Water and sediment chemistry of selected existing and potential habitats of the Mohave tui chub, Mojave National Preserve, California, 2018
Katherine J. Earp, Angela P. Paul
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5106
The Mohave tui chub (Siphateles bicolor mohavensis) was nearly extirpated from the Mojave River drainage in California by the mid-twentieth century and was listed as endangered in 1970. A source population of Mohave tui chub exists at MC Spring in Zzyzx, California, and has been used for several re-establishment efforts...
Responses of American black bears to spring resources
Nathaniel R. Bowersock, Andrea R. Litt, Jerod A. Merkle, Kerry A. Gunther, Frank T. van Manen
2021, Ecosphere (12)
In temperate regions of the world, food resources are seasonally limited, which causes some wildlife species to seek out nutrient-rich resources to better meet their caloric needs. Animals that utilize high-quality resources may reap fitness benefits as they prepare for mating, migration, or hibernation. American black...
Modeling scenarios for the management of axis deer in Hawai‘i
Steve C. Hess, Seth Judge
2021, Pacific Science (75) 561-573
Axis deer (Axis axis) are invasive species that threaten native ecosystems and agriculture on Maui Island. To mitigate negative effects, it is necessary to understand current abundance, population trajectory, and how to most effectively reduce the population. Our objectives were to examine the population history...
Recent nitrogen storage and accumulation rates in mangrove soils exceed historic rates in the urbanized San Juan Bay Estuary (Puerto Rico, United States)
Cathleen Wigand, Autumn Oczkowski, Benjamin Branoff, Meagan J. Eagle, Alana Hanson, Rose M. Martin, Stephen Balogh, Kenneth Miller, Evelyn Huertas, Joseph Loffredo, Elizabeth Watson
2021, Frontiers in Forests and Global Change (4)
Tropical mangrove forests have been described as “coastal kidneys,” promoting sediment deposition and filtering contaminants, including excess nutrients. Coastal areas throughout the world are experiencing increased human activities, resulting in altered geomorphology, hydrology, and nutrient inputs. To effectively manage and sustain coastal mangroves, it is important to understand...
Hawaiian hoary bat acoustic surveys on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, 2019–2021
Corinna A. Pinzari, Kristina Montoya-Aiona, Danielle Gross, Karen Courtot
2021, Technical Report 100
The endangered Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus semotus, Vespertilionidae, also known as Aeorestes semotus and ‘ōpe‘ape‘a) occurs on all the principal volcanic islands in Hawai‘i. Advances in acoustic bat monitoring techniques have contributed to the body of knowledge of bat activity and behavior in many areas of the State of Hawai‘i;...
Hazard-consistent seismic losses and collapse capacities for light-frame wood buildings in California and Cascadia
Robert Edward Chase, Abbie B. Liel, Nico Luco, Zach Bullock
2021, Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering (19) 6615-6639
We evaluate the seismic performance of modern seismically designed wood light-frame (WLF) buildings, considering regional seismic hazard characteristics that influence ground motion duration and frequency content and, thus, seismic risk. Results show that WLF building response correlates strongly with ground motion spectral shape but weakly with duration. Due to the...
Mineral deposit discovery order and three-part quantitative assessments
Donald A. Singer, Michael L. Zientek
2021, Ore Geology Reviews (139)
Larger oil pools tending to be discovered earlier in an exploration play suggests the same pattern might exist for mineral deposits and could be used in predicting sizes of undiscovered deposits in mineral assessments. The volume of individual...
Characterization of the biological, physical, and chemical properties of a toxic thin layer in a temperate marine system
Margaret A McManus, Adam T Greer, Amanda HV Timmerman, Jeff C Sevadjian, C. Brock Woodson, Robert Cowen, Derek A Fong, Stephen G. Monismith, Olivia M. Cheriton
2021, Marine Ecology Progress Series (MEPS) (678) 17-35
The distribution of plankton in the ocean is patchy across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. One type of oceanographic feature that exemplifies this patchiness is a ‘thin layer’. Thin layers are subsurface aggregations of plankton that range in vertical thickness from centimeters to a few meters,...
Remotely sensed fine-fuel changes from wildfire and prescribed fire in a semi-arid grassland
Adam Gerhard Wells, Seth M. Munson, Steven Sesnie, Miguel L. Villarreal
2021, Fire (4)
The spread of flammable invasive grasses, woody plant encroachment, and enhanced aridity have interacted in many grasslands globally to increase wildfire activity and risk to valued assets. Annual variation in the abundance and distribution of fine-fuel present challenges to land managers implementing prescribed burns and mitigating wildfire, although methods to...
Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay watershed—A century of change, 1950–2050
John W. Clune, Paul D. Capel, Matthew P. Miller, Douglas A. Burns, Andrew J. Sekellick, Peter R. Claggett, Richard H. Coupe, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Ana Maria Garcia, Jeff P. Raffensperger, Silvia Terziotti, Gopal Bhatt, Joel D. Blomquist, Kristina G. Hopkins, Jennifer L. Keisman, Lewis C. Linker, Gary W. Shenk, Richard A. Smith, Alexander M. Soroka, James S. Webber, David M. Wolock, Qian Zhang
2021, Circular 1486
ForewordSustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead...
Continuous monitoring and Bayesian estimation of nutrient and sediment loads from Illinois watersheds, for water years 2016–2020
Timothy O. Hodson, Paul J. Terrio, Colin S. Peake, David J. Fazio
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5092
The State of Illinois is one of the leading contributors of nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. During water years 2016–20, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, operated continuous monitoring stations on eight major rivers in...
Preliminary geohydrologic assessment of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Altar Valley, southeastern Arizona
Sandra J. Owen-Joyce, James B. Callegary, Amy Elizabeth Rosebrough
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5050
The Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge is located in the southern part of Altar Valley, southwest of Tucson in southeastern Arizona. The primary water-supply well at the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge has experienced a two-decade decrease in groundwater levels in the well, as have other wells in the southern...
Bottom-up and top-down control on hydrothermal resources in the Great Basin: An example from Gabbs Valley, Nevada
Jared R. Peacock, Drew L. Siler
2021, Geophysical Research Letters (48)
The Great Basin in the western United States hosts various hydrothermal systems, including both active geothermal systems and ancient systems preserved as mineral deposits. New magnetotelluric and structural geologic data were collected in the Gabbs Valley area of western Nevada to demonstrate the advantage of imaging the...
Multilayer perceptrons (MLPs)
C. Ozgen Karacan
2021, Book chapter, Encyclopedia of Mathematical Geosciences
Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are adaptable systems that can solve problems that are difficult to describe with a mathematical relationship. They seek relationships between different types of datasets with their abilities to learn either with supervision or without. ANNs recognize patterns between input and output space...
Strong evidence for two disjunct populations of Black Scoters Melanitta americana in North America
Timothy D. Bowman, Scott G. Gilliland, Jason L Schamber, Paul L. Flint, Daniel Esler, W. Sean Boyd, Daniel H. Rosenberg, Jean-Pierre L. Savard, Matthew Perry, Jason E. Osenkowski
2021, Wildfowl (71) 179-192
Black Scoters Melanitta americana were marked with satellite transmitters on Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America to examine continental-scale population delineation. Scoters marked on the different coasts did not overlap at any stage of the annual cycle, suggesting that birds in the two regions could be monitored and managed as separate...
Decision-support framework for linking regional-scale management actions to continental-scale conservation of wide-ranging species
Erik E. Osnas, G. Scott Boomer, James H. Devries, Michael C. Runge
2021, Open-File Report 2020-1084
Anas acuta (Northern pintail; hereafter pintail) was selected as a model species on which to base a decision-support framework linking regional actions to continental-scale population and harvest objectives. This framework was then used to engage stakeholders, such as Landscape Conservation Cooperatives’ (LCCs’) habitat management partners within areas of importance to...
Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) version 5.1 user guide
Emily A. Himmelstoss, Rachel E. Henderson, Meredith G. Kratzmann, Amy S. Farris
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1091
The Digital Shoreline Analysis System version 5 software is an add-in to Esri ArcGIS Desktop version 10.4–10.7 that enables a user to calculate rate-of-change statistics from a time series of vector shoreline positions. The Digital Shoreline Analysis System provides an automated method for establishing measurement locations, performs rate calculations, provides...
Morphometric sex identification of nestling and free-flying Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagles (Aquila audax fleayi)
James M. Pay, Todd E. Katzner, Jason M Wiersma, William E. Brown, Clare E. Hawkins, Kirstin M Proft, Elissa Z. Cameron
2021, Journal of Raptor Research (55) 539-551
The endangered Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax fleayi) is the focus of continued research and conservation efforts. A tool for accurate and efficient identification of the sex of individuals would be a valuable aid to research and management. However, plumages are monomorphic between the sexes,...
Food habits of American Kestrels in the Southern High Plains of Texas
Clint W. Boal, M.A. Thornely, S.D. Mullican
2021, Journal of Raptor Research (55) 574-583
The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is in general decline across its North American distribution. In contrast to widespread patterns of decline, kestrel populations appear stable in the southern Great Plains region. Historically, this region had a very low occurrence of kestrels, and their current abundance...
U.S. Geological Survey invasive species research—Improving detection, awareness, decision support, and control
Cindy Kolar Tam, Wesley M. Daniel, Earl Campbell, James J. English, Suzanna C. Soileau
2021, Circular 1485
More than 6,500 nonindigenous species are now established in the United States, posing risks to human and wildlife health, native plants and animals, and our valued ecosystems. The annual environmental, economic, and health-related costs of invasive species are substantial. Invasive species can drive native species onto the endangered species list,...
Setting and tracking suppression targets for sea lampreys in the Great Lakes
Ted Treska, Mark P. Ebener, Gavin Christie, Jean V. Adams, Michael J Siefkes
2021, Journal of Great Lakes Research (47) S357-S367
In response to invasive species, the course of action taken by management agencies often evolves over a range of options from a do-nothing approach to suppression to complete eradication. As a case study of suppression targets, we explore the history of...
Hydrogeomorphic recovery and temporal changes in rainfall thresholds for debris flows following wildfire
Olivia J. Hoch, Luke A. McGuire, Ann M. Youberg, Francis K. Rengers
2021, JGR Earth Surface (126)
Wildfire-induced changes to soil and vegetation promote runoff-generated debris flows in steep watersheds. Postfire debris flows are most commonly observed in steep watersheds during the first wet season following a wildfire, but it is unclear how long the elevated threat of debris flow persists and why debris-flow...
Carbon and ecohydrological priorities in managing woody encroachment: UAV perspective 63 years after a control treatment
Temuulen T. Sankey, Jackson Leonard, Margaret Moore, Joel B. Sankey, Adam Belmonte
2021, Environmental Research Letters
Woody encroachment, including both woody species expansion and density increase, is a globally observed phenomenon that deteriorates arid and semi-arid rangeland health, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Mechanical and chemical control treatments are commonly performed to reduce woody cover and restore ecohydrologic function. While the immediate impacts of...
Shoreface and Holocene sediment thickness offshore of Rockaway Peninsula, New York
Emily A. Wei, Jennifer L. Miselis, Arnell S. Forde
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1100
During September and October 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey mapped the shoreface and inner continental shelf offshore of the Rockaway Peninsula in New York using high-resolution chirp seismic reflection and single-beam bathymetry geophysical techniques. The results from this study are important for assessing the Quaternary evolution of the Rockaway Peninsula...
Exposure of predatory and scavenging birds to anticoagulant rodenticides in France: Exploration of data from French surveillance programs
Meg-Anne Moriceau, Sebastien Lefebvre, Isabelle Fourel, Etienne Benoit, Florence Buronfosse, Pascal Orabi, Barnett A. Rattner, Virginie Lattard
2021, Science of the Total Environment (810)
Wild raptors are widely used to assess exposure to different environmental contaminants, including anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs). ARs are used on a global scale for rodent control, and act by disruption of the vitamin K cycle that results in haemorrhage usually accompanied by death within...
