Unfamiliar territory: Emerging themes for ecological drought research and management
Shelley D. Crausbay, Julio L. Betancourt, John B. Bradford, Jennifer M. Cartwright, William C. Dennison, Jason B. Dunham, Carolyn Armstrong Enquist, Abby G. Frazier, Kimberly R. Hall, Jeremy Littell, Charlie H. Luce, Richard Palmer, Aaron R. Ramirez, Imtiaz Rangwala, Laura Thompson, Brianne M. Walsh, Shawn Carter
2020, One Earth (3) 337-353
Novel forms of drought are emerging globally, due to climate change, shifting teleconnection patterns, expanding human water use, and a history of human influence on the environment that increases the probability of transformational ecological impacts. These costly ecological impacts cascade to human communities, and understanding this changing drought landscape is...
Satellite transmitters reveal previously unknown migratory behavior and wintering locations of Yuma Ridgway’s Rails
Eamon Harrity, Courtney J. Conway
2020, Journal of Field Ornithology (91) 300-312
Preventing or reversing population declines of rare species often requires an understanding of their complete annual life cycle, but this information is lacking for many species. Such has been the case for Yuma Ridgway’s Rails (Rallus obsoletus yumanensis), a federally endangered marsh bird endemic to the Lower Colorado River Basin...
The influence of soil age on ecosystem structure and function across biomes
Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Peter B. Reich, Richard D. Bardgett, David J. Eldridge, Hans Lambers, David A. Wardle, Sasha C. Reed, Cesar Plaza, Guochen K. Png, Sigrid Neuhauser, Asmeret A. Berhe, Stephen C. Hart, Hang-Wei Hu, Ji-Zheng He, Felipe Bastida, Sebastian R. Abades, Fernando D. Alfaro, Nick A. Cutler, Antonio Gallardo, Laura García-Velázquez, Patrick E. Hayes, Zeng-Yei Hseu, Cecilia A. Perez, Fernanda Santos, Christina Siebe, Pankaj Trivedi, Benjamin W. Sullivan, Luis Weber-Grullon, Mark A. Williams, Noah Fierer
2020, Nature Communications (11)
The importance of soil age as an ecosystem driver across biomes remains largely unresolved. By combining a cross-biome global field survey, including data for 32 soil, plant, and microbial properties in 16 soil chronosequences, with a global meta-analysis, we show that soil age is a significant ecosystem driver, but only...
A new decision support tool for collaborative adaptive vegetation management in northern Great Plains national parks
Isabel W. Ashton, Amy Symstad, Heather Baldwin, Max Post van der Burg, Steven Bekedam, Erin Borgman, Milton Haar, Terri Hogan, Stephanie Rockwood, Daniel J Swanson, Carmen Thomson, Cody Wienk
2020, Parks Stewardship Forum (3)
National Park Service (NPS) units in the northern Great Plains (NGP) were established to preserve and interpret the history of America, protect and showcase unusual geology and paleontology, and provide a home for vanishing large wildlife. A unifying feature among these national parks, monuments, and historic sites is mixed-grass prairie,...
Use of time domain electromagnetic soundings and borehole electromagnetic induction logs to delineate the freshwater/saltwater interface on southwestern Long Island, New York, 2015–17
Frederick Stumm, Michael D. Como, Marie A. Zuck
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1093
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, used surface and borehole geophysical methods to delineate the freshwater/saltwater interface in coastal plain aquifers along the southwestern part of Long Island, New York. Over pumping of groundwater in the early 20th century combined with...
Landsat Collection 2 geometric calibration updates
R. Rengarajan, Michael J. Choate, James C. Storey, Shannon Franks, Esad Micijevic
2020, Conference Paper, Proceedings: Earth observing systems XXV
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) changed the management and delivery of Landsat products to the public in its archive through the implementation of Collections. The Collections process ensures consistent data quality through time and across all the Landsat sensors with a few modifications to the metadata. The consistent data products...
U.S. Geological Survey sagebrush ecosystem research annual report for 2020
Steve E. Hanser, Lief A. Wiechman, editor(s)
2020, Circular 1470
The sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem extends across 251,473 square miles over portions of 13 western States. Affected by multiple stressors, including interactions among fire, invasive plants, and human land uses, this ecosystem has experienced significant loss, fragmentation, and degradation of landscapes once dominated by sagebrush. In turn, wildlife populations have...
Bisphenol A and 17α-ethinylestradiol-induced transgenerational gene expression differences in the brain–pituitary–testis axis of medaka, Oryzias latipes
Albert J. Thayil, Xuegeng Wang, Pooja Bhandari, Frederick S. vom Saal, Donald E. Tillitt, Ramji K. Bhandari
2020, Biology of Reproduction (103) 1324-1335
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), such as bisphenol A (BPA) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), can have far reaching health effects, including transgenerational abnormalities in offspring that never directly contacted either chemical. We previously reported reduced fertilization rates and embryo survival at F2 and F3 generations caused by 7-day embryonic exposure (F0)...
Comparability and reproducibility of biomarker ratio values measured by GC-QQQ-MS
Katherine L. French, Arne Leider, Christian Hallmann
2020, Organic Geochemistry (150)
The Norwegian Geochemical Standard North Sea Oil-1 was analyzed by gas chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-QQQ-MS) on two instruments using independently developed analytical methods. Biomarker ratios determined by GC-QQQ-MS were compared to each other and to previously reported values determined by gas chromatography single quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-Q-MS) or...
Palaeotsunamis in the Sino-Pacific region
James Goff, Robert C. Witter, James Terry, Michaela Spiske
2020, Earth-Science Reviews (210)
Palaeotsunami research in the Sino-Pacific region has increased markedly following the 2011 Tōhoku-oki tsunami. Recent studies encompass a variety of potential sources and cover a full range of research activities from detailed studies at individual sites through to region-wide data collation...
Temperature and water-quality diversity and the effects of surface-water connection in off-channel features of the Willamette River, Oregon, 2015–16
Cassandra D. Smith, Joseph F. Mangano, Stewart A. Rounds
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5068
Water-quality conditions (including temperature) in the Willamette River and many of its adjacent off-channel features, such as alcoves and side channels, were monitored between river miles 67 (near Salem, Oregon) and 168 (near Eugene, Oregon) during the summers of 2015 and 2016. One or more parameters (water temperature, dissolved...
Very‐long‐period (VLP) seismic artifacts during the 2018 caldera collapse at Kīlauea, Hawaii
Ashton F. Flinders, Ingrid A. Johanson, Phillip B. Dawson, Kyle R. Anderson, Matthew M. Haney, Brian Shiro
2020, Seismological Research Letters (91) 3417-3432
Throughout the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea volcano (Hawai‘i), episodic collapses of a portion of the volcano’s summit caldera produced repeated Mw">Mw 4.9–5.3 earthquakes. Each of these 62 events was characterized by a very‐long‐period (VLP)...
How and why is the timing and occurrence of seasonal migrants in the Gulf of Maine changing due to climate?
Adrian Jordaan, Daniel Pendleton, Chris Sutherland, Michelle Staudinger
2020, Report
Plants and animals undergo certain recurring life-cycle events, such as migrations between summer and winter habitats or the annual blooming of plants. Known as phenology, the timing of these events is very sensitive to changes in climate (and changes in one species’ phenology can impact entire food webs and ecosystems)....
Forest bird trends within Haleakala National Park
Kevin W. Brinck
2020, Hawaii Cooperative Studies Unit Technical Report Series 97
In 2017, the comprehensive east Maui bird surveys allowed for an update in status and evaluation of trends in bird populations within Haleakalā National Park. This report describes a finer-scale analysis of the park lands, distinguishing between the upper Kīpahulu Valley plus adjacent high-elevation areas compared to the rest of...
Potential impacts of mercury released from thawing permafrost
Kevin Schaefer, Yasin Elshorbany, Elchin Jafarov, Paul F. Schuster, Robert G. Striegl, Kimberly P. Wickland, Elsie M. Sunderland
2020, Nature-Communications (11)
Mercury (Hg) is a naturally occurring element that bonds with organic matter and, when converted to methylmercury, is a potent neurotoxicant. Here we estimate potential future releases of Hg from thawing permafrost for low and high greenhouse gas emissions scenarios using a mechanistic model. By 2200, the high emissions scenario...
Position-specific distribution of hydrogen isotopes in natural propane: Effects of thermal cracking, equilibration and biodegradation
Hao Xie, Camilo Ponton, Michael Formolo, Michael Lawson, Geoffrey S. Ellis, Michael Lewan, Alexandre A. Ferreira, Erica T. Morais, Andre D. Spigolon, Alex L. Sessions, John M. Eiler
2020, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (290) 235-256
Intramolecular isotope distributions, including isotope clumping and position specific fractionation, can provide proxies for the formation temperature and formation and destruction pathways of molecules. In this study, we explore the position-specific hydrogen isotope distribution in propane. We analyzed propane samples from...
Wildfire risk and hazardous fuel reduction treatments along the US-Mexico border: A review of the science (1985-2019)
Katherine M. Laushman, Seth M. Munson, Timothy N. Titus
2020, Air, Soil and Water Research (13)
The ecosystems along the border between the United States and Mexico are at increasing risk to wildfire due to interactions among climate, land-use, and fuel loads. A wide range of fuel treatments have been implemented to mitigate wildfire and its threats to valued resources, yet we have...
Development of a method to identify complex wells and assess the accuracy of basin withdrawals in Utah
Brittany L. Gold, Cory E. Angeroth, Thomas M. Marston
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1106
Power consumption coefficients (PCCs) and dedicated flowmeter records for irrigation wells in three Utah groundwater basins were analyzed to develop a method to better characterize the accuracy of annual groundwater withdrawal estimates. The PCC method has been used by the U.S. Geological Survey in Utah since 1963 as a way...
Rainfall triggers more deep-seated landslides than Cascadia earthquakes in the Oregon Coast Range, USA
Sean R LaHusen, Alison R Duvall, Adam M. Booth, Alex R. Grant, Benjamin A Mishkin, David R. Montgomery, William Struble, Joshua J. Roering, Joseph Wartman
2020, Science Advances (6)
The coastal Pacific Northwest USA hosts thousands of deep-seated landslides. Historic landslides have primarily been triggered by rainfall, but the region is also prone to large earthquakes on the 1100-km-long Cascadia Subduction Zone megathrust. Little is known about the number of landslides triggered by these earthquakes because the last magnitude...
Improving the accessibility and transferability of machine learning algorithms for identification of animals in camera trap images: MLWIC2
Michael A. Tabak, Mohammad S. Norouzzadeh, David W. Wolfson, Erica J. Newton, Raoul K. Boughton, Jacob S. Ivan, Eric Odell, Eric S. Newkirk, Reesa Y. Conrey, Jennifer L. Stenglein, Fabiola Iannarilli, John Erb, Ryan K. Brook, Amy J. Davis, Jesse S. Lewis, Daniel P. Walsh, James C Beasley, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Jeff Clune, Ryan S. Miller
2020, Ecology and Evolution (10) 10374-10383
Motion‐activated wildlife cameras (or “camera traps”) are frequently used to remotely and noninvasively observe animals. The vast number of images collected from camera trap projects has prompted some biologists to employ machine learning algorithms to automatically recognize species in these images, or at least filter‐out images...
Accounting for temporal variability of streamflow in estimates of travel time
Christopher P. Konrad, Noah Schmadel, Judson Harvey, Gregory E. Schwarz, Jesus Gomez-Velez, Elizabeth W. Boyer, Durelle Scott
2020, Frontiers in Water (2)
Retention, processing, and transport of solutes and particulates in stream corridors are influenced by the travel time of streamflow through stream channels, which varies dynamically with discharge. The effects of streamflow variability across sites and over time cannot be addressed by time-averaged models if parameters are based solely on...
Ambrosia beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) communities and frass production in ʻŌhiʻa (Myrtales: Myrtaceae) infected with Ceratocystis (Microascales: Ceratocystidaceae) fungi responsible for Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death
Kylle Roy, Kelly Jaenecke, Robert W. Peck
2020, Environmental Entomology (49) 1345-1354
Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) is a deadly disease that is threatening the native Hawaiian keystone tree species, ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha Gaudich). Ambrosia beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and their frass are hypothesized to play a major role in the spread of ROD, although their ecological niches and frass production within trees and...
Distribution and abundance of Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagles) in East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan area, California
J. David Wiens, Patrick S. Kolar, Douglas A. Bell
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1107
The East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan (HCP/NCCP) Preserve System was designed to protect and enhance ecological diversity and function in eastern Contra Costa County, California. Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagle) is a special-status species expected to benefit from biological goals of the HCP/NCCP. As part of...
Variations in community evacuation potential related to average return periods in probabilistic tsunami hazard analysis
Nathan J. Wood, Jeff Peters, Rick I. Wilson, Jason T. Sherba, Kevin Henry
2020, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (50)
Tsunami risk management requires strategies that can address multiple sources with different recurrence intervals, wave-arrival times, and inundation extents. Probabilistic tsunami hazard analysis (PTHA) provides a structured way to integrate multiple sources, including the uncertainties due to the natural variability and...
Estimating response distances of lesser prairie-chickens to anthropogenic features during long-distance movements
Jacob M. Peterson, Julia E. Earl, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, Dwayne Elmore, David A. Haukos, Ashley M. Tanner, Scott A. Carleton
2020, Ecosphere (11)
Spatially distributed populations often rely on large-scale processes for long-term population stability. These processes are driven by individuals moving across the landscape through long-distance dispersal movements. However, as landscapes are continually altered by anthropogenic development, increased fragmentation and avoidance behavior can affect landscape permeability and limit dispersal. Lesser prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus...
