Morphological variation and status of the orioles, Icterus galbula, I. bullockii, and I. abeillei, in the northern Great Plains and in Durango, Mexico

1973 ◽  
Vol 51 (12) ◽  
pp. 1267-1273 ◽  
Author(s):  
James D. Rising
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Morphological Variation ◽  
Lower Proportion ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Northern Plains ◽  
Southern Plains ◽  
North Central ◽  
The North ◽  
Climatic Environment

The phenetic affinities of 56 specimens of the orioles Icterus galbula and I. bullockii, and specimens intermediate between them, from the northern Great Plains, are discussed. Phenetically intermediate individuals appear there in lower proportion than they do at most localities in the southern plains, suggesting that there is selection against such individuals in the north. The range of I. galbula seems to be extending southward m the northern plains at the expense of I. bullockii; this is possibly correlated with changes in the climatic environment. I. bullockii and I. abeillei both are uncommon in north-central Durango, Mexico, the only place where they are known to be sympatric.

scholarly journals American White Pelicans and Recreational Boaters on Lakes of the North American Great Plains: Habitat Use Overlap

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn A. Gaudet ◽  
Christopher M. Somers
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
The Other ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Economic Prosperity ◽  
Shoreline Development ◽  
Point Count ◽  
The North ◽  
Pelecanus Erythrorhynchos ◽  
Near Shore

Shoreline development and boating on lakes of the northern Great Plains of North America have increased due to recent economic prosperity. Few studies have examined the general characteristics of habitats used by foraging waterbirds and boats to determine levels of overlap. To address this issue, we conducted point count surveys of American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) and boats on two important recreational lakes in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. The majority of pelicans and boats detected used near-shore areas of the lakes, identifying the importance of shallow water habitats and providing evidence of significant overlap. The location of pelicans relative to the shore did not change in the presence of boats, and there was no significant relationship between boat numbers and pelican numbers. These analyses suggest that pelicans did not make major changes to their habitat use on the lakes as a result of boating activity. When pelicans and boats were present simultaneously at point count locations, pelicans appeared to avoid boats on one lake, but showed no detectable avoidance behavior on the other lake. The importance of interactions between recreational boating and foraging pelicans is currently unclear. Set-back distances to protect foraging pelicans from boating activity do not appear necessary based on our analyses.

scholarly journals Cold Climate Winegrape Cultivar Sensitivity to Sulfur in the Northern Great Plains Region of the United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-239
Author(s):  
Nagehan D. Köycü ◽  
John E. Stenger ◽  
Harlene M. Hatterman-Valenti
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
The United States ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Injury Incidence ◽  
The North

Elemental sulfur is commonly applied for powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator) protection on winegrape (Vitis sp.). The product may be used in a diversified, integrated disease management system to help prevent fungicide resistance to products with other modes of action. Additionally, sulfur may be used as a control option in organic systems. Applications of sulfur have been known to cause phytotoxic injury to susceptible winegrape cultivars, particularly those stemming from fox grape (Vitis labrusca) parentage. To improve recommendations to producers in the northern Great Plains region of the United States, a comparison of injury incidence and severity, as well as effects on yield characteristics was undertaken for 13 regional cultivars exposed to three sulfur rates (0, 2.4, and 4.8 lb/acre a.i.) at a North Dakota State University Research Station near Absaraka, ND. Overall, four cultivars (Bluebell, Baltica, Sabrevois, and King of the North) of the 13 cultivars tested showed phytotoxic symptoms. Injury severity and incidence of these cultivars differed between years and across rates. ‘Bluebell’ showed consistent and severe sulfur injury symptoms. Injury to the other three susceptible cultivars tended to vary by the given environment, with King of the North generally showing the lowest injury response. Injury symptoms were not found to be associated with the overall yield or cluster weight. Results suggest that alternative spray programs that exclude sulfur-based fungicides should be recommended for ‘Bluebell’, ‘Baltica’, ‘Sabrevois’, and ‘King of the North’, whereas sulfur-based fungicides may be applied to ‘Alpenglow’, ‘ES 12-6-18’, ‘Frontenac’, ‘Frontenac Gris’, ‘La Crescent’, ‘Marquette’, ‘Somerset Seedless’, ‘St. Croix’, and ‘Valiant’. Observations on fruit ripening in 2014 suggest that future research is needed to determine if a reduction of fruit quality may occur in some seasons with repeated sulfur applications or with successive annual sulfur applications for susceptible cultivars if used in an organic production system.

Investigating the Relationship between the Evaporative Stress Index and Land Surface Conditions in the Contiguous United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 1469-1484
Author(s):  
Yafang Zhong ◽  
Jason A. Otkin ◽  
Martha C. Anderson ◽  
Christopher Hain
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
The United States ◽  
Stress Index ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Reference Network ◽  
North Central ◽  
Central United States

AbstractDespite the key importance of soil moisture–evapotranspiration (ET) coupling in the climate system, limited availability of soil moisture and ET observations poses a major impediment for investigation of this coupling regarding spatiotemporal characteristics and potential modifications under climate change. To better understand and quantify soil moisture–ET coupling and relevant processes, this study takes advantage of in situ soil moisture observations from the U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) for the time period of 2010–17 and a satellite-derived version of the evapotranspiration stress index (ESI), which represents anomalies in a normalized ratio of actual to reference ET. The analyses reveal strong seasonality and regional characteristics of the ESI–land surface interactions across the United States, with the strongest control of soil moisture on the ESI found in the southern Great Plains during spring, and in the north-central United States, the northern Great Plains, and the Pacific Northwest during summer. In drier climate regions such as the northern Great Plains and north-central United States, soil moisture control on the ESI is confined to surface soil layers, with subsurface soil moisture passively responding to changes in the ESI. The soil moisture–ESI interaction is more uniform between surface and subsurface soils in wetter regions with higher vegetation cover. These results provide a benchmark for simulation of soil moisture–ET coupling and are useful for projection of associated climate processes in the future.

Pentad Evolution of the 1988 Drought and 1993 Flood over the Great Plains: An NARR Perspective on the Atmospheric and Terrestrial Water Balance

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (20) ◽  
pp. 5366-5384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott J. Weaver ◽  
Alfredo Ruiz-Barradas ◽  
Sumant Nigam
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Surface States ◽  
Moisture Flux ◽  
Summer Drought ◽  
Southern Plains ◽  
The North ◽  
Terrestrial Water

Abstract The evolution of the atmospheric and land surface states during extreme hydroclimate episodes over North America is investigated using the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR), which additionally, and successfully, assimilates precipitation. The pentad-resolution portrayals of the atmospheric and terrestrial water balance over the U.S. Great Plains during the 1988 summer drought and the July 1993 floods are analyzed to provide insight into the operative mechanisms including regional circulation (e.g., the Great Plains low-level jet, or GPLLJ) and hydroclimate (e.g., precipitation, evaporation, soil moisture recharge, runoff). The submonthly (but supersynoptic time scale) fluctuations of the GPLLJ are found to be very influential, through related moisture transport and kinematic convergence (e.g., ∂υ/∂y), with the jet anomalies in the southern plains leading the northern precipitation and related moisture flux convergence, accounting for two-thirds of the dry and wet episode precipitation amplitude. The soil moisture influence on hydroclimate evolution is assessed to be marginal as evaporation anomalies are found to lag precipitation ones, a lead–lag not discernible at monthly resolution. The pentad analysis thus corroborates the authors’ earlier findings on the importance of transported moisture over local evaporation in Great Plains’ summer hydroclimate variability. The regional water budgets—atmospheric and terrestrial—are found to be substantially unbalanced, with the terrestrial imbalance being unacceptably large. Pentad analysis shows the atmospheric imbalance to arise from the sluggishness of the NARR evaporation, including its overestimation in wet periods. The larger terrestrial imbalance, on the other hand, has its origins in the striking unresponsiveness of the NARR’s runoff, which is underestimated in wet episodes. Finally, the influence of ENSO and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) variability on the GPLLJ is quantified during the wet episode, in view of the importance of moisture transports. It is shown that a significant portion (∼25%) of the GPLLJ anomaly (and downstream precipitation) is attributable to NAO and ENSO’s influence, and that this combined influence prolongs the wet episode beyond the period of the instigating GPLLJ.

ESTABLISHMENT OF ACERIA MALHERBAE (ACARI: ERIOPHYIDAE) AS A BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AGENT FOR FIELD BINDWEED (CONVOLVULACEAE) IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS

1999 ◽  
Vol 131 (4) ◽  
pp. 541-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.S. McClay ◽  
J.L. Littlefield ◽  
J. Kashefi
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Convolvulus Arvensis ◽  
The North ◽  
Southern Alberta ◽  
Field Bindweed ◽  
Gall Mite

AbstractA European gall mite, Aceria malherbae Nuzzaci, was released and established in southern Alberta and Montana as a biological control agent for field bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis L. (Convolvulaceae). Populations of the mite survived for up to 4 years at some sites and caused slight to severe damage to the weed. The establishment of A. malherbae in these areas suggests that it could be established throughout the North American range of field bindweed.

CRUSTAL ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY ANOMALIES IN THE GREAT PLAINS PROVINCE OF THE UNITED STATES

Geophysics ◽  
1971 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 382-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Porath ◽  
A. Dziewonski
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Small Variation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
The North ◽  
Induced Currents ◽  
Magnetometer Arrays

Magnetic disturbance fields were recorded during the spring and fall of 1969 with two magnetometer arrays in the Great Plains province of the United States. The purpose of these studies was to map magnetic variation anomalies arising from inhomogeneities of crustal electrical conductivity; we wished to find regions where plane layered models yield apparent resistivity curves that are adequate approximations to curves determined from magnetotelluric measurements. Variation anomalies were found to be related to lateral changes in electrical conductivity of the upper crust, changes associated with sedimentary features. In southeast Oklahoma, induced currents are concentrated in the conductivity sediments of the deep Anadarko basin. These currents give rise to attenuated vertical variation fields to the west and south of the basin and to enhanced vertical fields to the north and northeast. Reversed vertical fields are observed for stations in north central Texas, close to the Ouachita tectonic belt which separates Paleozoic sediments in West Texas from younger sediments in the Gulf Coast plains. This distribution of fields indicates concentration of induced currents in the highly conductive coastal plains sediments. A small variation anomaly is associated with the region of the midcontinent gravity high in the northern Great Plains. The anomaly is probably caused by currents in the sedimentary troughs on the steep flanks of the Precambrian basalts, which give rise to the gravity anomaly.

scholarly journals The Relationship between the Pacific–North American Teleconnection Pattern, the Great Plains Low-Level Jet, and North Central U.S. Heavy Rainfall Events*

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (17) ◽  
pp. 6729-6742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith J. Harding ◽  
Peter K. Snyder
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Heavy Rainfall ◽  
Teleconnection Pattern ◽  
North Central ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
The North ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Central United States ◽  
Heavy Rainfall Events

Abstract This study demonstrates the relationship between the Pacific–North American (PNA) teleconnection pattern and the Great Plains low-level jet (GPLLJ). The negative phase of the PNA, which is associated with lower heights over the Great Plains and ridging in the southeastern United States, enhances the GPLLJ by increasing the pressure gradient within the GPLLJ on 6-hourly to monthly time scales. Strong GPLLJ events predominantly occur when the PNA is negative. Warm-season strong GPLLJ events with a very negative PNA (<−1) are associated with more persistent, longer wavelength planetary waves that increase the duration of GPLLJ events and enhance precipitation over the north central United States. When one considers the greatest 5-day north central U.S. precipitation events, a large majority occur when the PNA is negative, with most exhibiting a very negative PNA. Stronger moisture transport during heavy rainfall events with a very negative PNA decreases the precipitation of locally derived moisture compared to events with a very positive PNA. The PNA becomes negative 2–12 days before heavy rainfall events and is very negative within two weeks of 78% of heavy rainfall events in the north central United States, a finding that could be used to improve medium-range forecasts of heavy rainfall events.

Genetic variation in male Yellow-headed Blackbirds from the northern Great Plains

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (11) ◽  
pp. 2280-2282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Twedt ◽  
William J. Bleier ◽  
George M. Linz
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Geographic Origin ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
North Central ◽  
East Central ◽  
Allelic Frequencies ◽  
Xanthocephalus Xanthocephalus ◽  
Geographic Populations ◽  
Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Central South

Electrophoretic differences at 15 presumptive loci were used to assess allelic frequencies, heterozygosities, and polymorphism for male Yellow-headed Blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) collected in east-central Alberta, north-central North Dakota, and east-central South Dakota. Five loci were polymorphic and mean heterozygosities ranged from 0.119 to 0.133. Significant differences were detected among these geographic populations of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, primarily due to differences in the allelic frequencies of isocitrate dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Differences detected were not sufficient to uniquely identify the geographic origin of Yellow-headed Blackbrids.

Palynology of Maastrichtian and Paleocene rocks, lower Colville River region, North Slope of Alaska

1988 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 512-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. O. Frederiksen ◽  
T. A. Ager ◽  
L. E. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Pollen Grains ◽  
North Slope ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Dinoflagellate Cysts ◽  
Spores And Pollen ◽  
The North ◽  
River Region ◽  
Colville River ◽  
North Slope Of Alaska

Outcrops of Maastrichtian rocks are rare on the North Slope of Alaska, and it is even more unusual to find outcrops of Maastrichtian and Paleocene age in the same vicinity. In general, Late Cretaceous and Paleogene rocks have not been well dated in published papers pertaining to northern Alaska. In this article, we describe palynomorph assemblages from 20 outcrop samples taken from nine localities along the lower Colville River and nearby areas. The latest Cretaceous palynomorph assemblages that are from marine rocks contain late Campanian or Maastrichtian dinoflagellate cysts; however, these cysts and other marine fossils are absent from the Tertiary samples, indicating that the Tertiary strata are nonmarine. Our latest Cretaceous and early Tertiary samples contain abundant spores and pollen grains and can be readily dated by reference to well-known pollen assemblages from the northern Great Plains and northwestern Canada. By dating each sampled outcrop, we can approximate the position of the Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary in the study area. Outcrop samples near the boundary are too widely separated stratigraphically to permit us to determine whether or not an unconformity exists at the boundary in the study area. Using spores, pollen grains, and dinoflagellate cysts, we date the samples below the Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary as being of approximately mid-Maastrichtian age and the samples above the boundary as being undifferentiated Paleocene in age. On the North Slope, as in regions to the east and south, the Maastrichtian pollen assemblages represent a different kind of flora and vegetation than the Paleocene assemblages. The Maastrichtian assemblages have moderately high diversities of angiosperm pollen taxa, most of which were probably insect pollinated. In contrast, the Paleocene assemblages have low diversities of angiosperm taxa, and many of these taxa were probably wind pollinated. Differences between the mid-Maastrichtian and Paleocene assemblages may have been caused at least in part by climatic changes but may also have been caused by the effects of a hypothesized bolide impact at the end of the Maastrichtian for which there is increasing evidence.

scholarly journals Simulating cold-region hydrology in an intensively drained agricultural watershed in Manitoba, Canada, using the Cold Regions Hydrological Model

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos R. C. Cordeiro ◽  
Henry F. Wilson ◽  
Jason Vanrobaeys ◽  
John W. Pomeroy ◽  
Xing Fang
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Annual Runoff ◽  
Agricultural Watershed ◽  
Hydrological Processes ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Cold Regions ◽  
Stream Flows ◽  
The North ◽  
Physically Based

Abstract. Eutrophication and flooding are perennial problems in agricultural watersheds of the northern Great Plains. A high proportion of annual runoff and nutrient transport occurs with snowmelt in this region. Extensive surface drainage modification, frozen soils, and frequent backwater or ice damming impacts on flow measurement represent unique challenges to accurately modeling watershed scale hydrological processes. A physically-based, non-calibrated model created using the Cold Regions Hydrological Modelling platform (CRHM) was parameterized to simulate hydrological processes within a low slope, clay soil, and intensively surface drained agricultural watershed. These characteristics are common to most tributaries of the Red River of the North. Analysis of the observed water level records for the study watershed (La Salle River) indicate that ice cover and backwater issues at time of peak flow may impact the accuracy of both modeled and measured stream flows, highlighting the value of evaluating a non-calibrated model in this environment. Simulations best matched the streamflow record in years when peak and annual discharges were equal to or above the medians of 6.7 m3 s−1 and 1.25 × 107 m3, respectively, with an average Nash-Sutcliff efficiency (NSE) of 0.76. Simulation of low-flow years (below the medians) was more challenging (average NSE 

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