Understanding key mineral supply chain dynamics using economics-informed material flow analysis and Bayesian optimization
John W. Ryter, Karan Bhuwalka, Michelena O’Rourke, Luca Montanelli, David Cohen-Tanugi, Richard Roth, Elsa Olivetti
2024, Journal of Industrial Ecology (28) 709-726
The low-carbon energy transition requires significant increases in production for many mineral commodities. Understanding demand, technological requirements, and prices associated with this production increase requires understanding the supply chain dynamics of many minerals simultaneously, and via a consistent framework. A generalized economics-informed material flow method, global materials modeling using Bayesian...
Integrating ecological value and charismatic species habitats to prioritize habitats for conservation: A case study from Greater Yellowstone
A. J. Hansena, A. Easta, Z. Ashford, C. Crittendena, O. Jakabosky, D. Quinby, Shannon K. Brewer, Frank T. van Manen, Mark A. Haroldson, A. Middleton, N. Robinson, D. M. Theobald
2024, Biological Conservation (44) 157-171
Expanding human pressure has reduced natural habitats globally and motivated strategies to conserve remaining natural habitats. Decisions about conservation on private lands, however, are typically made by local stakeholders who are motivated by the elements of nature they most highly value. Thus, national prioritization...
Controls on stable methane isotope signatures in northern peatlands and potential shifts in signatures under permafrost thaw scenarios
McKenzie A. Kuhn, Ruth K. Varner, Carmody K. McCalley, Clarice R. Perryman, Mika Aurela, Sophia A. Burke, Jeffrey Chanton, Patrick Crill, Jessica DelGreco, Jia Deng, Liam Heffernan, Christina Herrick, Suzanne B. Hodgkins, Cheristy P. Jones, Sari Juutinen, Evan S. Kane, Louis J. Lamit, Tuula Larmola, Erik Lilleskov, David Olefeldt, Michael W. Palace, Virginia I. Rich, Christopher Schulze, Joanne H. Shorter, Franklin Sullivan, Oliver Sonnentag, Merritt R. Turetsky, Mark Waldrop
2024, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (129)
Northern peatlands are a globally significant source of methane (CH4), and emissions are projected to increase due to warming and permafrost loss. Understanding the microbial mechanisms behind patterns in CH4 production in these systems will be key to predicting annual emissions changes, with stable carbon isotopes (δ13C-CH4) being a powerful...
Utica/Point Pleasant brine isotopic compositions (δ7Li, δ11B, δ138Ba) elucidate mechanisms of lithium enrichment in the Appalachian Basin
Bonnie McDevitt, Travis L. Tasker, Rachel Coyte, Madalyn S. Blondes, Brian W. Stewart, Rosemary C Capo, J. Alexandra Hakala, Avner Vengosh, William D Burgos, Nathaniel R. Warner
2024, Science of the Total Environment (947)
Global Li production will require a ~500 % increase to meet 2050 projected energy storage demands. One potential source is oil and gas wastewater (i.e., produced water or brine), which naturally has high total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations, that can also be enriched in Li...
Climate change vulnerability of Arctic char across Scandinavia
Clint C. Muhlfeld, Timothy Cline, Anders Finstad, Dag O. Hessen, Sam Perrin, Jens Thaulow, Diane Whited, Leif Asbjorn Vollestad
2024, Global Change Biology (30)
Climate change is anticipated to cause species to shift their ranges upward and poleward, yet space for tracking suitable habitat conditions may be limited for range-restricted species at the highest elevations and latitudes of the globe. Consequently, range-restricted species inhabiting Arctic freshwater ecosystems, where...
Think regionally, act locally: Perspectives on co-design of spatial conservation prioritization tools and why end-user engagement altered our approach
Nicholas J. Van Lanen, Jessica E. Shyvers, Bryan C. Tarbox, Adrian P. Monroe, Patrick J. Anderson, Daniel K. Jones, Katharine G. Dahm, Cameron L. Aldridge
2024, Conservation Science and Practice (6)
Coproduction represents an inclusive approach for developing decision-support resources because it seeks to integrate scientific knowledge and end-user needs. Unfortunately, spatial decision support systems (SDSS) coproduction has sometimes resulted in limited utility for end-users, partially due to scarce SDSS coproduction guidance. To initiate coproduction, we...
External quality-assurance project report for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program National Trends Network and Mercury Deposition Network, 2021–22
Noel A. Deyette, Gregory A. Wetherbee, RoseAnn Martin
2024, Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5054
The U.S. Geological Survey Precipitation Chemistry Quality Assurance project (PCQA) operated five distinct programs to provide external quality-assurance monitoring for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) National Trends Network (NTN) and Mercury Deposition Network (MDN) during 2021–22. The NTN programs included (1) a field audit program to evaluate sample contamination...
Four decades of data indicate that planted mangroves stored up to 75% of the carbon stocks found in intact mature stands
Carine F. Bourgeois, Richard A. MacKenzie, Sahadev Sharma, Rupesh K. Bhomia, Nels G. Johnson, Andre S. Rovai, Thomas A. Worthington, Ken Krauss, Kangkuso Analuddin, Jacob J. Bukoski, Jose Alan Castillo, Angie Elwin, Leah Glass, Tim C. Jennerjahn, Mwita M. Mangora, Cyril Marchand, Michael Osland, Ismael A. Ratefinjanahary, Raghab Ray, Severino G. Salmo, Sigit D. Sasmito, Rempei Suwa, Pham Hong Tinh, Carl C. Trettin
2024, Science Advances (10)
Mangroves’ ability to store carbon (C) has long been recognized, but little is known about whether planted mangroves can store C as efficiently as naturally established (i.e., intact) stands and in which time frame. Through Bayesian logistic models compiled from 40 years of data and built from 684 planted mangrove...
Effects of harmful algal blooms on amphibians and reptiles are under-reported and under-represented
Brian J. Halstead, Kelly Smalling, Blake R. Hossack
2024, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (43) 1936-1949
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a persistent and increasing problem globally, yet we still have limited knowledge about how they affect wildlife. Although semi-aquatic and aquatic amphibians and reptiles have experienced large declines and occupy environments where HABs are increasingly problematic, their vulnerability to...
Histological analysis of deepwater sculpin ovaries supports single spawning reproductive strategy
Jarrod R. Ludwig, Brian Weidel, Brian O’Malley, Michael Connerton, Jacques Rinchard
2024, Journal of Great Lakes Research (50)
Deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii) were considered extirpated from Lake Ontario prior to the 1990s but have since resurged and are now an abundant offshore demersal species. As deepwater sculpin reproduction is poorly described, an investigation of their gonadal development and...
Rangewide occupancy of a flagship species, the Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica) in southern California: Habitat associations and recovery from wildfire
Barbara E. Kus, Kristine L. Preston, Alexandra Houston
2024, PLoS ONE (19)
The Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica), a federally threatened species, is a flagship species for regional conservation planning in southern California (USA). An inhabitant of coastal sage scrub vegetation, the gnatcatcher has declined in response to habitat loss and fragmentation, exacerbated by catastrophic wildfires. We...
Wood you believe it? Experimental addition of nonnative wood enhances instream habitat for native dryland fishes
Benjamin J. Miller, Mark C. McKinstry, Phaedra E. Budy, Casey A. Pennock
2024, River Research and Applications (40) 1512-1526
Flow alteration and riparian vegetation encroachment are causing habitat simplification with severe consequences for native fishes. To assess the effectiveness of enhancing simplified habitat in a large dryland river, we experimentally added invasive wood at 19 paired treatment and reference (no wood added) subreaches (50–100 m) within the main channel of...
Isotopic evaluation of the National Water Model reveals missing agricultural irrigation contributions to streamflow across the western United States
Annie L. Putman, Patrick C. Longley, Morgan C. McDonnell, James E. Reddy, Michelle P. Katoski, Olivia L. Miller, J. Renee Brooks
2024, Hydrology and Earth Systems Science (28) 2895-2918
The National Water Model (NWM) provides critical analyses and projections of streamflow that support water management decisions. However, the NWM performs poorly in lower-elevation rivers of the western United States (US). The accuracy of the NWM depends on the fidelity of the model inputs and the representation and calibration of...
A fine-scale examination of parturition timing in temperate ungulates
Matthew T. Turnley, Tabitha A. Hughes, Randy T. Larsen, Kent R. Hersey, Matthew S. Broadway, M. Colter Chitwood, W. Sue Fairbanks, Robert Charles Lonsinger, Brock R. McMillan
2024, Functional Ecology (14)
Parturition timing has long been a topic of interest in ungulate research. However, few studies have examined parturition timing at fine scale (e.g., <1 day). Predator activity and environmental conditions can vary considerably with diel timing, which may result in selective pressure for parturition to occur...
Persistence of pesticide residues in weathered avian droppings
Nimish B. Vyas, Paula F. P. Henry, Lukasz Binkowski, Michelle L. Hladik, Michael S. Gross, Michael A. Schroeder, Dawn M. Davis
2024, Environmental Research (259)
Avian droppings (combination of fecal matter and urates) provide a non-lethal and non-invasive matrix for measuring pesticide exposures. In the field, droppings may be collected days or weeks after excretion and the persistence of pesticide residues in weathered droppings...
Coastal Science Navigator companion guide—Discover the U.S. Geological Survey coastal science products you need
Mira Anderberg, Sara Ernst
2024, Circular 1523
The Coastal Science Navigator is an online gateway to a wide variety of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) coastal change hazards-related information, data, and tools relevant to stakeholders’ scientific and decision-making needs. The products within the Coastal Science Navigator provide data related to past, present, and future threats to our coastlines....
Nitrogen load estimates from six nonpoint sources on Long Island, New York, from 1900 to 2019
Jack Monti Jr., Donald A. Walter, Kalle Jahn
2024, Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5047
Estimates of nitrogen loading from nonpoint sources on Long Island, New York, at or just below the land surface, are essential for assessing the current and future effects of nitrogen on the island’s drinking water and fresh and marine surface receiving waters. Annual estimates of nitrogen loading for the 120...
Analysis of water use associated with hydraulic fracturing and determination of baseline water quality in watersheds within the shale play of eastern Ohio, 2021–23
S. Alex Covert, G. F. Koltun
2024, Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5045
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, performed a two-part study to (1) assess water use and temporal trends and changes in streamflow, and to (2) characterize 2021–23 baseline water quality, as they relate to oil and gas extraction activities in selected eastern Ohio...
An integrated analysis for estimation of survival, growth, and movement of unmarked juvenile anadromous fish
Patti J. Wohner, Adam Duarte, James Peterson
2024, Ecological Modelling (495)
Managers invest substantial resources to promote recovery of declining anadromous fish stocks. Recovery strategies are manifold and often include management actions intended to stimulate somatic growth, increase in-river survival, and motivate juvenile outmigration during favorable environmental conditions. Evaluating the efficacy of these management actions is difficult, however, because monitoring data...
A comparative analysis of OpenET for evaluating evapotranspiration in California almond orchards
Kyle Knipper, Martha Anderson, Nicolas Bambach, Forrest Melton, Zac Ellis, Yun Yang, J. M. Volk, Andrew J. McElrone, William P. Kustas, Matthew Roby, Will Carrara, Sebastian Castro, Ayse Kilic, Joshua B. Fisher, Anderson Ruhoff, Gabriel B. Senay, Charles Morton, Sebastian Saa, Richard G. Allen
2024, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology (355)
The almond industry in California faces water management challenges that are being exacerbated by droughts, climate change, and groundwater sustainability legislation. The Tree-crop Remote sensing of Evapotranspiration eXperiment (T-REX) aims to explore opportunities to improve precision irrigation management for woody perennial cropping systems. Almond orchards in the California Central Valley...
Characteristics of the fault damage zone From high-resolution seismic imaging along the Palos Verdes Fault, California
Travis Vincent Alongi, Emily Brodsky, Jared W. Kluesner, Daniel S. Brothers
2024, AGU Advances (5)
The distribution and intensity of fault damage zones provides insight into fault activity and its relationship to fluid flow in the crust. Presently, measures of the in-situ distribution of fault damage remain limited and along-strike studies are rare. This study focuses on an offshore section Palos Verdes Fault damage zone...
Invertebrate trophic structure on marine ferromanganese and phosphorite hardgrounds
Olivia S. Pereira, Devin Vlach, Angelica Bradley, Jennifer Gonzalez, Kira Mizell, Lisa A. Levin
2024, Limnology and Oceanography (69) 1636-1650
The Southern California Borderland hosts a variety of geologic and oceanographic features that allow for diverse habitats to occur in a restricted region with a strong oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) and hard substrates. These include ferromanganese (FeMn) crusts and phosphorites targeted for deep-seabed mining...
An evaluation of tradeoffs in restoring ephemeral vs. perennial habitats to conserve animal populations
James Peterson, Adam Duarte
2024, Frontiers in Conservation Science (5)
Introduction: Habitat loss and degradation pose significant threats to global fish and wildlife populations, prompting substantial investments in habitat creation and restoration efforts. Not all habitats provide equal benefits, leading to challenges in prioritizing restoration actions. For example, juvenile anadromous salmonids require high quality rearing aquatic habitats to achieve the physiological...
Spawning run estimates and phenology for an extremely small population of Atlantic Sturgeon in the Marshyhope Creek–Nanticoke River system, Chesapeake Bay
Nicholas Coleman, Dewayne Fox, Ashlee Horne, Nathan J. Hostetter, John Madsen, Michael O’Brien, Ian Park, Chuck Stence, David Secor
2024, Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science (16)
ObjectiveOnce thought to be extirpated from the Chesapeake Bay, fall spawning runs of Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus have been rediscovered in the Marshyhope Creek (MC)–Nanticoke River (NR) system of Maryland, United States. High recapture rates in past telemetry surveys suggested a small population in the two connected tributaries. This...
Geospatial PDF map of the compilation of GIS data for the mineral industries and related infrastructure of Africa
Elizabeth R. Neustaedter, Ryan F. Kemna, Abraham J. Padilla, Donya Otarod
2024, Open-File Report 2024-1041
IntroductionIn 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Minerals Information Center (NMIC) completed the project titled "Compilation of geospatial data for the mineral industries and related infrastructure of Africa." This project aimed to leverage the expertise and capabilities of the NMIC to collect, synthesize, and interpret geospatial data to inform...
