Development of regression equations for the estimation of the magnitude and frequency of floods at rural, unregulated gaged and ungaged streams in Puerto Rico through water year 2017
Patrick J. Ryan, Anthony J. Gotvald, Cody L. Hazelbaker, Andrea G. Veilleux, Daniel M. Wagner
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5062
The methods of computation and estimates of the magnitude of flood flows were updated for the 50-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent chance exceedance levels for 91 streamgages on the main island of Puerto Rico by using annual peak-flow data through 2017. Since the previous flood frequency...
Improving ESRI ArcGIS performance of coastal and seafloor analysis with the Python multiprocessing module
Jonathan Andrew Zieg, David G. Zawada
2021, Journal of Coastal Research (37) 1288-1293
Coastal research frequently involves the use of a GIS to analyze large areas for changes in response to major weather events, human action, and other factors. The GIS workflows used to conduct these analyses can be complex and sometimes require multiple days to complete. Long runtimes often exist even on...
Stable isotopes used to infer trophic position of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) from Dry Tortugas National Park, Gulf of Mexico, United States
David Roche, Michael Cherkiss, Brian J. Smith, Derek A. Burkholder, Kristen Hart
2021, Regional Studies in Marine Science (48)
Evaluating resource use patterns for imperiled species is critical for understanding what supports their populations. Here we established stable isotope (δ13">δ13C, δ15">δ15N) values for the endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) population found...
A comparison of methods for the long-term harness-based attachment of radio-transmitters to juvenile Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)
Evan J Buck, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Cody M. Kent, Jennifer M. Mullinax, Diann Prosser
2021, Animal Biotelemetry (9)
BackgroundWhile the period from fledging through first breeding for waterbird species such as terns (e.g., genus Sterna, Sternula) is of great interest to researchers and conservationists, this period remains understudied due in large part to the difficulty of marking growing juveniles with radio transmitters that remain attached for...
USGS RAMPS (Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest) newsletter – Summer 2021 edition
Seth M. Munson, Molly L. McCormick
2021, Newsletter
No abstract available....
Development of a screening tool to examine lake and reservoir susceptibility to eutrophication in selected watersheds of the eastern and southeastern United States
W. Reed Green, Anne B. Hoos, Alan E. Wilson, Elizabeth N. Heal
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5075
This report describes a new screening tool to examine lake and reservoir susceptibility to eutrophication in selected watersheds of the eastern and southeastern United States using estimated nutrient loading and flushing rates with measures of waterbody morphometry. To that end, the report documents the compiled data and methods (R-script) used...
Integrating observations and models to determine the effect of seasonally frozen ground on hydrologic partitioning in alpine hillslopes in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA
David M. Rey, Eve-Lyn S. Hinckley, Michelle A. Walvoord, Kamini Singha
2021, Hydrological Processes (35)
This study integrated spatially distributed field observations and soil thermal models to constrain the impact of frozen ground on snowmelt partitioning and streamflow generation in an alpine catchment within the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research site, Colorado, USA. The study area was comprised of...
Tradeoffs in habitat value to maximize natural resource benefits from coastal restoration in a rapidly eroding wetland: Is monitoring land area sufficient?
Tim J. B. Carruthers, Erin P. Kiskaddon, Melissa M. Baustian, Kelly M. Darnell, Leland C. Moss, Carey L. Perry, Camille Stagg
2021, Restoration Ecology (30)
Louisiana contains nearly 40% of estuarine herbaceous wetlands in the contiguous United States, supporting valuable ecosystem services and providing significant economic benefits to the state and the entire United States. However, coastal Louisiana is a hotspot for rapid land loss from factors including hurricanes, land use change, and high subsidence...
Fishing gear performance nearshore is substantiated by spatial analyses
Leandro E. Miranda, Nicky M. Faucheux, Kurt M. Lakin
2021, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries (31) 977-987
We estimated whether the fish assemblages nearshore represented by electrofishing and gillnetting indexed location of reservoirs in a river basin. We expected that location in the basin would reflect a multiplicity of factors that determine fish habitat and fish assemblage composition, and therefore also anticipated a correlation between fish species...
Stratigraphic and structural controls on groundwater salinity variations in the Poso Creek Oil Field, Kern County, California, USA
Michael J. Stephens, David H. Shimabukuro, Will Chang, Janice M. Gillespie, Zack Levinson
2021, Hydrogeology Journal (29) 2803-2820
Groundwater total dissolved solids (TDS) distribution was mapped with a three-dimensional (3D) model, and it was found that TDS variability is largely controlled by stratigraphy and geologic structure. General TDS patterns in the San Joaquin Valley of California (USA) are attributed to predominantly connate water composition...
Shining a light on Laurentian Great Lakes cisco (Coregonus artedi): How ice coverage may impact embryonic development
Tara E. Stewart Merrill, Mark Vinson, Jason D. Stockwell
2021, Journal of Great Lakes Research (47) 1410-1418
Changes in winter conditions, such as decreased ice coverage and duration, have been observed in the Laurentian Great Lakes for more than 20 years. Such changes have been hypothesized to be linked to low Coregonus spp. survival to age-1 as most cisco (Coregonus...
Distribution, abundance and spatial variability of microplastic pollution on the surface of Lake Superior
K Cox, E. Brocious, S Courtenay, Mark Vinson, Seth J. K. Mason
2021, Journal of Great Lakes Research (47) 1358-1364
In 2014, 94 paired neuston net samples (0.5 mm mesh) were collected from the surface waters of Lake Superior. These samples comprise the most comprehensive surface water survey for microplastics of any of the Great Lakes to date, and the first to employ double net...
Mechanistic invasive species management models and their application in conservation
Brielle K. Thompson, Alexander J. Jensen, Sarah J. Converse
2021, Conservation Science and Practice (3)
Management strategies to address the challenges associated with invasive species are critical for effective conservation. An increasing variety of mathematical models offer insight into invasive populations, and can help managers identify cost effective prevention, control, and eradication actions. Despite this, as model complexity grows, so...
Estimates of public-supply, domestic, and irrigation water withdrawal, use, and trends in the Upper Rio Grande Basin, 1985 to 2015
Tamara I. Ivahnenko, Allison K. Flickinger, Amy E. Galanter, Kyle R. Douglas-Mankin, Diana E. Pedraza, Gabriel B. Senay
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5036
The Rio Grande flows approximately 670 miles from its headwaters in the San Juan Mountains of south-central Colorado to Fort Quitman, Texas, draining the Upper Rio Grande Basin (URGB) study area of 32,000 square miles that includes parts of Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. Parts of the basin extend into...
The finicky nature of earthquake shaking-triggered submarine sediment slope failures and sediment gravity flows
Joan S. Gomberg, Keisuke Ariyoshi, Susan Hautala, H.P. Johnson
2021, Journal of Geophysical Research (126)
Since 2011, seafloor temperatures, pressures, and seismic ground motions have been measured by the seafloor cabled Dense Oceanfloor Network system for Earthquakes and Tsunamis (DONET) on the Nankai margin. These measurements, high-resolution bathymetry, and abundant contextual information make the DONET region seem ideally suited to provide constraints on seismic shaking-triggered...
Mussel mass mortality and the microbiome: Evidence for shifts in the bacterial microbiome of a declining freshwater bivalve
Jordan Richard, Lewis J. Campbell, Eric Leis, Rose Agbalog, Christopher D. Dunn, Diane L. Waller, Susan Knowles, Joel G. Putnam, Tony Goldberg
2021, Microorganisms (9)
Freshwater mussels (Unionida) are suffering mass mortality events worldwide, but the causes remain enigmatic. Here, we describe an analysis of bacterial loads, community structure, and inferred metabolic pathways in the hemolymph of pheasantshells (Actinonaias pectorosa) from the Clinch River, USA, during a multi-year mass mortality event. Bacterial loads were...
Mechanistic invasive species management models and their application in conservation
Brielle K. Thompson, Julian D. Olden, Sarah J. Converse
2021, Conservation Science and Practice (3)
Management strategies to address the challenges associated with invasive species are critical for effective conservation. An increasing variety of mathematical models offer insight into invasive populations, and can help managers identify cost effective prevention, control, and eradication actions. Despite this, as model complexity grows, so does the inaccessibility of these...
Evaluation of SWIR crop residue bands for the Landsat Next mission
W. Dean Hively, Brian T. Lamb, Craig S.T. Daughtry, Guy Serbin, Phillip Dennison, Raymond F. Kokaly, Zhuoting Wu, Jeffrey G. Masek
2021, Remote Sensing (13)
This research reports the findings of a Landsat Next expert review panel that evaluated the use of narrow shortwave infrared (SWIR) reflectance bands to measure ligno-cellulose absorption features centered near 2100 and 2300 nm, with the objective of measuring and mapping non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV), crop residue cover,...
Engaging with stakeholders to produce actionable science: A framework and guidance
Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Amanda E. Cravens, Alisa Wade, Renee A. McPherson
2021, Weather Climate and Society (13) 1027-1041
Natural and cultural resource managers are increasingly working with the scientific community to create information on how best to adapt to the current and projected impacts of climate change. Engaging with these managers is a...
Distinguishing between regression model fits to global mean sea level reconstructions
Yingli Zhu, Gary T. Mitchum, Kara S. Doran, Don P. Chambers, Xinfeng Liang
2021, Journal of Geophysical Research- Oceans (126)
Global mean sea level (GMSL) has been rising since the last century, posing a serious challenge for the coastal areas. A variety of regression models have been utilized for determining GMSL rise over the past one hundred years, resulting in a large spread of sea level rise...
Integrating airborne and mobile lidar data with UAV photogrammetry for rapid assessment of changing forest snow depth and cover
Jonathon Donager, Temuulen Sankey, Andrew Sanchez-Meador, Joel B. Sankey, Abraham E. Springer
2021, Science of Remote Sensing (4)
Forest structure and topography can influence the ecohydrologic function and resiliency to drought and changing climate. It is, therefore, important to understand how forest restoration treatments alter snowpack distribution and design the treatments accordingly. We use a combination of aerial lidar, multi-temporal terrestrial mobile...
Female persistence during toxicant treatment predicts survival probability of offspring in invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis)
Brenna A Levine, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Marlis Douglas, Michael Douglas, Melia Gail Nafus
2021, Global Ecology and Conservation (31)
Assessing the long-term efficacy of control methods is a critical component of invasive species management. For example, if traits related to control have significant heritability or are influenced by maternal effects, control methods may lose efficacy over time. The potential for these effects can be evaluated...
Honey bee foraged pollen reveals temporal changes in pollen protein content and changes in forager choice for abundant versus high protein flowers
Gabriela Quinlan, Megan Milbrath, Clint Otto, Autumn Smart, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Rufus Isaacs, Robert S. Cornman
2021, Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment (322)
Protein derived from pollen is an essential component of healthy bee diets. Protein content in honey bee foraged-pollen varies temporally and spatially, but the drivers underlying this variation remain poorly characterized. We assessed the temporal and spatial variation in honey bee collected pollen in...
High- and low-latitude forcings drive Atacama Desert rainfall variations over the past 16,000 years
Francisco J. Gonzalez-Pinilla, Claudio L. Latorre, M. Rojas, J. Houston, M. Igancia Rocuant, A. Maldonado, Calogero Santoro, Jay Quade, Julio L. Betancourt
2021, Science Advances (7)
Late Quaternary precipitation dynamics in the central Andes have been linked to both high- and low-latitude atmospheric teleconnections. We use present-day relationships between fecal pellet diameters from ashy chinchilla rats (Abrocoma cinerea) and mean annual rainfall to reconstruct the timing and magnitude of pluvials (wet episodes) spanning the past 16,000...
Time-fractional flow equations (t-FFEs) to upscale transient groundwater flow characterized by temporally non-darcian flow due to medium heterogeneity
Yuan Xia, Yong Zhang, Christopher Green, Graham Fogg
2021, Water Resources Research (57)
Upscaling groundwater flow is a fundamental challenge in hydrogeology. This study proposed time-fractional flow equations (t-FFEs) for upscaling long-term, transient groundwater flow and propagation of pressure heads in heterogeneous media. Monte Carlo simulations showed that, with increasing variance and correlation of the hydraulic conductivity (K), flow dynamics gradually deviated from...
