Are the stress drops of small earthquakes good predictors of the stress drops of moderate-to-large earthquakes?
Jeanne L. Hardebeck
2020, Journal of Geophysical Research- Solid Earth (125)
The stress drops of small earthquakes often exhibit spatial patterns of variability. If moderate and large earthquakes follow the same spatial patterns, the stress drops of possible future damaging earthquakes could be better predicted by considering the stress drops of nearby small events. Better stress drop predictability could reduce...
Using density surface models to estimate spatio-temporal changes in population densities and trend
Richard J. Camp, David L Miller, Len Thomas, Steve T. Buckland, Steve J. Kendall
2020, Ecography (43) 1079-1089
Precise measures of population abundance and trend are needed for species conservation; these are most difficult to obtain for rare and rapidly changing populations. We compare uncertainty in densities estimated from spatio–temporal models with that from standard design‐based methods. Spatio–temporal models allow us to target priority areas where, and at...
The effects of tissue fixation on sequencing and transcript abundance of nucleic acids from microdissected liver samples of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
Heather L. Walsh, Adam Sperry, Vicki S. Blazer
2020, PLoS ONE
There is an increasing emphasis on effects-based monitoring to document responses associated with exposure to complex mixtures of chemicals, climate change, pathogens, parasites and other environmental stressors in fish populations. For decades aquatic monitoring programs have included the collection of tissues preserved for microscopic pathology. Consequently, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded...
Management of remnant tallgrass prairie by grazing or fire: Effects on plant communities and soil properties
Diane L. Larson, Daniel L. Hernández, Jennifer L. Larson, Julia B. Leone, Nora P. Pennarola
2020, Ecosphere (11)
Tallgrass prairie is a disturbance‐dependent ecosystem that has suffered steep declines in the midwestern United States. The necessity of disturbance, typically fire or grazing, presents challenges to managers who must apply them on increasingly small and fragmented parcels. The goal of this study was to compare...
Landslides after wildfire: Initiation, magnitude, and mobility
Francis K. Rengers, Luke McGuire, Nina S. Oakley, Jason W. Kean, Dennis M. Staley, Hui Tang
2020, Landslides (17) 2631-2641
In the semiarid Southwestern USA, wildfires are commonly followed by runoff-generated debris flows because wildfires remove vegetation and ground cover, which reduces soil infiltration capacity and increases soil erodibility. At a study site in Southern California, we initially observed runoff-generated debris flows in the first year following fire. However, at...
Boreal blazes: Biomass burning and vegetation types archived in the Juneau Icefield
Natalie Kehrwald, Jeramy Roland Jasmann, Melissa E. Dunham, David G. Ferris, Erich C. Osterburg, Joshua Kennedy, Jeremy C. Havens, Larry B. Barber, Sarah K. Fortner
2020, Environmental Research Letters (15)
The past decade includes some of the most extensive boreal forest fires in the historical record. Warming temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, the desiccation of thick organic soil layers, and increased ignition from lightning all contribute to a combustive combination. Smoke aerosols travel thousands of kilometers, before blanketing...
Metamorphic amphiboles in the Ironwood Iron-Formation, Gogebic Iron Range, Wisconsin: Implications for potential resource development
Carlin J. Green, Robert R. Seal, II, Nadine M. Piatak, William F. Cannon, Ryan J. McAleer, Julia Nord
2020, American Mineralogist (105) 1259-1269
No abstract available. ...
Kelp forest monitoring at Naval Base Ventura County, San Nicolas Island, California: Fall 2018 and Spring 2019, fifth annual report
Michael C. Kenner, Joseph A. Tomoleoni
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1091
IntroductionKelp forests and rocky reefs are among the most recognized marine ecosystems and provide the primary habitat for several species of fishes, invertebrates, and algal assemblages (Stephens and others, 2006). In addition, kelp forests have been shown to be important carbon dioxide sinks (Wilmers and others, 2012) and are...
Characterization of peak streamflow and stages at selected streamgages in eastern and northeastern Oklahoma from the May to June 2019 flood event—With an emphasis on flood peaks downstream from dams and on tributaries to the Arkansas River
Jason M. Lewis, David J. Williams, Sarah J. Harris, A.R. Trevisan
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1090
As much as 22 inches of rain fell in Oklahoma in May 2019, resulting in historic flooding along the Arkansas River and its tributaries in eastern and northeastern Oklahoma. The flooding along the Arkansas River and its tributaries that began in May continued into June 2019. Peaks of record were...
Modelling marsh-forest boundary transgression in response to storms and sea-level rise
Joel A. Carr, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Matt L. Kirwan
2020, Geophysical Research Letters (47)
The lateral extent and vertical stability of salt marshes experiencing rising sea levels depend on interacting drivers and feedbacks with potential for non‐linear behaviors. A two‐dimensional transect model was developed to examine changes in marsh and upland forest lateral extent and to explore controls on marsh inland transgression. Model behavior...
Geomorphic map of western Whatcom County, Washington
Dori J. Kovanen, Ralph A. Haugerud, Don J. Easterbrook
2020, Scientific Investigations Map 3406
Western Whatcom County has a rich history of glaciation, sea-level change, fluvial erosion and deposition, landsliding, nearby volcanic activity, and human landscape modification. This lidar-derived geomorphic map interprets this history from the form and position of the Earth’s surface.The geomorphic record is broken into nine phases, beginning with the peak...
Repurposing a hindcast simulation of the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane, south Florida
M. Dennis Krohn, Eric D. Swain, Catherine A. Langtimm, Jayantha Obeysekera
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1010
Hydrodynamic model hindcasts of the surface water and groundwater of the Everglades and the greater Miami, Florida, area were used to simulate hydrology using estimated storm surge height, wind field, and rainfall for the Great Miami Hurricane (GMH), which struck on September 18, 1926. Ranked estimates of losses from hurricanes...
Water-quality trends for selected sites and constituents in the international Red River of the North Basin, Minnesota and North Dakota, United States, and Manitoba, Canada, 1970–2017
Rochelle A. Nustad, Aldo V. Vecchia
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5079
A comprehensive study to evaluate water-quality trends, while considering natural hydroclimatic variability, in the Red River of the North Basin and assess water-quality conditions for the Red River of the North crossing the international boundary near Emerson, Manitoba, Canada (the binational site), was completed by the U.S. Geological Survey in...
Distribution of deep-water scleractinian and stylasterid corals across abiotic environmental gradients on three seamounts in the Anegada Passage
Steven R. Auscavitch, Jay J. Lunden, Alexandria Barkman, Andrea Quattrini, Amanda Demopoulos, Erik E. Cordes
2020, PeerJ (8)
In the Caribbean Basin the distribution and diversity patterns of deep-sea scleractinian corals and stylasterid hydrocorals are poorly known compared to their shallow-water relatives. In this study, we examined species distribution and community assembly patterns of scleractinian and stylasterid corals on three high-profile seamounts within the Anegada Passage, a deep-water...
The importance of the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico to foraging loggerhead sea turtles
Kristen M. Hart, Margaret M. Lamont, Autumn Iverson, Brian Smith
2020, Frontiers in Marine Science (7)
Identification of high-use foraging sites where imperiled sea turtles are resident remains a globally-recognized conservation priority. In the biodiverse Gulf of Mexico (GoM), recent telemetry studies highlighted post-nesting foraging sites for federally threatened loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta). Our aim here was to discern loggerhead use of additional northern GoM regions...
Regime change in a large-floodplain river ecosystem: Patterns in body-size and functional biomass indicate a shift in fish communities
Kristen L. Bouska
2020, Biological Invasions (22) 3371-3389
Changes in species dominance may drive regime shifts because dominant biotic feedbacks reflect functional traits of a community. Changes in species dominance has been documented by a 25-year fish community dataset encompassing six reaches of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. Specifically, common carp (Cyprinus carpio)...
2019 fiscal year state of the Survey
U.S. Geological Survey, Office of Budget, Planning, and Integration
2020, Report
This first of its kind publication, the USGS “2019 Fiscal Year State of the Survey” report, highlights notable USGS accomplishments over the past year that have contributed to meeting our goals and priorities in support of the Department of the Interior Strategic Plan. The activities summarized in this report demonstrate...
The remarkable volcanism of Shastina, a stratocone segment of Mount Shasta, California
Robert L. Christiansen, Andrew T. Calvert, Duane E. Champion, Cynthia A. Gardner, Judith E. Fierstein, Jorge A. Vazquez
2020, Geosphere (16) 1153-1178
Mount Shasta, a 400 km3 volcano in northern California (United States), is the most voluminous stratocone of the Cascade arc. Most Mount Shasta lavas vented at or near the present summit; relatively smaller volumes erupted from scattered vents on the volcano’s flanks. An apron of pyroclastic and debris flows surrounds it.Shastina,...
Plant biomass and rates of carbon dioxide uptake are enhanced by successful restoration of tidal connectivity in salt marshes
Fanning Wang, Meagan J. Eagle, Kevin D. Kroeger, Amanda C. Spivak, Jianwu Tang
2020, Science of the Total Environment (750)
Salt marshes, due to their capability to bury soil carbon (C), are potentially important regional C sinks. Efforts to restore tidal flow to former salt marshes have increased in recent decades in New England (USA), as well as in some other parts of the...
Risk of predation on offspring reduces parental provisioning, but not flight performance or survival across early life stages
James C. Mouton, Bret W. Tobalske, Natalie A. Wright, Thomas E. Martin
2020, Functional Ecology (34) 2147-2157
Developmental responses can help young animals reduce predation risk but can also yield costs to performance and survival in subsequent life stages with major implications for lifetime fitness. Compensatory mechanisms may evolve to offset such costs, but evidence from natural systems is largely lacking.In songbirds, increased nest predation risk...
Postfire growth of seeded and planted big sagebrush - Strategic designs for restoring Greater Sage-grouse nesting habitat
David A. Pyke, Robert K. Shriver, Robert S. Arkle, David S. Pilliod, Cameron L. Aldridge, Peter S. Coates, Matthew Germino, Julie A. Heinrichs, Mark A. Ricca, Scott E. Shaff
2020, Restoration Ecology (28) 1495-1504
Wildfires change plant community structure and impact wildlife habitat and population dynamics. Recent wildfire‐induced losses of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in North American shrublands are outpacing natural recovery and leading to substantial losses in habitat for sagebrush‐obligate species such as Greater Sage‐grouse. Managers are considering restoration strategies that include planting...
Using genetic data to estimate capture rate of Wisconsin and Leech Lake strains of Muskellunge stocked in four Wisconsin Lakes
Wesley Larson, Thompson Hill, David Rowe, Daniel Oele, Joseph Gerbyshak, Jennifer Bergman
2020, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (40) 1302-1312
Many inland fisheries are supported by stocking of hatchery-produced fish, and fisheries managers often face difficult decisions regarding strain selection. Stocking evaluations designed to quantify differences in strain performance provide valuable data for designing stocking programs. Here, we use genetic tools to investigate capture rate of two strains of Muskellunge...
Integrating airborne remote sensing and field campaigns for ecology and Earth system science
K. Dana Chadwick, Philip G. Brodrick, Kathleen Grant, Tristan Goulden, Amanda Henderson, Nicola Falco, Haruko Wainwright, Kenneth Williams, Markus Bill, Ian Breckheimer, Eoin Brodie, Heidi Steltzer, C. F. Rick Williams, Benjamin Blonder, Jiancong Chen, Baptiste Dafflon, Joan Damerow, Matt Hancher, Aizah Khurram, Jack Lamb, Corey R. Lawrence, Maeve McCormick, John Musinsky, Samuel Pierce, Alexander Polussa, Maceo Hastings Porro, Andea Scott, Hans Wu Singh, Patrick O. Sorensen, Charuleka Varadharajan, Bizuayehu Whitney, Katharine Maher
2020, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (11) 1492-1508
In recent years, the availability of airborne imaging spectroscopy (hyperspectral) data has expanded dramatically. The high spatial and spectral resolution of these data uniquely enable spatially explicit ecological studies including species mapping, assessment of drought mortality and foliar trait distributions. However, we have barely begun to unlock the potential...
Small mammals and ungulates respond to and interact with revegetation processes following dam removal
Rebecca M. McCaffery, Kurt J. Jenkins, Sara Cendejas-Zarelli, Patricia J. Happe, K.A. Sager-Fradkin
2020, Food Webs (25)
Terrestrial wildlife communities are often overlooked as components of ecosystem restoration following dam removal. However, a diverse mammalian fauna colonizes habitat on dewatered reservoirs and may influence restoration processes. We studied mammalian colonization and ungulate herbivory from 2014 to 2018 following the removal of two large dams on the Elwha...
Sources, fate, and flux of riverine solutes in the Southwest Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field, USA
R. Blaine McCleskey, Shaul Hurwitz, Erin B White, David A. Roth, David Susong, Jefferson Hungerford, Lonnie A. Olson
2020, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (403)
Since the 1970s, temporal variations of hydrothermal discharge and thermal output from the numerous hydrothermal features in the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field (YPVF) have been studied by measuring the chloride flux in the major rivers. In this study, the sources, fate, and flux of solutes in the Fall River and...
