Water-level and recoverable water in storage changes, High Plains Aquifer, predevelopment to 2019 and 2017 to 2019
Virginia L. McGuire, Kellan R. Strauch
2024, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5143
The High Plains aquifer underlies 111.8 million acres (about 175,000 square miles) in parts of eight States: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. Water-level declines began in parts of the High Plains aquifer soon after the beginning of substantial groundwater irrigation (about 1950). This report...
Establishing fluvial silicon regimes and their stability across the Northern Hemisphere
Keira Johnson, Kathi Jo Jankowski, Joanna C. Carey, Nicholas Lyon, William H. McDowell, Arial J. Shogren, Adam S. Wymore, Lienne R. Sethna, Wilfred M. Wollheim, Amanda Poste, Pirkko Kortelainen, Ruth C. Heindel, Hjalmar Laudon, Antti Raike, Jeremy B. Jones, Diane M. McKnight, Paul Julian, Sidney A. Bush, Pamela L. Sullivan
2024, Limnology and Oceanography Letters (9) 237-246
Fluvial silicon (Si) plays a critical role in controlling primary production, water quality, and carbon sequestration through supporting freshwater and marine diatom communities. Geological, biogeochemical, and hydrological processes, as well as climate and land use, dictate the amount of Si exported by streams. Understanding Si...
Incorporating intensity distance attenuation into PLUM ground-motion-based earthquake early warning in the United States: The APPLES configuration
Jessie K. Saunders, Elizabeth S. Cochran, Julian Bunn, Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, Sarah E. Minson, Colin T O’Rourke
2024, Earth's Future (12)
We develop Attenuated ProPagation of Local Earthquake Shaking (APPLES), a new configuration for the United States West Coast version of the Propagation of Local Undamped Motion (PLUM) earthquake early warning (EEW) algorithm that incorporates attenuation into its ground-motion prediction procedures. Under APPLES, instead of using a fixed...
Vegetation responses to large dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA
Patrick B. Shafroth, Laura G. Perry, James M. Helfield, Joshua Chenoweth, Rebecca L. Brown
2024, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (12)
Large dam removal can trigger changes to physical and biological processes that influence vegetation dynamics in former reservoirs, along river corridors downstream of former dams, and at a river’s terminus in deltas and estuaries. We present the first comprehensive review of vegetation response to major fluvial disturbance caused by...
Population genetics of museum specimens indicate decreasing genetic resiliency: The case of two bumble bees of conservation concern
Ashley Rhode, Michael Branstetter, Karen E. Mock, Joyce Knoblett, David Pilliod, Jeffrey Everett, Paul Galpern, James P. Strange
2024, Biological Conservation (291)
Genetic resiliency is the likelihood that populations retain sufficient genetic diversity to respond to environmental change. It is rarely examined through time in conservation genetic studies due to challenges of acquiring and sequencing historical specimens. Focusing on populations of...
A brief note on substantial sub-daily arsenic variability in pumping drinking-water wells in New Hampshire
Paul M. Bradley, Emily C. Hicks, Joseph P. Levitt, David C. Lloyd, Mhairi M. McDonald, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly Smalling, Joseph D. Ayotte
2024, Science of the Total Environment (919)
Large variations in redox-related water parameters, like pH and dissolved oxygen (DO), have been documented in New Hampshire (United States) drinking-water wells over the course of a few hours under pumping conditions. These findings suggest that comparable sub-daily variability in dissolved concentrations of redox-reactive...
Ecology of an insular snake assemblage in coastal Maine
John D. Willson, Ethan J. Royal, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Meredith C. Swartwout, Chelsea S. Kross
2024, Northeastern Naturalist (31) 13-34
Wildlife populations at the peripheries of their distributions or on isolated islands often display divergent and poorly understood morphological or life-history characteristics compared to core populations. We used a capture–mark–recapture dataset collected over a 19-year period to characterize a northern, insular snake assemblage in...
Developing a photography-based harvest survey to estimate age and subspecies composition of midcontinent sandhill cranes
Andrew J. Dinges, Jay Alan VonBank, Aaron T. Pearse, David A. Brandt
2024, Wildlife Society Bulletin (48)
Midcontinent sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) are managed as a single population, but hunting regulations are structured so harvest is targeted towards the more numerous lesser sandhill cranes (A. c. canadensis). However, research indicates that greater sandhill cranes (A. c. tabida) have been disproportionally exposed...
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on Taeniatherum caput-medusae published from January 2010 to January 2022
Jennifer K. Meineke, Logan M. Maxwell, Alison C. Foster, Laine E. McCall, Tait K. Rutherford, Ella M. Samuel, Lea B. Selby, Joshua S Willems, Nathan J. Kleist, Samuel E. Jordan
2024, Open-File Report 2023-1089
Integrating recent scientific knowledge into management decisions supports effective natural resource management and can lead to better resource outcomes. However, finding and accessing scientific knowledge can be time consuming and costly. To assist in this process, the U.S. Geological Survey is creating a series of annotated bibliographies on topics of...
Planned geological investigations of the Europa Clipper mission
I. J. Daubar, A. G. Hayes, Gail C. Collins, K. Craft, J. A. Rathbun, J.R. Spencer, D. Wyrick, Michael T. Bland, A. G. Davies, C. M. Ernst, Samuel Howell, Erin J. Leonard, Alfred S. McEwen, J. M. Moore, C. B. Phillips, L. Prockter, L. C. Quick, J. E. C. Scully, J. M. Soderblom, S. M. Brooks, M. Cable, M. E. Cameron, K. Chan, C. J. Chivers, M. Choukroun, Corey Cochrane, S. Diniega, A. J. Dombard, Catherine Elder, Christopher Gerekos, Christopher R. Glein, T Greathouse, C. Grima, Murthy Gudipati, K. L. Hand, C. Hansen, Paul Hayne, M. Hedman, K. Hughson, X. Jia, J. Lawrence, H. M. Meyer, H. L. Miller, Gerald Wesley Patterson, D Persaud, S. Piqueux, K. Retherford, Kirk Scanlan, P. Schenk, B. Schmidt, D. Schroeder, Gregor Steinbrugge, A. Stern, Gabriel Tobie, Paul Withers, D. A. Young, B. Buratti, Haje Korth, D. Senske, Robert Pappalardo
2024, Space Science Reviews (220)
Geological investigations planned for the Europa Clipper mission will examine the formation, evolution, and expression of geomorphic structures found on the surface. Understanding geologic features, their formation, and any recent activity are key inputs in constraining Europa’s potential for habitability. In addition to providing information about the moon’s habitability, the...
Krumholzibacteriota and Deltaproteobacteria contain rare genetic potential to liberate carbon from monoaromatic compounds in subsurface coal seams
Bronwyn C. Campbell, Paul Greenfield, Elliott P. Barnhart, Gong, David J. Midgley, Ian T. Paulsen, Simon C. George
2024, mBio (15)
Biogenic methane in subsurface coal seam environments is produced by diverse consortia of microbes. Although this methane is useful for global energy security, it remains unclear which microbes can liberate carbon from the coal. Most of this carbon is relatively resistant to biodegradation, as it is contained within aromatic rings....
Toward a US framework for continuity of satellite observations of Earth's climate and for supporting societal resilience
Duane E. Waliser, Waleed Abdalati, Nancy Baker, Stacey Boland, Michael Bonadonna, Carol Anne Clayson, Belay Demoz, Kelsey Foster, Christian Frankenburg, Maria Hakuba, Therese Jorgensen, Ryan J. Kramer, Daniel Limonadi, Anna M. Michalak, Asal Naseri, Pat Patterson, Peter Pilewskie, Steven Platnick, Charlie Powell, Jeff Privette, Chris Ruf, Tapio Schneider, Jorg Schulz, Paul Selmants, Rashmi Shah, Qianqian Song, Graeme Stephens, Timothy S. Stryker
2024, Earth's Future (12)
There is growing urgency for improved public and commercial services to support a resilient, secure, and thriving United States (US) in the face of mounting decision-support needs for environmental stewardship and hazard response, as well as for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Sustained space-based Earth observations are...
A conserved interdomain microbial network underpins cadaver decomposition despite environmental variables
Zachary M. Burcham, Aeriel D. Belk, Bridget B. McGivern, Amina Bouslimani, Parsa Ghadermazi, Cameron Martino, Liat Shenhav, Anru R. Zhang, Pixu Shi, Alexandra Emmons, Heather Deel, Zhenjiang Zech Xu, Victoria Nieciecki, Qiyun Zhu, Michael Shaffer, Morgan Panitchpakdi, Kelly Weldon, Kalen Cantrell, Asa Ben-Hur, Sasha C. Reed, Greg C. Humphry, Gail Ackermann, Daniel McDonald, Siu Hung Joshua Chan, Melissa Connor, Derek Boyd, Jake Smith, Jenna Watson, Giovanna Vidoli, Dawnie Steadman, Aaron M. Lynne, Sibyl R Bucheli, Pieter C. Dorrestein, Kelly C. Wrighton, David O. Carter, Rob Knight, Jessica L. Metcalf
2024, Nature Microbiology (9) 595-613
Microbial breakdown of organic matter is one of the most important processes on Earth, yet the controls of decomposition are poorly understood. Here we track 36 terrestrial human cadavers in three locations and show that a phylogenetically distinct, interdomain microbial network assembles during decomposition despite selection...
Net carbon sequestration implications of intensified timber harvest in Northeastern U.S. forests
Michelle L. Brown, Charles D. Canham, Thomas Buchholz, John S. Gunn, Therese M. Donovan
2024, Ecosphere (15)
U.S. forests, particularly in the eastern states, provide an important offset to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Some have proposed that forest-based natural climate solutions can be strengthened via a number of strategies, including increases in the production of forest biomass energy. We used output from a forest dynamics model (SORTIE-ND)...
Lake water temperature modeling in an era of climate change: Data sources, models, and future prospects
Sebastiano Piccolroaz, Senlin Zhu, Robert Ladwig, Laura Carrea, Samantha K. Oliver, Adam Piotrowski, Mariusz Ptak, Ryuichiro Shinohara, Mariusz Sojka, Richard Woolway, David Z. Zhu
2024, Review of Geophysics (62)
Lake thermal dynamics have been considerably impacted by climate change, with potential adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems. To better understand the potential impacts of future climate change on lake thermal dynamics and related processes, the use of mathematical models is essential. In this study, we provide a...
Climate change will impact surface water extents and dynamics across the central United States
Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Jay R. Christensen, Laurie C. Alexander, Charles R. Lane, Heather E. Golden
2024, Earth's Future (12)
Climate change is projected to impact river, lake, and wetland hydrology, with global implications for the condition and productivity of aquatic ecosystems. We integrated Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 based algorithms to track monthly surface water extent (2017–2021) for 32 sites across the central United States (U.S.). Median surface...
Trajectories and tipping points of piñon–juniper woodlands after fire and thinning
Michala Lee Phillips, Cara Marie Lauria, Tova Spector, John B. Bradford, Catherine A. Gehring, Brooke B. Osborne, Armin J. Howell, Edmund E. Grote, Renee Rondeau, Gillian Trimber, Benjamin Robinson, Sasha C. Reed
2024, Global Change Biology (30)
Piñon–juniper (PJ) woodlands are a dominant community type across the Intermountain West, comprising over a million acres and experiencing critical effects from increasing wildfire. Large PJ mortality and regeneration failure after catastrophic wildfire have elevated concerns about the long-term viability of PJ woodlands. Thinning...
Survey and monitoring methods for furbearers
Eric M Gese, Patricia Terletzky, Hilary S. Cooley, Frederick F. Knowlton, Robert Charles Lonsinger
Tim L. Hiller, Roger D. Applegate, Robert D. Bluett, S. Nicki Frey, Eric M Gese, John F. Organ, editor(s)
2024, Book chapter, Wild furbearer management and conservation in North America
There is a continuing need to assess the state (distribution and abundance) of furbearer populations throughout North America for state and provincial agencies to properly manage furbearers. With an expanding human population and continued changes in land-use practices, habitat loss and fragmentation, declines in natural prey, increases in disease transmission...
Uranium redox and deposition transitions embedded in deep-time geochemical models and mineral chemistry networks
Elisha Kelly Moore, J. Li, Ao Zhang, Jihua Hao, Shaunna M. Morrison, Daniel Hummer, Nathan Yee
2024, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (25)
Uranium (U) is an important global energy resource and a redox sensitive trace element that reflects changing environmental conditions and geochemical cycling. The redox evolution of U mineral chemistry can be interrogated to understand the formation and distribution of U deposits and the redox processes involved in U geochemistry throughout...
Quantitative microbial risk assessment for ingestion of antibiotic resistance genes from private wells contaminated by human and livestock fecal sources
Tucker R. Burch, Joel P. Stokdyk, Lisa Durso, Mark A. Borchardt
2024, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (90)
We used quantitative microbial risk assessment to estimate ingestion risk for intI1, erm(B), sul1, tet(A), tet(W), and tet(X) in private wells contaminated by human and/or livestock feces. Genes were quantified with five human-specific and six bovine-specific microbial source-tracking (MST) markers in 138 well-water samples from a rural Wisconsin county. Daily ingestion risk (probability of swallowing ≥1...
Current status of the community sensor model standard for the generation of planetary digital terrain models
Trent M. Hare, Randolph L. Kirk, Michael T. Bland, Donna M. Galuszka, Jason Laura, David Mayer, Bonnie L. Redding, Benjamin H Wheeler
2024, Remote Sensing (16)
The creation of accurate elevation models (topography) from stereo images are critical for a large variety of geospatial activities, including the production of digital orthomosaics, change detection, landing site analysis, geologic mapping, rover traverse planning, and spectral analysis. The United Stated Geological Survey, Astrogeology Science Center, continues to transition the...
Geoelectric evidence for a wide spatial footprint of active extension in central Colorado
Benjamin S. Murphy, Jonathan Saul Caine, Paul A. Bedrosian, Kayla J Crosbie
2024, Geology (52) 314-318
Three-dimensional magnetotelluric (MT) imaging in central Colorado reveals a set of north-striking high-conductivity tracks at lower-crustal (50–20 km) depths, with conductive finger-like structures rising off these tracks into the middle crust (20–5 km depth). We interpret these features to represent saline aqueous fluids and partial...
The noise is the signal: Spatio-temporal variability of production and productivity in high elevation meadows in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of North America
Robert C. Klinger, Tom Stephenson, James Letchinger, Logan Stephenson, Sarah Jacobs
2024, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (11)
There are expectations that increasing temperatures will lead to significant changes in structure and function of montane meadows, including greater water stress on vegetation and lowered vegetation production and productivity. We evaluated spatio-temporal dynamics in production and productivity in meadows within the Sierra Nevada mountain range of North America...
The evolution of glandularity as a defense against herbivores in the tarweed clade
Ian Pearse, Eric LoPresti, Bruce Baldwin, Billy Krimmel
2024, American Journal of Botany (111)
PremiseGlandular trichomes are implicated in direct and indirect defense of plants. However, the degree to which glandular and non-glandular trichomes have evolved as a consequence of herbivory remains unclear, because their heritability, their association with herbivore resistance, their trade-offs with one another, and their association with other...
Multi-criteria decision approach for climate adaptation of cultural resources along the Atlantic coast of the southeastern United States: Application of AHP method
Abu SMG Kibria, Erin Seekamp, Xiao Xiao, Soupy Dalyander, Mitchell J. Eaton
2024, Climate Risk Management (43)
Prioritizing climate adaptation actions is often made difficult by stakeholders and decision-makers having multiple objectives, some of which may be competing. Transparent, transferable, and objective methods are needed to assess and weight different objectives for complex decisions with multiple interests. In...
