Ecology of urban climates: The need for landscape biophysics in cities
Elsa Youngsteadt, Adam Terando
2020, Book chapter, Urban ecology: Its nature and challenges
In this chapter we will review and evaluate the climatic and ecological parallels between urbanization and climate change, with an emphasis on temperature and its effects on terrestrial ectotherms, a group of organisms thought to be particularly sensitive to climate change. We will summarize patterns of urban warming and how...
Ryder Glacier in northwest Greenland is shielded from warm Atlantic water by a bathymetric sill
Martin Jakobsson, Larry Mayer, Johan Nilsson, Christian Stranne, Brian Calder, Matthew O’Regan, J. Farrell, Thomas M. Cronin, Volker Bruchert, Julek Chawarski, Bjorn Eriksson, Jonas Fredriksson, Laura Gemery, Anna Glueder, Felicity A. Holmes, Kevin Jerram, Nina Kirchner, Alan Mix, Julia Muchowski, Abhay Prakash, Brendan Reilly, Brett Thornton, Adam Ulfsbo, Elizabeteh Weidner, Henning Akesson, Tamara Handl, Emelie Stahl, Lee-Gray Boze, Sam Reed, Gabriel West, June Padman
2020, Nature Communications (1)
The processes controlling advance and retreat of outlet glaciers in fjords draining the Greenland Ice Sheet remain poorly known, undermining assessments of their dynamics and associated sea-level rise in a warming climate. Mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet has increased six-fold over the last four...
Earthquake early warning in Aotearoa New Zealand: A survey of public perspectives to guide warning system development
Julia S. Becker, Sally H. Potter, Lauren Vinnel, Kazuya Nakayachi, Sara K. McBride, David A. Johnston
2020, Humanities & Social Sciences Communications (7)
Earthquake early warning (EEW) can be used to detect earthquakes and provide advanced notification of strong shaking, allowing pre-emptive actions to be taken that not only benefit infrastructure but reduce injuries and fatalities. Currently Aotearoa New Zealand does not have a nationwide EEW system, so a...
Evidence for an established population of tegu lizards Salvator merianae in southeastern Georgia, USA
Daniel Haro, Lance McBrayer, John B Jenson, James Gillis, Lea R. Bonewell, Melia Gail Nafus, Stephen E. Greiman, Robert Reed, Amy A. Yackel Adams
2020, Southeastern Naturalist (19) 649-662
Documenting emergence of invasive species in new areas is vital to understanding spatiotemporal patterns of invasions, propagule pressure, and the risk of establishment. Salvator merianae (Argentine Giant Tegu) has established multiple unconnected populations in southern and Central Florida, and additional sightings have been reported elsewhere in the state. In 2018,...
Assessing ecological uncertainty and simulation model sensitivity to evaluate an invasive plant species’ potential impacts to the landscape
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Nicholas E. Young, Catherine Cullinane Thomas, Perry Grissom, Dana M. Backer, Leonardo Frid
2020, Scientific Reports (10)
Ecological forecasts of the extent and impacts of invasive species can inform conservation management decisions. Such forecasts are hampered by ecological uncertainties associated with non-analog conditions resulting from the introduction of an invader to an ecosystem. We developed a state-and-transition simulation model tied to a fire...
Soil moisture product validation good practices protocol, version 1.0
Carsten Montzka, Michael H. Cosh, Bagher Bayat, Ahmad Al Bitar, Aaron Berg, Rajat Bindlish, Heye Reemt Bogena, John D. Bolton, Francois Cabot, Todd Caldwell, Steven Chan, Andreas Colliander, Wade Crow, Narendra Das, Gabrielle De Lannoy, Wouter Dorigo, Steven R. Evett, Alexander Gruber, Sebastian Hahn, Thomas Jagdhuber, Scott F. Jones, Yann Kerr, Seung-bum Kim, Christian Koyama, Mehmed Kurum, Ernesto Lopez-Baeza, Francesco Mattia, Kaighin A. McColl, Susanne Mecklenburg, Binayak Mohanty, Peggy O’Neill, Dani Or, Thierry Pellarin, George P. Petropoulos, Maria Piles, Rolf H. Reichle, Nemesio Rodriguez-Fernandez, Christoph Rudiger, Tracy Scanlon, Robert C. Schwartz, Daniel Spengler, Prashant K. Srivastava, Swati Suman, Robin van der Schalie, Wolfgang Wagner, Urs Wegmuller, Jean-Pierre Wigneron, Fernando Camacho, Jaime Nickeson
Carsten Montzka, Michael H. Cosh, Fernando Camacho, Jaime Nickeson, editor(s)
2020, Report
The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) included soil moisture in the list of Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) to express its important role in Earth’s water, energy and carbon cycle. Soil moisture has a major impact on agriculture, land surface hydrology, weather, and climate forecasting. This document is a community-based effort to provide recommendations...
Investigation of suitable habitat for the endangered plant Ptilimnium nodosum (Rose) Mathias (harperella) using remote sensing and field analysis—Documentation of methods and results
Jessica D. DeWitt, Kelsey L. O’Pry, Peter G. Chirico, John A. Young
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1088
Ptilimnium nodosum (Rose) Mathias (harperella) is an endangered plant species found in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as in other locations throughout the southeastern United States. The narrow range of habitat characteristics for areas in which harperella has been found makes locating potential occurrence sites difficult and attempts...
Technical overview of the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)
Warren C. Day
2020, Fact Sheet 2020-3055
The Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in response to a Federal directive calling on various Federal agencies to address potential vulnerabilities in the Nation’s supply of critical mineral resources. The primary purpose of this initiative is to identify potentially mineralized areas containing...
Effects of a crude-oil recovery remediation system operated 1999–2003 on groundwater plumes and unsaturated-zone vapor concentrations at a crude-oil spill site near Bemidji, Minnesota
Geoffrey N. Delin, William N. Herkelrath, Jared J. Trost
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5111
A crude-oil spill occurred in 1979 when a pipeline burst near Bemidji, Minnesota. More than 70 percent of the 1.7 million liters of spilled crude oil was removed shortly thereafter. In response to a requirement by the State regulatory agency to remove the remaining crude to a sheen in all...
Spatial and temporal patterns in streamflow, water chemistry, and aquatic macroinvertebrates of selected streams in Fairfax County, Virginia, 2007–18
Aaron J. Porter, James S. Webber, Jonathan W. Witt, John D. Jastram
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5061
Urbanization substantially alters the landscape in ways that can impact stream hydrology, water chemistry, and the health of aquatic communities. Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) are the primary tools used to mitigate the effects of urban stressors such as increased runoff, decreased baseflow, and increased nutrient and sediment transport. To...
Ps-P tomography of a mid-crustal magma reservoir beneath Cleveland Volcano, Alaska
Daniel E. Portner, Lara S. Wagner, H.A. Janiszewski, Diana Roman, John Power
2020, Geophysical Research Letters (47)
Seismic tomography of the crust is an essential tool for studying the three-dimensional structure of magmatic plumbing systems feeding active volcanoes, but it is often limited in resolution by the absence of deep local seismicity. Teleseismic receiver functions can be used to illuminate local structural variations, but typically do not...
More fault connectivity Is needed in seismic hazard analysis
Morgan T. Page
2020, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (111) 391-397
Did the third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF3) go overboard with multifault ruptures? Schwartz (2018) argues that there are too many long ruptures in the model. Here, I address his concern and show that the UCERF3 rupture‐length distribution matches empirical data. I also present evidence that, if...
Effects of snake fungal disease on short‐term survival, behavior, and movement in free‐ranging snakes
Jennifer M. McKenzie, Steven J. Price, Grant M. Connette, Simon J Bonner, Jeffrey M. Lorch
2020, Ecological Applications (31)
Pathogenic fungi are increasingly associated with epidemics in wildlife populations. Snake fungal disease (SFD, also referred to as Ophidiomycosis) is an emerging threat to snakes, taxa that are elusive and difficult to sample. Thus, assessments of the effects of SFD on populations have rarely occurred. We used a field technique...
Focused fluid flow and methane venting along the Queen Charlotte fault, offshore Alaska (USA) and British Columbia (Canada)
Nancy G. Prouty, Daniel S. Brothers, Jared W. Kluesner, J. Vaughn Barrie, Brian D. Andrews, Rachel Lauer, Gary Greene, James E. Conrad, Thomas Lorenson, Michael D. Law, Diana Sahy, Kim Conway, Mary McGann, Peter Dartnell
2020, Geosphere (16) 1336-1357
Fluid seepage along obliquely deforming plate boundaries can be an important indicator of crustal permeability and influence on fault-zone mechanics and hydrocarbon migration. The ~850-km-long Queen Charlotte fault (QCF) is the dominant structure along the right-lateral transform boundary that separates the Pacific and North American tectonic plates offshore southeastern Alaska...
Regional regression equations for estimation of four hydraulic properties of streams at approximate bankfull conditions for different ecoregions in Texas
William H. Asquith, John D. Gordon, David S. Wallace
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5086
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, assessed statistical relations between hydraulic properties of streams at approximate bankfull conditions for different ecological regions (ecoregions) in Texas. Data from more than 103,000 records of measured discharge and ancillary hydraulic properties were assembled from summaries of...
Carbon dioxide and methane flux in a dynamic Arctic tundra landscape: Decadal‐scale impacts of ice wedge degradation and stabilization
Kimberly P. Wickland, M.Torre Jorgenson, Joshua C. Koch, Mikhail Z. Kanevskiy, Robert G. Striegl
2020, Geophysical Research Letters (47)
Ice wedge degradation is a widespread occurrence across the circumpolar Arctic causing extreme spatial heterogeneity in water distribution, vegetation, and energy balance across landscapes. These heterogeneities influence carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) fluxes, yet there is little understanding of how they effect change in landscape‐level carbon (C) gas flux...
Vegetation management on private forestland can increase avian species richness and abundance
J.M. Wood, A.K. Tegeler, Beth Ross
2020, Ornithological Applications (122)
Conservation efforts on private lands are important for biodiversity conservation. On private lands in South Carolina, in the southeastern United States, forestry management practices (prescribed burning, thinning, herbicide application) are used to improve upland pine habitat for wildlife and timber harvest and are incentivized through U.S. Department of Agriculture...
Southern (California) sea otter population status and trends at San Nicolas Island, 2017–2020
Julie L. Yee, Joseph A. Tomoleoni, Michael C. Kenner, Jessica Fujii, Gena B. Bentall, M. Tim Tinker, Brian B. Hatfield
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1115
The southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) population at San Nicolas Island, California, has been monitored annually since the translocation of 140 sea otters to the island was completed in 1990. Monitoring efforts have varied in frequency and type across years. In 2017, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Fish...
Evaluating a rapid field assessment system for anticoagulant rodenticide exposure of raptors
Ariana J Dickson, James R. Belthoff, Kristen A Mitchell, Brian W. Smith, Zachary P. Wallace, Matthew J. Stuber, Michael J. Lockhart, Barnett A. Rattner, Todd E. Katzner
2020, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (79) 454-460
Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are commonly used to control rodent pests. However, worldwide, their use is associated with secondary and tertiary poisoning of nontarget species, especially predatory and scavenging birds. No medical device can rapidly test for AR exposure of avian wildlife. Prothrombin time (PT) is a...
Development of a submerged aquatic vegetation growth model in the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere–Wave–Sediment Transport (COAWST v3.4) model
Tarandeep S. Kalra, Neil K. Ganju, Jeremy M. Testa
2020, Geoscientific Model Development (13) 5211-5228
The coupled biophysical interactions between submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), hydrodynamics (currents and waves), sediment dynamics, and nutrient cycling have long been of interest in estuarine environments. Recent observational studies have addressed feedbacks between SAV meadows and their role in modifying current velocity, sedimentation, and nutrient cycling. To represent these dynamic...
Seasonality of biological and physical systems as indicators of climatic variation and change
Jake Weltzin, Julio L. Betancourt, Benjamin I. Cook, Theresa Crimmins, Carolyn Armstrong Enquist, Michael D. Gerst, JE Gross, GM Henebry, RA Hufft, Melissa A. Kenney, John S. Kimball, Bradley C. Reed, SW Running
2020, Climatic Change (163) 1755-1771
Evidence-based responses to climate change by society require operational and sustained information including biophysical indicator systems that provide up-to-date measures of trends and patterns against historical baselines. Two key components linking anthropogenic climate change to impacts on socio-ecological systems are the periodic inter- and intra-annual variations...
COVID-19 pandemic impacts on global inland fisheries
Gretchen L. Stokes, Abigail Lynch, Benjamin S. Lowe, Simon Funge-Smith, John Valbo-Jorgensen, Samuel J. Smidt
2020, PNAS (117) 29419-29421
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to environmental recovery in some ecosystems from a global “anthropause,” yet such evidence for natural resources with extraction or production value (e.g., fisheries) is limited. This brief report provides a data-driven global snapshot of expert-perceived impacts of COVID-19 on inland fisheries. We distributed an online...
High-frequency data reveal deicing salts drive elevated specific conductance and chloride along with pervasive and frequent exceedances of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency aquatic life criteria for chloride in urban streams
Joel Moore, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Andrew J. Sekellick
2020, Environmental Science and Technology (54) 778-789
Increasing specific conductance (SC) and chloride concentrations [Cl] negatively affect many stream ecosystems. We characterized spatial variability in SC, [Cl], and exceedances of Environmental Protection Agency [Cl] criteria using nearly 30 million high-frequency observations (2–15 min intervals) for SC and modeled...
Ratios of methylmercury to total mercury in predator and primary consumer insects from Adirondack streams in New York State
Karen Riva-Murray
2020, Summary Report 20-32
Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that affects aquatic biota in otherwise pristine settings such as the Adirondack region of New York State. Bioaccumulation of Hg is especially problematic in sensitive landscapes, where inorganic mercury from atmospheric deposition is readily converted, via natural processes, to methylmercury (MeHg), the toxic form...
Mixotrophic iron-oxidizing Thiomonas isolates from an acid mine drainage-affected creek
Denise M. Akob, Michelle Hallenbeck, Felix Beulig, Maria Fabisch, Kirsten Kusel, Jessica L Keffer, Tanja Woyke, Nicole Shapiro, Alla Lapidus, Hans-Peter Klenk, Clara Chan
Shuang-Jiang Liu, editor(s)
2020, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (86)
Natural attenuation of heavy metals occurs via coupled microbial iron cycling and metal precipitation in creeks impacted by acid mine drainage (AMD). Here, we describe the isolation, characterization, and genomic sequencing of two iron-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) species: Thiomonas ferrovorans FB-6 and Thiomonas metallidurans FB-Cd, isolated from slightly acidic...
