 15, 2004
Creator: Khosah, Robinson P.; Shimshock, John P. & Penland, Jerry L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Vegetation Change Analysis User's Manual

Description: Approximately 70 percent of all U.S. military training lands are located in arid and semi-arid areas. Training activities in such areas frequently adversely affect vegetation, damaging plants and reducing the resilience of vegetation to recover once disturbed. Fugitive dust resulting from a loss of vegetation creates additional problems for human health, increasing accidents due to decreased visibility, and increasing maintenance costs for roads, vehicles, and equipment. Diagnostic techniques a… more
Date: October 2002
Creator: Hansen, D. J. & Ostler, W. K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Plant-Damage Assessment Technique for Evaluating Military Vehicular Impacts to Vegetation in the Mojave Desert

Description: A new plant damage assessment technique was developed by plant ecologists from Bechtel Nevada at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Security Administration Nevada Operations Office and funded by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program Project CS-1131 in cooperation with the U.S. Army's National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California. The technique establishes linear transects the width of vehicle tracts from evidence of vehicle tracks in the soil (usually dur… more
Date: September 2001
Creator: Hansen, D. J. & Ostler, W. K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Coupled Environmental Processes in the Mojave Desert and Implications for ET Covers as Stable Landforms

Description: Monolayer evapotranspiration (ET) covers are the baseline method for closure of disposal sites for low-level radioactive waste (LLW), mixed LLW, and transuranic (TRU) waste at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The regulatory timeline is typically 1,000 years for LLW and 10,000 years for TRU waste. Covers for such waste have different technical considerations than those with shorter timelines because they are subject to environmental change for longer periods of time, and because the environmental pro… more
Date: January 18, 2006
Creator: Shafer, D.; oung, M. Y; Zitzer, S.; McDonald, E. & Caldwell, T.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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