Effects of culvert construction on streams and macroinvertebrate communities at selected sites in the East Gulf Coastal Plain of Alabama, 2010–19
Aaron L. Pugh, Amy C. Gill
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5096
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Alabama Department of Transportation, evaluated the role of culvert construction in altering streams and habitats of benthic macroinvertebrate communities at selected study sites in the northern East Gulf Coastal Plain of Alabama during 2011–19. Analysis included examinations of changes in stream channel...
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum)
Jill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Melvin P. Nenneman, Travis L. Wooten, Betty R. Euliss
2021, Professional Paper 1842-GG
The key to Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) management is providing large areas of contiguous grassland of intermediate height with moderately deep litter and low shrub density. Grasshopper Sparrows have been reported to use habitats with 8–166 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 4–80 cm visual obstruction reading, 12–95 percent grass cover,...
Tracking secondary lahar flow paths and characterizing pulses and surges using infrasound array networks at Volcán de Fuego, Guatemala
Ashley Bosa, Jeffery Johnson, Silvio DeAngelis, John J. Lyons, Amilcar Roca, Jacob F. Anderson, Armando Pineda
2021, Volcanica (4) 239-256
Lahars are one of the greatest hazards at many volcanoes, including Volcán de Fuego (Guatemala). On 1 December 2018 at 8:00pm local Guatemala time (2:00:00 UTC), an hour-long lahar event was detected at Volcán de Fuego by two permanent seismo-acoustic stations along the Las Lajas channel on the southeast side....
Establishing the foundation for the global observing system for marine life
Erin V. Satterthwaite, Nicholas J. Bax, Patricia Miloslavich, Lavenia Ratnarajah, Gabrielle Canonico, Daniel Dunn, Samantha E. Simmons, Roxanne J. Carini, Karen Evans, Valerie Allain, Ward Appeltans, Sonia Batten, Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi, Anthony T. F. Bernard, R. Sky Bristol, Abigail Benson, Pier Luigi Buttigieg, Leopoldo Cavaleri Gerhardinger, Sanae Chiba, Tammy E. Davies, J. Emmett Duffy, Alfredo Giron-Nava, Astrid J. Hsu, Alexandra C. Kraberg, Raphael M. Kudela, Dan Lear, Enrique Montes, Frank Muller-Karger, Todd D. O’Brien, David Obura, Pieter Provoost, Sara Pruckner, Lisa-Maria Rebelo, Elizabeth R. Selig, Olav Sigurd Kjesbu, Craig Starger, Rick D. Stuart-Smith, Marjo Vierros, John S. Waller, Lauren V. Weatherdon, Tristan Wellman, Anna Zivian
2021, Frontiers in Marine Science (8)
Maintaining healthy, productive ecosystems in the face of pervasive and accelerating human impacts including climate change requires globally coordinated and sustained observations of marine biodiversity. Global coordination is predicated on an understanding of the scope and capacity of existing monitoring programs, and the extent to which they use standardized, interoperable...
Evaluation of a “trace” plant density score in LTRM vegetation monitoring
Deanne C. Drake, Eric Lund, Kyle Bales
Carol Lowenberg, editor(s)
2021, Long Term Resource Monitoring Technical Report LTRM-2018BI03a
The Long Term Resource Monitoring (LTRM) element of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration program employs a harvest method for sampling submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) whereby a rake is dragged ~1.5 m over the substrate and plant materials are retrieved. “Plant density” (PD) scores indicate SAV abundance and are based on...
Lagged wetland CH4 flux response in a historically wet year
Jessica Turner, Ankur R. Desai, Jonathan Thom, Kimberly Wickland
2021, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (126)
While a stimulating effect of plant primary productivity on soil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions has been well documented, links between gross primary productivity (GPP) and wetland methane (CH4) emissions are less well investigated. Determination of the influence of primary productivity on wetland CH4 emissions (FCH4) is complicated by...
Improving the usability of Galileo and Voyager images of Jupiter’s moon, Europa
Michael T. Bland, Lynn A. Weller, Brent A. Archinal, Ethan Smith, Benjamin H Wheeler
2021, Earth and Space Science (8)
NASA's Voyager 1, Voyager 2, and Galileo spacecraft acquired hundreds of images of Jupiter's moon Europa. These images provide the only moderate- to high-resolution views of the moon's surface and are therefore a critical resource for scientific analysis and future mission planning. Unfortunately, uncertain knowledge of the...
How will baseflow respond to climate change in the Upper Colorado River Basin?
Olivia L. Miller, Matthew P. Miller, Patrick C. Longley, Jay R. Alder, Lindsay A. Bearup, Tom Pruitt, Daniel K. Jones, Annie L. Putman, Christine Rumsey, Tim S. McKinney
2021, Geophysical Research Letters (48)
Baseflow is critical to sustaining streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Therefore, effective water resources management requires estimates of baseflow response to climatic changes. This study provides the first estimates of projected baseflow changes from historical (1984 – 2012) to thirty-year periods centered around 2030, 2050,...
Increased growth rates of stream salamanders following forest harvesting
Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Brian J. Halstead, Kelly M. Halloran, Jessica A. Homyack, John D. Willson
2021, Ecology and Evolution (11) 17723-17733
Timber harvesting can influence headwater streams by altering stream productivity, with cascading effects on the food web and predators within, including stream salamanders. Although studies have examined shifts in salamander occupancy or abundance following timber harvest, few examine sublethal effects such as changes in growth and demography. To examine the...
Surface-water/groundwater boundaries affect seasonal PFAS concentrations and PFAA precursor transformations
Andrea K. Tokranov, Denis R. LeBlanc, Heidi M. Pickard, Bridger J. Ruyle, Larry B. Barber, Robert B. Hull, Elsie M. Sunderland, Chad D. Vecitis
2021, Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts (23) 1893-1905
Elevated concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking-water supplies are a major concern for human health. It is therefore essential to understand factors that affect PFAS concentrations in surface water and groundwater and the transformation of perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) precursors that degrade into terminal compounds. Surface-water/groundwater exchange can...
Evaluation of satellite imagery for monitoring Pacific walruses at a large coastal haulout
Anthony S. Fischbach, David C. Douglas
2021, Remote Sensing (13)
Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) are using coastal haulouts in the Chukchi Sea more often and in larger numbers to rest between foraging bouts in late summer and autumn in recent years, because climate warming has reduced availability of sea ice that historically had provided resting platforms near their...
Detection and measurement of land-surface deformation, Pajaro Valley, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, California, 2015–18
Justin T. Brandt, Marisa M. Earll, Michelle Sneed, Wesley R. Henson
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1101
Land-surface deformation (subsidence) caused by groundwater withdrawal is identified as an undesirable result in the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency’s Basin Management Plan and California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. In Pajaro Valley, groundwater provides nearly 90 percent of the total water supply. To aid the development of sustainable groundwater management...
The HayWired Earthquake Scenario—Societal Consequences
Anne M. Wein, Joseph L. Jones, Laurie A. Johnson, Cynthia Kroll, Jennifer A. Strauss, David Witkowski, Dale A. Cox
2021, Fact Sheet 2021-3054
The HayWired earthquake scenario, led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), anticipates the impacts of a hypothetical moment magnitude 7.0 earthquake on the Hayward Fault. The fault runs along the east side of California’s San Francisco Bay and is among the most active and dangerous in the United States, passing...
Protocol for route restoration in California’s desert renewable energy conservation plan area
Todd Esque, Ka-Voka R. Jackson, Alexandrea M. Rice, Jeffery K. Childers, Caroline S. Woods, Amy Fesnock-Parker, Andrew C. Johnson, Lauren J. Price, Kristin E. Forgrave, Sara J. Scoles-Sciulla, Lesley A. DeFalco
2021, Techniques and Methods 2-A17
In the deserts of the Southwestern United States, increased off-highway vehicle use can lead to widespread vehicular damage to desert ecosystems. As the popularity and intensity of vehicle use on public lands continues, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is challenged to manage the routes used by recreationists while minimizing...
Offspring of translocated individuals drive the successful reintroduction of Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse in Nevada, USA
Steven R. Mathews, Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Shawn P. Espinosa, David J. Delehanty
2021, Ornithological Applications (123)
Translocations of North American prairie-grouse (genus Tympanuchus) present a conservation paradox wherein they are performed to augment, restore, or reintroduce populations, but translocated individuals exhibit a diminished ability to contribute to population restoration. For reintroduced populations without immigration, persistence can only be achieved through reproductive contributions by translocated individuals and their...
Pb-Pb and U-Pb dating of cassiterite by in situ LA-ICPMS: Examples spanning ~1.85 Ga to ~100 Ma in Russia and implications for dating Proterozoic to Phanerozoic tin deposits.
Leonid A. Neymark, Anatoly M. Larin, Richard J. Moscati
2021, Minerals (11)
This paper investigates applicability of cassiterite to dating ore deposits in a wide age range. We report in situ LA-ICPMS U-Pb and Pb-Pb dating results (n = 15) of cassiterite from six ore deposits in Russia ranging in age from ~1.85 Ga to 93 Ma. The two oldest deposits dated...
Novel insights into the genetic population connectivity of transient whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) in Pacific Panama provide crucial data for conservation efforts
Hector M. Guzman, Caitlin Beaver, Edgardo Diaz-Ferguson
2021, Frontiers in Marine Science (8)
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is an endangered and highly migratory species, of which solitary individuals or aggregations are observed in oceans worldwide and for which conservation efforts are hindered by a lack of comprehensive data on genetic population connectivity. Tissue samples were collected from wandering whale sharks...
Hydrologic and water-quality conditions in the Cedar River alluvial aquifer, Linn County, Iowa, 1990–2019
Stephen J. Kalkhoff
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5110
Alluvial aquifers in Iowa have more wells with nitrate exceeding drinking-water standards than other aquifers; are susceptible to contamination by organic contaminants; and have high concentrations of naturally occurring iron and manganese in depositional areas that contain abundant organic matter. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of...
Genetic diversity and structure in Arizona pronghorn following conservation efforts
Erin E. Vaughn, Melanie Culver
2021, Conservation Science and Practice (3)
Arizona pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) population numbers have declined over the last century due to unregulated-harvest, population fragmentation, urban expansion, and habitat loss. Captive breeding, reintroductions, and translocations have helped to curb decline and boost population numbers of the endangered Sonoran subspecies (A. a. sonoriensis). To assess the effect of on-going management actions...
Collaborative recorded data based response studies of four tall buildings in California
Daniel Swensen, Mehmet Celebi
2021, Conference Paper, SMIP21 seminar proceedings
Seismic instrumentation, recorded earthquake responses, and collaborative studies of the response records from four tall California buildings are summarized in this summary paper. These buildings include the tallest San Francisco building, the 61-story Salesforce Tower, and the tallest California building, the 73-story Wilshire Grand Tower, as well as a...
ShakeAlert® earthquake warning: The challenge of transforming ground motion into protective actions
Douglas D. Given, West Coast ShakeAlert Project Team
2021, Conference Paper, Proceedings of SMIP 2021 seminar on utilization of strong-motion data
The USGS ShakeAlert® earthquake early warning (EEW) system is operational and providing public alerting in three West Coast states: California, Washington, and Oregon. Since 2006 the USGS has pursued a strategy of incrementally developing and rolling out EEW for increasingly larger areas and uses. As funding from federal and state...
Hydrology and water quality of the Great Dismal Swamp, Virginia and North Carolina, and implications for hydrologic-management goals and strategies
Gary K. Speiran, Frederic C. Wurster
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5100
The Great Dismal Swamp is a peat wetland in the Coastal Plain of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Timber harvesting and the construction of ditches to drain the swamp and facilitate the harvesting are collectively implicated in changes that altered the wetland forests, caused subsidence and decomposition of the...
System characterization report on Resourcesat-2 Linear Imaging Self Scanning-3 (LISS–3) sensor
Shankar N. Ramaseri Chandra, Jon Christopherson, Cody Anderson, Gregory L. Stensaas, Minsu Kim
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1030-H
Executive Summary This report addresses system characterization of the Indian Space Research Organisation Resourcesat-2 Linear Imaging Self Scanning-3 (LISS–3) sensor and is part of a series of system characterization reports produced and delivered by the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Cal/Val Center of Excellence in 2021. These reports...
Sexual dimorphism in morphology and plumage of endangered Yuma Ridgway’s Rails: A model for documenting sex
Courtney J. Conway, E. J. Harrity, L. E. Michael
2021, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (12) 464-474
Many applications in wildlife management require knowledge of the sex of individual animals. The Yuma Ridgway's rail Rallus obsoletus yumanensis is an endangered marsh bird with monomorphic plumage and secretive behaviors, thereby complicating sex determination in field studies. We collected morphometric measurements from 270 adult Yuma Ridgway's rails and quantified the plumage...
Diets and stable isotope signatures of native and nonnative Leucisid fishes advances our understanding of the Yellowstone Lake food web
Hayley C. Glassic, Christopher S. Guy, Todd M. Koel
2021, Fishes (6)
(1) Many forage fishes, such as Leucisids (minnows) have depauperate studies on diet composition or stable isotope signatures, as these fishes are often only viewed as food for higher trophic levels. The need exists to understand and document the diet and stable isotope signatures of Leucisids (redside shiner, longnose dace,...
