Comparing year-class strength indices from longitudinal analysis of catch-at-age data with those from catch-curve regression: Application to Lake Huron lake trout
Ji X. He, Charles P. Madenjian
2025, Fishes (10)
Fish year-class strength (YCS) has been estimated via longitudinal analysis of catch-at-age data and via catch-curve regression, but no study has compared the two approaches. The objective of this study was to compare YCS estimates derived from both approaches applied to catch-at-age data for the lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)...
Evidence for fluid pressurization of fault zones and persistent sensitivity to injection rate beneath the Raton Basin
Mohammadreza Jamalreyhani, Ruijia Wang, Brandon Schmandt, Andres Felipe Peña Castro, Margaret Elizabeth Glasgow
2025, Geophysical Research Letters (52)
Subsurface wastewater injection has increased the seismicity rate within the Raton Basin over more than two decades, with the basin-wide injection rate peaked between 2009-2015. To understand the evolution of injection-induced earthquakes, we systematically analyzed 2016-2024 broadband recordings with a machine-learning-based phase picker and constructed a catalog with 95,993 earthquakes...
Disease-driven collapse of the native Kauaʻi avifauna and the rise of introduced bird species
Noah J. Hunt, Lisa H. Crampton, Tyler A Winter, Jack D Alexander, Roy Glib, Richard J. Camp
2025, Biodiversity and Conservation
Hawaii hosts one of Earth’s most unique and threatened avifaunas. Upslope migration of mosquito-vectored avian malaria on Kauaʻi (maximum elevation 1,598 m) has likely caused its rapid loss of avifaunal diversity; only 8 of 13 historic forest bird species remain. We update the status and trends of Kauaʻi forest bird populations...
Precipitation pulse dynamics are not ubiquitous: A global meta-analysis of plant and ecosystem carbon- and water-related pulse responses
Emma Reich, Jessica Guo, Drew Peltier, Emily C. Palmquist, Kimberly Samuels-Crow, Rohan Boone, Kiona Ogle
2025, Global Change Biology (31)
Ecosystem responses to precipitation pulses (“pulse responses”) exert a large control over global carbon, water, and energy cycles. However, it is unclear how the timing and magnitude of pulse responses will vary across ecosystems as precipitation regimes shift under accelerating climate change. To address this issue, this study evaluates how...
Bacterial community structure across a sand dune chronosequence at the Indiana Dunes National Park
Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Noel B. Pavlovic, Cindy H Nakatsu
2025, Journal of Great Lakes Research (51)
The microbial role in dune succession along the Great Lakes freshwater sand dunes remains poorly understood. A chronosequence study was conducted to understand the relationships among soil bacterial communities, soil chemistry, and prescribed burning at the Indiana Dunes National Park. Soil bacterial communities and chemistry, as well as groundlayer vegetation...
Relating surface water dynamics in wetlands and lakes to spatial variability in hydrologic signatures
Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Peter Nieuwlandt, Heather E. Golden, Charles R. Lane, Jay Christensen, William Keenan, Wayana Dolan
2025, Wetland Ecology & Management (33)
The retention of surface water in wetlands and lakes can modify the timing, duration, and magnitude of river discharge. However, efforts to characterize the influence of surface water on discharge regimes have been generally limited to small, wetland-dense watersheds. We developed random forest models to explain spatial variability in six...
Identifying presence or absence of grizzly and polar bear cubs from the movements of adult females with machine learning
Erik Andersen, Justin Clapp, Milan Vinks, Todd C. Atwood, Daniel D. Bjornlie, Cecily M. Costello, David Gustine, Mark A. Haroldson, Lori L. Roberts, Karyn D. Rode, Frank T. van Manen, Ryan H. Wilson
2025, Movement Ecology (13)
BackgroundInformation on reproductive success is crucial to understanding population dynamics but can be difficult to obtain, particularly for species that birth while denning. For grizzly (Ursus arctos) and polar bears (U. maritimus), den visits are impractical because of safety and logistical considerations. Reproduction is typically documented through direct...
Adapting visitor use management under a changing climate across the U.S. National Park System
Emily J. Wilkins, Sarah Lynn Rappaport Keener, Wylie Carr, Samantha G. Winder, Julianne Reas, Daniela B. Daniele, Spencer A. Wood
2025, Journal of Environmental Management (391)
Research shows that climate change is already affecting both resources and visitors in U.S. National Parks. We sought to better understand if and how park staff across the National Park Service are adapting to climatic changes that affect visitor use, as well as barriers and challenges to adaptation and information...
Environmental drivers of productivity explain population patterns of an Arctic-nesting goose across a half-century
Antti Piironen, Jeffrey M. Knetter, Kyle A. Spragens, Joshua Dooley, Vijay P. Patil, Eric T. Reed, Megan V. Ross, Daniel Gibson, Adam C. Behney, Mark J. Petrie, Todd Sanders, Mitch D. Weegman
2025, Ecological Applications (35)
Joint estimation of demographic rates and population size has become an essential tool in ecology because it enables evaluating mechanisms for population change and testing hypotheses about drivers of demography in a single modeling framework. This approach provides a comprehensive perspective on population dynamics and how animal populations will respond...
The systematics of stable hydrogen (δ2H) and oxygen (δ18O) isotopes and tritium (3H) in the hydrothermal system of the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field, USA
Shaul Hurwitz, R. Blaine McCleskey, Bryant Jurgens, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Laura E. Clor, Andrew Hunt
2025, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (26)
To improve our understanding of hydrothermal activity on the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field, we collected and analyzed a large data set of δ2H, δ18O, and the 3H concentrations of circum-neutral and alkaline waters. We find that (a) hot springs are fed by recharge throughout the volcanic plateau, likely focused through fractured,...
Assessment of water chemistry of the Coconino aquifer in northeastern Arizona
Casey J.R. Jones
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5038
The Coconino aquifer was investigated as a potential groundwater resource for the Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona. Basic groundwater chemistry, including major ions, total dissolved solids, and selected trace metal concentrations, are presented and analyzed to characterize the Coconino aquifer. The geochemical compositions of groundwater are associated...
Automated generation of an urban synthetic elevation checkpoint network across the North Carolina coastline, USA
Alexander C. Seymour, Christine J. Kranenburg, Kara S. Doran
2025, Science of Remote Sensing (12)
Lidar and structure from motion-derived digital elevation and surface models have widespread application. Consideration of a topographic model's vertical root mean squared error (RMSEz) and systematic directional bias is important for many of these applications, particularly landscape change detection and measurement. Due to logistic, resource, and time constraints, wide area...
Future of coral bleaching research
Andrea G. Grottoli, Ann M. Hulver, R. Vega Thurber, R. J. Toonen, E. R. Schmeltzer, Ilsa B. Kuffner, K. L. Barott, Iliana B. Baums, K. Castillo, Leila Chapron, M. A. Coffroth, D. J. Combosch, A. M.S. Correa, Eric D. Crandall, Megan Donahue, Jose M. Eirin-Lopez, Thomas Felis, C. Ferrier-Pages, Hugo B Harrison, Scott F. Heron, Danwei Huang, Adriana Humanes, Carly D. Kenkel, Thomas Krueger, Joshua Madin, Mikhail V Matz, Lisa C. McManus, Monica Medina, Erinn M. Muller, J. Padilla-Gamino, Hollie M. Putnam, Y Sawall, Tom Shlesinger, Michael J. Sweet, Christian Voolstra, V. M. Weis, Christian Wild, H. C. Wu
2025, BioScience (75) 585-598
Coral bleaching is the largest global threat to coral reef ecosystem persistence this century. Advancing our understanding of coral bleaching and developing solutions to protect corals and the reefs they support are critical. In the present article, we, the US National Science Foundation–funded Coral Bleaching Research Coordination Network, outline future...
Ten more years of the golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) on Maui, Hawaiian Islands
Thane K Pratt, Christopher C Warren, Erika K Kekiwi, Kerri Fay, Richard J. Camp
2025, Pacific Science (78) 355-371
Since the introduction of the Golden Pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) to Haleakalā volcano, Maui, three decades ago, subsequent reports have hinted at an expansion of this nascent population. We draw from a variety of data sources to learn about this pheasant's present status on Maui. First, forest bird surveys conducted every...
Integrating contaminant source indicators, water quality measures, and ecotoxicity to characterize contaminant mixtures and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) variability in an urban watershed
J.R. Behrens, A.S. Joyce, P.L. Ferguson, Dana W. Kolpin, N. Jayasundara, N. Barbo, E.S. Bernhardt
2025, Environmental Science & Technology (59) 13958-13969
Thousands of chemical contaminants threaten watersheds but are time and cost prohibitive to monitor. Identifying their sources, transport, and ecological risk is limited in heterogeneous urban watersheds. We present an integrative watershed approach using source-specific indicator compounds, common water quality measures, and ecotoxicity assays to examine the distribution of contaminant...
Organic matter availability and the production of methane-derived dissolved organic carbon at methane seeps
Ellen Jennifer Lalk, John Pohlman, Laura Lapham
2025, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (39)
Methane seeps located along continental margins and slopes export sedimentary methane and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) into the ocean. The flux of these reduced carbon molecules from the seafloor into the ocean impacts ocean chemistry and supports deep-sea life. While significant effort has been made to understand how the anaerobic...
Completion summary for monitor wells NRF-17 and NRF-18 at the Naval Reactors Facility, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Brian V. Twining, Kerri C. Treinen, Jeffrey A. Zingre
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5049
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)—in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the Naval Reactors Laboratory Field Office that supports operations for the Naval Reactors Facility (NRF) located at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL)—drilled and constructed well NRF-17 (formerly borehole USGS 151) and well NRF-18 (formerly borehole USGS...
The U.S. Geological Survey National Streamgage Network, 2024
Brian E. McCallum, Melissa L. Riskin
2025, General Information Product 252
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) operated 12,165 continuous surface-water monitoring locations (streamgages) across the United States in 2024. The streamgages provide information on river height and streamflow, typically at 15-minute intervals. This information is then made available to everyone, most of it delivered nearly in realtime on the USGS National...
Estimating earthquake source depth using teleseismic broadband waveform modeling at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center
William L. Yeck, Robert B. Herrmann, John Patton, William D. Barnhart, Harley M. Benz
2025, Seismological Research Letters (96) 3643-3655
The U.S. Geologic Survey National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) monitors global seismicity, producing a catalog of earthquake source parameters in near-real-time to provide information that can help mitigate the societal impact of earthquakes. The NEIC commonly relies on teleseismic observations to constrain earthquake source parameters (e.g., location, depth, magnitude, and...
Identification of novel hepaciviruses and Sylvilagus-associated viruses via metatranscriptomics in North American lagomorphs
Maria Jenckel, Wei-Shan Chang, Emily A. Wright, Robert D. Bradley, Robert J. Dusek, Hon S. Ip, Robyn Hall, Ina Smith, Tanja Strive
2025, Virus Evolution (11)
Cottontails (Sylvilagus spp.) and jackrabbits (Lepus spp.) within the Leporidae family are native to North America and are found in a wide range of habitats, including deserts, forests, and grasslands. Although there is a growing body of research describing the arrival of the highly virulent rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2, GI.2)...
2024 Surprise Inlet landslides: Insights from a prototype landslide‐triggered tsunami monitoring system in Prince William Sound, Alaska
Ezgi Karasozen, Michael E. West, Katherine R. Barnhart, John J. Lyons, Terry Nichols, Lauren N. Schaefer, Bohyun Bahng, Summer Ohlendorf, Dennis M. Staley, Gabriel J. Wolken
2025, Geophysical Research Letters (52)
Alaska's coastal communities face growing landslide hazards owing to glacier retreat and extreme weather intensified by the warming climate, yet hazard monitoring remains challenging. As part of ongoing experimental monitoring in Prince William Sound, we detected three large landslides (0.5–2.3 M m3) at Surprise Inlet on 20 September 2024, within the span...
A newly identified creeping strand of the Concord fault, San Francisco Bay Area
Austin John Elliott, Danielle Madugo, Jessica Vermeer
2025, Seismological Research Letters (96) 3837-3848
The Concord fault constitutes a major branch of the Pacific–North America transform plate boundary in Northern California, bridging the strike‐slip Bartlett Springs ‐ Green Valley Fault system to the north with the Greenville and Calaveras Faults to the south. Like many faults in the San Francisco Bay Area its long‐term...
Estimating mortality of Lake Sturgeon in the Lake Winnebago system using traditional age-based approaches and capture–recapture models
Jeremiah S. Shrovnal, Margaret H. Stadig, Joshua K. Raabe, Daniel A. Isermann
2025, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (45) 616-632
Objective The Lake Winnebago system in Wisconsin supports a popular winter spear fishery for Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens. Setting harvest caps for this fishery relies on estimating instantaneous natural mortality rate (M), which can be done using age-based approaches or capture–recapture models that incorporate recoveries of fish with passive integrated transponder...
Expansion of aquatic and marsh area into once forest and agricultural area reflects changing hydrological conditions along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers (1989-2020)
Nathan R. De Jager, Jason J. Rohweder
2025, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (197)
We examined 30-year trends in the abundance and distribution of aquatic and floodplain vegetation, as well as human land uses in five study reaches of the Upper Mississippi River and one reach of the Illinois River using aerial photography collected in years 1989, 2000, 2010, and 2020. Permanently inundated area...
Hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity estimates from slug tests in wells within the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, Arkansas and Mississippi, 2020
Aaron L. Pugh
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5101
During the spring and summer of 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted single-well slug tests on selected observation wells within the Mississippi Alluvial Plain in Arkansas and Mississippi to estimate hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity values for the Mississippi River Valley alluvial and middle Claiborne aquifers. Well and aquifer data were...
