Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa lapponica in Alaska: Revisiting population estimates from the staging grounds
Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Zak Pohlen, Heather M. Wilson, James Johnson
2021, Wader Study (128) 255-264
Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa lapponica baueri breed in Alaska and spend the nonbreeding season primarily in eastern Australia and New Zealand. Long-term declines spurred recent surveys at nonbreeding sites that yielded a revised population estimate of ~126,000 godwits. We conducted aerial surveys for Bar-tailed Godwits in 2018 and 2019 at pre-migratory...
Changes in liquefaction severity in the San Francisco Bay Area with sea-level rise
Alex R. Grant, Anne Wein, Kevin M. Befus, Juliette Finzi-Hart, Mike Frame, Rachel Volentine, Patrick L. Barnard, Keith L. Knudsen
2021, Conference Paper, Geo-Extreme 2021: Climatic Extremes and Earthquake Modeling
This paper studies the impacts of sea-level rise on liquefaction triggering and severity around the San Francisco Bay Area, California, for the M 7.0 “HayWired” earthquake scenario along the Hayward fault. This work emerged from stakeholder engagement for the US Geological...
Alaska natural gas hydrate production testing: Test site selection, characterization and testing operations
Timothy Collett
2021, Report
This Interagency Agreement supports the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its research partners in understanding, predicting, and testing the recoverability and potential production characteristics of onshore natural gas hydrate in the Greater Prudhoe Bay area on the Alaska North Slope (ANS: Prudhoe Bay, Kuparuk River, and Milne...
Climate change risks and adaptation options for Madagascar
Sarah R. Weiskopf, Janet Alice Cushing, Toni Lyn Morelli, Bonnie Myers
2021, Ecology and Society (26)
Climate change poses an increasing threat to achieving development goals and is often considered in development plans and project designs. However, there have been challenges in the effective implementation of those plans, particularly in the sustained engagement of the communities to undertake adaptive actions, but also due to insufficient scientific...
The Southeastern U.S. as a complex of use sites for nonbreeding rufa Red Knots: Fifteen years of band-encounter data
M.E. Tuma, Abby Powell
2021, Wader Study 265-273
Shorebirds have been banded for decades and monitoring programs have helped to accumulate large band-encounter datasets from across the globe; however, many of these datasets are left largely unused, particularly those collected by citizen scientists. These datasets can provide valuable insight into the...
Factors limiting reproductive success of American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) in Florida's southern Big Bend region
N. Vitale, J. Brush, Abby Powell
2021, Waterbirds (44) 449-462
Florida's Big Bend region hosts the second largest concentration of breeding American Oystercatchers in the state, but reproductive success is low. Nest site characteristics and predation were examined to determine their influence on survival of nests and broods at two areas in the southern...
Maps of the Arctic Alaska boundary area as defined by the U.S. Arctic Research and Policy Act—Including geospatial characteristics of select marine and terrestrial features
Dee M. Williams, Christopher L. Richmond
2021, Scientific Investigations Map 3484
This pamphlet presents a series of general reference maps showing relevant geospatial features of the U.S. Arctic boundary as defined by the U.S. Congress since 1984. The first generation of the U.S. Arctic Research and Policy Act (ARPA) boundary maps was originally formatted and published in 2009 by a private...
Simulation of groundwater budgets and travel times for watersheds on the north shore of Long Island Sound, with implications for nitrogen-transport studies
Janet R. Barclay, John R. Mullaney
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5116
Aquatic systems in and around the Long Island Sound (LIS) provide a variety of ecological and economic benefits, but in some areas of the LIS, aquatic ecosystems have become degraded by excess nitrogen. A substantial fraction of the nitrogen inputs to the LIS are transported through the groundwater-flow system. Because...
California deepwater investigations and groundtruthing (Cal DIG) I: Fault and shallow geohazard analysis offshore Morro Bay
Maureen A. L. Walton, Charlie K Paull, Guy R. Cochrane, Jason A. Addison, Roberto Gwiazda, Daniel J. Kennedy, Eve M. Lundsten, Antoinette Gabrielle Papesh
2021, Report
The California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing (Cal DIG) I project focuses on the potential seafloor hazards and impacts of alternative energy infrastructure in the outer continental shelf region offshore of south-central California. This is one of three reports covering a single study area located between Monterey and Point Conception, California...
Quarterly wildlife mortality report October 2021
Bryan J. Richards, Daniel A. Grear, Shelby Jo Weidenkopf
2021, Newsletter
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) Quarterly Mortality Report provides brief summaries of epizootic mortality and morbidity events by quarter. The write-ups, highlighting epizootic events and other wildlife disease topics of interest, are published in the Wildlife Disease Association quarterly newsletter. A link is provided in this WDA newsletter...
Characterization of halogenated organic compounds in pelagic sharks and sea turtles using a nontargeted approach
Aikebaier Renaguli, Sujan Fernando, Thomas M. Holsen, Philip K. Hopke, Douglas H. Adams, George H. Balazs, T. Todd Jones, Thierry M. Work, Bernard S. Crimmins, Jennifer M. Lynch
2021, Environmental Science & Technology (55) 16390-16401
Halogenated organic compounds (HOCs) in marine species collected from the Atlantic Ocean [3 shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) and 1 porbeagle (Lamna nasus)], and 12 sea turtles collected from the Pacific Ocean [3 loggerhead (Caretta caretta), 3 green (Chelonia mydas), 3 olive ridley...
The importance of forests in bumble bee biology and conservation
John Michael Mola, Jeremy Hemberger, Jade Kochanski, Leif L. Richardson, Ian Pearse
2021, BioScience (71) 1234-1248
Declines of many bumble bee species have raised concerns because of their importance as pollinators and potential harbingers of declines among other insect taxa. At present, bumble bee conservation is predominantly focused on midsummer flower restoration in open habitats. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that forests may...
Resource use among top-level piscivores in a temperate reservoir: Implications for a threatened coldwater specialist
Adam G. Hansen, Jennifer R. Gardner, Kristin A. Connelly, Matt Polacek, David Beauchamp
2021, Ecology of Freshwater Fish (31) 469-491
Evaluations of resource use among native piscivores in natural lakes have consistently documented significant partitioning that supports coexistence. Partitioning may be less prominent in reservoirs where water-level fluctuations can compress habitat and trophic diversity, but studies are lacking. Stable isotopes and bioenergetic models were used to...
Capacity assessment for Earth Monitoring, Analysis, and Prediction (EarthMAP) and future integrated monitoring and predictive science at the U.S. Geological Survey
Jennifer L. Keisman, Sky Bristol, David S. Brown, Allison K. Flickinger, Gregory L. Gunther, Peter S. Murdoch, MaryLynn Musgrove, John C. Nelson, Gregory D. Steyer, Kathryn A. Thomas, Ian R. Waite
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1102
Executive SummaryManagers of our Nation’s resources face unprecedented challenges driven by the convergence of increasing, competing societal demands and a changing climate that affects the stability, vulnerability, and predictability of those resources. To help meet these challenges, the scientific community must take advantage of all available technologies, data, and integrative...
Oil and gas wastewater components alter streambed microbial community structure and function
Denise M. Akob, Adam C. Mumford, Andrea Fraser, Cassandra Rashan Harris, William H. Orem, Matthew S. Varonka, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
2021, Frontiers in Microbiology (12)
The widespread application of directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies expanded oil and gas (OG) development to previously inaccessible resources. A single OG well can generate millions of liters of wastewater, which is a mixture of brine produced from the fractured formations and injected hydraulic fracturing fluids (HFFs)....
Airborne hybrid sensor maps the country: Multi-agency effort for testing a potential new hybrid 3DEP-NAIP sensor
Jason M. Stoker, Aparajithan Sampath, Minsu Kim, Jeffrey Irwin, Eric Rounds, Josh Heyer, Julie Davenport, Gabe Bellante, Tony Kimmet, Collin McCormick, John Mootz
2021, LiDAR Magazine (11) 6-16
No abstract available....
Permafrost characterization and feature identification using public domain airborne electromagnetic data, interior Alaska
Abraham M. Emond, Ronald Daanen, Burke J. Minsley
2021, FastTIMES (26)
The Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data are an excellent resource for permafrost characterization. AEM data can be used for pingo identification, estimating permafrost thickness, estimating surface talik thickness, evaluating permafrost health (temperature), talik identification and more. Data examples are shown from discontinuous...
Random forest
Emil D. Attanasi, Timothy Coburn
2021, Book chapter, Encyclopedia of mathematical geosciences
This entry defines and discusses the random forest machine learning algorithm. The algorithm is used to predict class or quantities for target variables using values of a set of predictor variables. It uses decision trees that are generated from bootstrap sampling of the training data set to create a "forest"....
Can identifying discrete behavioral groups with individual-based acoustic telemetry advance the understanding of fish distribution patterns?
Ryland B. Taylor, Martha E. Mather, Joseph M. Smith, Kayla M. Boles
2021, Frontiers in Marine Science (8)
Identifying patterns of organismal distribution can provide valuable insights for basic and applied marine and coastal ecology because understanding where animals are located is foundational to both research and science-based conservation. Understanding variation in distributional patterns can lead to a better assessment of ecological drivers and an improved ability to...
Warming sea surface temperatures fuel summer epidemics of eelgrass wasting disease
Maya Groner, Morgan E. Eisenlord, Reyn M. Yoshioka, Evan A. Fiorenza, Phoebe D. Dawkins, Olivia J. Graham, Miranda Winningham, Alex Vompe, Natalie D. Rivlin, Bo Yang, Colleen A. Burge, Brendan Rappazzo, Carla P. Gomes, C. Drew Harvell
2021, Marine Ecology Progress Series (679) 47-58
Seawater temperatures are increasing, with many unquantified impacts on marine diseases. While prolonged temperature stress can accelerate host-pathogen interactions, the outcomes in nature are poorly quantified. We monitored eelgrass wasting disease (EWD) from 2013-2017 and correlated mid-summer prevalence of EWD with remotely sensed seawater temperature metrics before, during, and after...
The aboveground and belowground growth characteristics of juvenile conifers in the southwestern United States
N.L. Pirtel, R.M. Hubbard, John B. Bradford, T.E. Kolb, M.E. Litvak, S.R. Abella, S.M. Porter, Petrie M.D.
2021, Ecosphere (12)
Juvenile tree survival will play an important role in the persistence of coniferous forests and woodlands in the southwestern United States (SWUS). Vulnerability to climatic and environmental stress declines as trees grow, such that larger, more deeply rooted juveniles are less likely to experience mortality. It...
Assessing the migratory histories, trophic positions, and conditions of lake sturgeon in the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers using fin ray microchemistry, stable isotopes, and fatty acid profiles
Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid, Michelle Bartsch, Lynn A. Bartsch, Steven J. Zigler, Robert J Kennedy, Seth A. Love
2021, Ecological Processes (10)
BackgroundReproducing populations of invasive carps (Hypophthalmichthys spp.) could alter aquatic food webs and negatively affect native fishes in the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MISS) and the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACN). However, proposed invasive carp barriers may also threaten populations of native migratory fishes by preventing...
Long-term Pseudogymnoascus destructans surveillance data reveal factors contributing to pathogen presence
John Grider, Robin E. Russell, Anne Ballmann, Trevor J. Hefley
2021, Ecosphere (12)
The disease white-nose syndrome (WNS) was first recognized in upstate New York in 2006 and has since spread across much of the United States (U.S.), causing severe mortality in several North American bat species. To aid in the identification and monitoring of at-risk bat populations, we...
Water Resources Research Act Program—Current status, development opportunities, and priorities for 2020–30
Mary J. Donohue, Earl A. Greene, Darren T. Lerner
2021, Circular 1488
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) Program connects our Nation’s academic capital to the USGS mission by delivering university-based research, outreach, and education services to our citizens. For more than 50 years, the WRRA Program has invested in local, State, and regionally focused water-related research;...
The Yorktown Formation: Improved stratigraphy, chronology and paleoclimate interpretations from the U.S. mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain
Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Kevin M. Foley, Timothy D. Herbert
2021, Geosciences (11)
The Yorktown Formation records paleoclimate conditions along the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain during the mid-Piacenzian Warm Period (3.264 to 3.025 Ma), a climate interval of the Pliocene in some ways analogous to near future climate projections. To gain insight into potential near future changes, we investigated Yorktown Formation...
