Do topographic changes tell us about variability in aeolian sediment transport and dune mobility? Analysis of monthly to decadal surface changes in a partially vegetated and biocrust covered dunefield
Joshua Caster, Joel B. Sankey, Temuulen Ts. Sankey, Alan Kasprak, Matthew A. Bowker, Taylor Joyal
2024, Geomorphology (447)
Vegetation and biological soil crust (biocrust) cover can have a stabilizing effect on dunes by fixing sediment in-place and increasing surface roughness, thus limiting dune mobility, sediment transport, and erosion. These biological effects influence rates of aeolian activity and thus surficial changes, though variability in wind and sediment supply may...
Environmental DNA as a tool for better understanding the distribution, abundance, and health of Atlantic and Pacific salmon
Andrew M. Ramey, Cherie Marie Mckeeman, Eleni Leto Petrou, Damian M. Menning, Ora L. Russ, Andres Lopez
2024, Fisheries Magazine (49) 169-180
The development and application of approaches to detect and quantify environmental DNA (eDNA) have potential to improve our understanding of the distribution, abundance, and health of Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar and Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. Here, we review 61 articles focusing on eDNA applications pertaining to salmon occupying natural...
Habitat and dissolved organic carbon modulate variation in the biogeochemical drivers of mercury bioaccumulation in dragonfly larvae at the national scale
Sarah J. Nelson, James Willacker, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Colleen M Flanagan Pritz, Celia Y. Chen, Amanda J Klemmer, David P. Krabbenhoft
2024, Science of the Total Environment (912)
We paired mercury (Hg) concentrations in dragonfly larvae with water chemistry in 29 U.S. national parks to highlight how ecological and biogeochemical context (habitat, dissolved organic carbon [DOC]) influence drivers of Hg bioaccumulation. Although prior studies have defined influences of biogeochemical variables on Hg production and bioaccumulation, it has been...
Assessing microplastics contamination in unviable loggerhead sea turtle eggs
Lindsay F. Curl, Samantha A. Hurst, Christopher M. Pomory, Margaret Lamont, Alexis M. Janosik
2024, Science of the Total Environment (912)
Sea turtles, in comparison with marine mammals, sea birds, and fishes, are the most affected by microplastics in terms of number of individuals impacted and concentration within each organism. The ubiquitous nature and persistence of microplastics in the environment further compromises sea turtles as many species are currently vulnerable, endangered,...
Using an open-source tool to develop a three-dimensional hydrogeologic framework of the Kobo Valley, Ethiopia
Sisay Simachew Mekonen, Scott E. Boyce, Abdella K. Mohammed, Markus Disse
2024, Geosciences (14)
Groundwater resource management requires understanding the groundwater basin’s hydrogeology and would be improved with the development of a three-dimensional hydrogeologic framework model (HFM). A wide range of methods and software exist to quantify the extent, structure, and properties of geologic systems. However, most geologic software is proprietary and cost-prohibitive for...
Mapping development preferences on the perceived value of ecosystem services and land use conflict and compatibility in Greater Kuala Lumpur
Karen T. Lourdes, Chris N. Gibbins, Benson C. Sherrouse, Darius J. Semmens, Perrine Hamel, Ruzana Sanusi, Badrul Azhar, Jay Diffendorfer, Alex M. Lechner
2024, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening (92)
Rapid and unplanned development can diminish the social values for ecosystem services associated with urban landscapes. Tropical Global South cities, such as Greater Kuala Lumpur (GKL), Malaysia, that are highly biodiverse, are particularly vulnerable to the fragmentation and loss of natural ecosystems. This study investigates the social values for ecosystem...
The magmatic origin of the Columbia River Gorge, USA
Nathaniel Klema, Leif Karlstrom, Charles M. Cannon, Chengxin Jiang, Jim E. O'Connor, Ray Wells, Brandon Schmandt
2024, Science Advances (9)
Along subduction zones, high-relief topography is associated with sustained volcanism parallel to the plate margin. However, the relationship between magmatism and mountain building in arcs is poorly understood. Here, we study patterns of surface deformation and correlated fluvial knickpoints in the Columbia River Gorge to link long-term magmatism to the...
Precursors to a continental-arc ignimbrite flare-up: Early central volcanoes of the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, USA
Peter W. Lipman, Matthew J. Zimmerer, Amy K. Gilmer
2024, Geosphere (20) 23-73
Our newly acquired and recently published map, geochronologic, and compositional data for early intermediate-composition central volcanoes in the northeastern San Juan Mountains provide insights about the broad magmatic precursors to the large continental-arc ignimbrite flare-up in the mid-Cenozoic Southern Rocky Mountain volcanic field (SRMVF). Initial volcanism migrated from central Colorado...
Legacy sediment as a potential source of orthophosphate: Preliminary conceptual and geochemical models for the Susquehanna River, Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
Charles A. Cravotta III, Travis L. Tasker, Peter M. Smyntek, Joel D. Blomquist, John W. Clune, Qian Zhang, Noah Schmadel, Natalie Katrina Schmer
2024, Science of the Total Environment (912)
Nutrient pollution from agriculture and urban areas plus acid mine drainage (AMD) from legacy coal mines are primary causes of water-quality impairment in the Susquehanna River, which is the predominant source of freshwater and nutrients entering the Chesapeake Bay. Recent increases in the delivery of dissolved orthophosphate (PO4)...
Rapid population decline in McKay's Bunting, an Alaskan endemic, highlights the species’ current status relative to international standards for vulnerable species
Rachel M. Richardson, Courtney L. Amundson, James A. Johnson, Marc D. Romano, Audrey R. Taylor, Michael D. Fleming, Steven M. Matsuoka
2024, Ornithological Applications (126)
The McKay’s Bunting (Plectrophenax hyperboreus) is endemic to Alaska, breeds solely on the remote and uninhabited St. Matthew and Hall islands (332 km2) in the central Bering Sea, and is designated as a species of high conservation concern due to its small population size and restricted range. A previous...
The 2022 Chaos Canyon landslide in Colorado: Insights revealed by seismic analysis, field investigations, and remote sensing
Kate E. Allstadt, Jeffrey A. Coe, Elaine Collins, Francis K. Rengers, Anne Mangeney, Scott M. Esser, Jana Pursley, William L. Yeck, John Bellini, Lance R. Brady
2024, Landslides (21) 309-325
An unusual, high-alpine, rapid debris slide originating in ice-rich debris occurred on June 28, 2022, at 16:33:16 MDT at the head of Chaos Canyon, a formerly glacier-covered valley in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO, USA. In this study, we integrate eyewitness videos and seismic records of...
Non-native Rhizophora mangle as sinks for coastal contamination on Moloka'i, Hawai'i
Geoffrey Szafranski, Elise F. Granek, Michelle L. Hladik, Mia Hackett
2024, Environmental Advances (15)
Coastal mangrove forests provide a suite of environmental services, including sequestration of anthropogenic contamination. Yet, research lags on the environmental fate and potential human health risks of mangrove-sequestered contaminants in the context of mangrove removal for development and range shifts due to climate...
Exploring the uncertainty of machine learning models and geostatistical mapping of rare earth element potential in Indiana coals, USA
Snehamoy Chatterjee, C. Ozgen Karacan, Maria Mastalerz
2024, International Journal of Coal Geology (282)
Rare earth elements and yttrium (REEs) have a wide range of applications in high- and low-carbon technologies. The strategic significance of REEs has grown due to their expanding applications in manufacturing industries and the constrained availability of these essential resources. This research explores the...
Tagger effects in aquatic telemetry: Short-term and delayed impacts of surgery in Atlantic salmon smolts
Kurt C. Heim, Jonah L. Withers, Theodore Castro-Santos
2024, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (44) 262-275
ObjectiveAn assumption of biotelemetry is that animal performance is unaffected by the tagging process and tag burden, yet this assumption is often untested or not thoroughly explored. Our objective was to explore how transmitter implantation procedures influenced Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar smolt survival and migratory performance.MethodsWe...
Forecasting water levels using machine (deep) learning to complement numerical modelling in the southern Everglades, USA
Courtney S Forde, Biswa Bhattacharya, Dimitri Solomatine, Eric Swain, Nicholas Aumen
Gerald A. Corzo Perez, Dimitri Solomatine, editor(s)
2024, Book chapter, Advanced hydroinformatics: Machine learning and optimization for water resources
Water level is an important guide for water resource management and wetland ecosystems, defining one of the most basic processes in hydrology. This research seeks to investigate the possibility of complementing numerical modeling with a Machine Learning (ML) model to forecast daily water levels in the southern Everglades in Florida,...
The effects of vegetative feedbacks on flood shape, sediment transport, and geomorphic change in a dryland river: Moenkopi Wash, AZ
David J. Dean, David J. Topping
2024, Geomorphology (447)
Since the 1950s, Moenkopi Wash, in Arizona, United States, has been transformed from a relatively wide river with little riparian vegetation, to a narrow, heavily vegetated river that is less than half of its former width. We analyzed a ∼95-years-long instantaneous-discharge record, an extensive sediment-transport record, oblique and aerial photographs,...
Numbers of wildlife fatalities at renewable energy facilities in a targeted development region
Tara Conkling, Amy L. Fesnock, Todd E. Katzner
2024, PLoS ONE (18)
Increased interest in renewable energy has fostered development of wind and solar energy facilities globally. However, energy development sometimes has negative environmental impacts, such as wildlife fatalities. Efforts by regional land managers to balance energy potential while minimizing fatality risk currently rely on datasets that are aggregated at continental, but...
A new method for bioassessment of ecosystems with complex communities and environmental gradients
Donald Schoolmaster, Valerie A. Partridge
2024, Ecological Indicators (158)
Bioassessment of complex and heterogeneous ecosystems is a challenge when there are multiple, strong, natural environmental gradients; unknown, or spatially varying, mixtures of stressors; and large numbers of taxa with unknown responses to both the environmental gradients and the stressors. Current...
PCB concentrations in riparian spiders (Tetragnathidae) consistently reflect concentrations in water and aquatic macroinvertebrates, but not sediment: Analysis of a seven-year field study
Ryan R. Otter, Marc A. Mills, Ken M. Fritz, James M. Lazorchak, Dalon P. White, Gale B. Beaubien, David Walters
2024, Science of the Total Environment (912)
Tetragnathid spiders have been used as sentinels to study the biotransport of contaminants between aquatic and terrestrial environments because a significant proportion of their diet consists of adult aquatic insects. A key knowledge gap in assessing tetragnathid spiders as sentinels is understanding the consistency...
Elevated temperature and nutrients lead to increased N2O emissions from salt marsh soils from cold and warm climates
Sophie A. Comer-Warner, Sami Ullah, Arunabha Dey, Camille Stagg, Tracy Elsey-Quirk, Christopher M. Swarzenski, Fotis Sgouridis, Stefan Krause, Gail L. Chmura
2024, Biogeochemistry (167) 21-37
Salt marshes can attenuate nutrient pollution and store large amounts of ‘blue carbon’ in their soils, however, the value of sequestered carbon may be partially offset by nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Global climate and land use changes result in higher temperatures and inputs of reactive nitrogen...
Forest age is a primary trait filter for saproxylic beetles in the southeastern United States
Clayton Richard Traylor, Michael D. Ulyshen, Joseph V. McHugh, Ryan C. Burner
2024, Forest Ecology and Management (553)
Many forests throughout the world consist of regenerating mature stands. Although these forests differ in many respects from old-growth (with a history of minimal human disturbance), they typically develop similar structural attributes over time. As a result, older mature forests may be of particular conservation value if they contain resources...
Neogene faulting, basin development, and relief generation in the southern Klamath Mountains (USA)
Melanie J. Michalak, Susan M. Cashman, Victoria Langenheim, Taylor C. Team, Dana J. Christensen
2024, Geosphere (20) 237-266
Development and evaluation of models for tectonic evolution in the Cascadia forearc require understanding of along-strike heterogeneity of strain distribution, uplift, and upper-plate characteristics. Here, we investigated the Neogene geologic record of the Klamath Mountains province in southernmost Cascadia and obtained apatite (U-Th)/He (AHe) thermochronology of Mesozoic plutons, Neogene graben...
Rangeland pitting for revegetation and annual weed control
Danielle Bilyeu Johnston, Rebecca K. Mann
2024, Rangelands (46) 23-30
On the GroundSoil pitting is an ancient technique for concentrating soil moisture to enable plant establishment and promote plant growth. It is especially effective in arid areas where plant establishment is limited by water availability.Pits created by digging and mounding action have...
Effects of hunting on mating, relatedness, and genetic diversity in a puma population
John A. Erwin, Kenneth A. Logan, Daryl R. Trumbo, W. Chris Funk, Melanie Culver
2024, Molecular Ecology (33)
Hunting mortality can affect population abundance, demography, patterns of dispersal and philopatry, breeding, and genetic diversity. We investigated the effects of hunting on the reproduction and genetic diversity in a puma population in western Colorado, USA. We genotyped over 11,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), using double-digest, restriction site-associated DNA sequencing...
Relative effectiveness of a radionuclide (210Pb), surface elevation table (SET), and LiDAR at monitoring mangrove forest surface elevation change
Richard A. MacKenzie, Ken Krauss, Nicole Cormier, Eugene Eperiam, Jan van Aardt, Ali Rouzbeh Kargar, Jessica Grow, J. Val Klump
2024, Estuaries and Coasts (47) 2080-2092
Sea-level rise (SLR) is one of the greatest future threats to mangrove forests. Mangroves have kept up with or paced past SLR by maintaining their forest floor elevation relative to sea level through root growth, sedimentation, and peat development. Monitoring surface elevation change (SEC) or accretion rates...
