The biophysical role of water and ice within permafrost nearing collapse: Insights from novel geophysical observations
Stephanie R. James, Burke J. Minsley, Jack McFarland, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Colin W. Edgar, Mark Waldrop
2021, JGR Earth Surface (126)
The impact of permafrost thaw on hydrologic, thermal, and biotic processes remains uncertain, in part due to limitations in subsurface measurement capabilities. To better understand subsurface processes in thermokarst environments, we collocated geophysical and biogeochemical instruments along a thaw gradient between forested permafrost and collapse-scar bogs at the Alaska Peatland...
Evaluation of remote mapping techniques for earthquake-triggered landslide inventories in an urban subarctic environment: A case study of the 2018 Anchorage, Alaska Earthquake
Sabrina N. Martinez, Lauren N. Schaefer, Kate E. Allstadt, Eric M. Thompson
2021, Frontiers Earth Science Journal (9)
Earthquake-induced landslide inventories can be generated using field observations but doing so can be challenging if the affected landscape is large or inaccessible after an earthquake. Remote sensing data can be used to help overcome these limitations. The effectiveness of remotely sensed data to produce landslide inventories, however,...
Spatial ecology of invasive Burmese pythons in southwestern Florida
Ian A. Bartoszek, Brian J. Smith, Robert Reed, Kristen Hart
2021, Ecosphere (12)
Understanding the spatial ecology of an invasive species is critical for designing effective control programs. Determining and quantifying home range estimates and habitat associations can streamline targeted removal efforts for wide-ranging, cryptic animals. The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is a large-bodied constrictor snake with an established and expanding invasive population...
A massive rock and ice avalanche caused the 2021 disaster at Chamoli, Indian Himalaya
D. H. Shugar, Mylene Jacquemart, D. Shean, S. Bhushan, K. Upadhyay, A. Sattar, W. Schwanghart, Sara K. McBride, M. Van Wyk de Vries, M. Mergili, A. Emmer, C. Deschamps-Berger, M. McDonnell, R. Bhambri, S. Allen, E. Berthier, J.L. Carrivick, J.J. Clague, M. Dokukin, S.A. Dunning, Herbert Frey, S. Gascoin, U. K. Haritashya, C. Huggel, A. Kaab, J.S. Kargel, J.L. Kavanaugh, P. Lacroix, D. N. Petley, S. Rupper, M.F. Azam, S.J. Cook, A.P. Dimri, M. Eriksson, D. Farinotti, J. Fiddes, K.R. Gnyawali, S. Harrison, M.K. Jha, M. Koppes, S. Kumar, S. Leiness, U. Majeed, S. Mai, A. Muhuri, J. Noetzli, F. Paul, I. Rashid, K. Sain, J. Steiner, F. Ugalde, C.S. Watson, M.J. Westoby
2021, Science
On 7 Feb 2021, a catastrophic mass flow descended the Ronti Gad, Rishiganga, and Dhauliganga valleys in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India, causing widespread devastation and severely damaging two hydropower projects. Over 200 people were killed or are missing. Our analysis of satellite imagery, seismic records, numerical model...
Magnitude and frequency of floods in the alluvial plain of the lower Mississippi River, 2017
Brandon T. Anderson
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5046
Annual exceedance probability flows at gaged locations and regional regression equations used to estimate annual exceedance probability flows at ungaged locations were developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Mississippi Department of Transportation, to improve flood-frequency estimates at rural streams in the alluvial plain of the lower...
A near-real-time model for estimating probability of road obstruction due to earthquake-triggered landslides
B.H. Wilson, Kate E. Allstadt, Eric M. Thompson
2021, Earthquake Spectra (37) 2400-2418
Coseismic landslides are a major source of transportation disruption in mountainous areas, but few approaches exist for rapidly estimating impacts to road networks. We develop a model that links the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) near-real-time earthquake-triggered landslide hazard model with Open Street Map (OSM) road network data...
Evidence for variable precipitation and discharge from Upper Cretaceous–Paleogene fluvial deposits of the Raton Basin, Colorado–New Mexico, U.S.A.
Theresa Maude Schwartz, Marieke Dechesne, Kristine L. Zellman
2021, Journal of Sedimentary Research (91) 571-594
The Raton Basin of Colorado–New Mexico, USA, is the southeasternmost basin of the Laramide intraforeland province of North America. It hosts a thick succession (4.5 km or 15,000 ft) of Upper Cretaceous to Paleogene marine and continental strata that were deposited in response to the...
Age-structured Jolly-Seber model expands inference and improves parameter estimation from capture-recapture data
Nathan J. Hostetter, Nicholas J. Lunn, Evan S. Richardson, Eric V. Regehr, Sarah J. Converse
2021, PLoS ONE
Understanding the influence of individual attributes on demographic processes is a key objective of wildlife population studies. Capture-recapture and age data are commonly collected to investigate hypotheses about survival, reproduction, and viability. We present a novel age-structured Jolly-Seber model that incorporates age and capture-recapture data to provide comprehensive information on...
Confirmed cases of Ophidiomycosis in museum specimens from the USA as early as 1945, United States
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Steven J. Price, Julia S. Lankton, Andrea N. Drayer
2021, Emerging Infectious Diseases (27) 1986-1989
Ophidiomycosis represents a conservation threat to wild snake populations. The disease was reported in North America early in the 21st century, but the history of ophidiomycosis has not been investigated. We examined museum specimens and confirmed cases of ophidiomycosis >50 years before the disease’s reported emergence....
Trophic niches of native and nonnative fishes along a river-reservoir continuum
Casey A. Pennock, Zachary T. Ahrens, Mark McKinstry, Phaedra E. Budy, Keith B. Gido
2021, Scientific Reports (11) 1-12
Instream barriers can constrain dispersal of nonnative fishes, creating opportunities to test their impact on native communities above and below these barriers. Deposition of sediments in a river inflow to Lake Powell, USA resulted in creation of a large waterfall prohibiting upstream movement of fishes from the reservoir allowing us...
Hydropeaking intensity and dam proximity limit aquatic invertebrate diversity in the Colorado River Basin
Erin Abernathy, Jeffrey Muehlbauer, Theodore Kennedy, Jonathan D. Tonkin, Richard Van Driesche, David A. Lytle
2021, Ecosphere (12)
River biodiversity is threatened globally by hydropower dams, and there is a need to understand how dam management favors certain species while filtering out others. We examined aquatic invertebrate communities within the tailwaters 0–24 km downstream of seven large hydropower dams in the Colorado River Basin of the western United States....
Disease or drought: Environmental fluctuations release zebra from a potential pathogen-triggered ecological trap
Yen-Hua Huang, Hendrina Joel, Martina Küsters, Zoe R. Barandongo, Claudine C. Cloete, Axel Hartmann, Pauline L. Kamath, J. Werner Kilian, John K.E. Mfune, Gabriel Shatumbu, Royi Zidon, Wayne M. Getz, Wendy Christine Turner
2021, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (288)
When a transmission hotspot for an environmentally persistent pathogen establishes in otherwise high-quality habitat, the disease may exert a strong impact on a host population. However, fluctuating environmental conditions lead to heterogeneity in habitat quality and animal habitat preference, which may interrupt the overlap between selected and risky habitats. We...
Migration patterns and wintering distribution of common loons breeding in the Upper Midwest
Kevin P. Kenow, Luke J. Fara, Steven C. Houdek, Brian R. Gray, Darryl J. Heard, Michael W. Meyer, Timothy J. Fox, Robert Kratt, Scott L. Ford, Anette Gendron-Fitzpatrick, Carrol L. Henderson
2021, Journal of Avian Biology (52)
Identification of geographic linkages among breeding, migratory and wintering common loon Gavia immer populations is needed to inform regional and national conservation planning efforts and compensation of loons lost during marine oil spill events. Satellite telemetry and archival geolocator tags were used to determine the migration patterns and...
Biotic vs abiotic controls on temporal sensitivity of primary production to precipitation across North American drylands
Andrew J Felton, Robert K Shriver, John B. Bradford, Katharine N. Suding, Brady W Allred, Peter B. Adler
2021, New Phytologist (231) 2150-2161
Dryland net primary productivity (NPP) is sensitive to temporal variation in precipitation (PPT), but the magnitude of this ‘temporal sensitivity’ varies spatially. Hypotheses for spatial variation in temporal sensitivity have often emphasized abiotic factors, such as moisture limitation, while overlooking biotic factors, such as vegetation structure.We tested these hypotheses...
Beyond streamflow: Call for a national data repository of streamflow presence for streams and rivers in the United States
Kristin Jaeger, Konrad Hafen, Jason B. Dunham, Ken M. Fritz, Stephanie K. Kampf, Theodore B. Barnhart, Kendra E. Kaiser, Roy Sando, Sherri L Johnson, Ryan R. McShane, Sarah Beth Dunn
2021, Water (12)
Observations of the presence or absence of surface water in streams are useful for characterizing streamflow permanence, which includes the frequency, duration, and spatial extent of surface flow in streams and rivers. Such data are particularly valuable for headwater streams, which comprise the vast majority of channel length in stream...
Integrated hydrology and operations modeling to evaluate climate change impacts in an agricultural valley irrigated with snowmelt runoff
Wesley Kitlasten, Eric D. Morway, Richard G. Niswonger, Murphy Gardner, Jeremy T. White, Enrique Triana, David J. Selkowitz
2021, Water Resources Research (57)
Applying models to developed agricultural regions remains a difficult problem because there are no existing modeling codes that represent both the complex physics of the hydrology and anthropogenic manipulations to water distribution and consumption. We apply an integrated groundwater – surface water and hydrologic river operations model...
Cape Romain partnership for coastal protection
Mitchell J. Eaton, Fred A. Johnson, Jessica Mikels-Carrasco, David J. Case, Julien Martin, Bradley Stith, Simeon Yurek, Bradley Udell, Laura Villegas, Laura Taylor, Zulquarnain Haider, Hadi Charkhgard, Changhyun Kwon
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1021
This final report summarizes activities, outcomes, and lessons learned from a 3-year project titled “Climate Change Adaptation for Coastal National Wildlife Refuges” with the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and local partners in the surrounding South Carolina Lowcountry. The Lowcountry is classified as the 10-county area encompassing the coastal...
System characterization of Earth observation sensors
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1030
This U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report provides information from assessments of Earth observation sensors completed by the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Cal/Val Center of Excellence. These reports are provided as independent measures of basic system performance by the Earth Resources Observation and Science Cal/Val Center of...
A review of osmoregulation in lamprey
Diogo Ferreira-Martins, Jonathan M Wilson, Scott P Kelly, Dennis Kolosov, Stephen D. McCormick
2021, Journal of Great Lakes Research (47) S59-S71
Lamprey are living representatives of the basal vertebrate agnathan lineage. Many lamprey species are anadromous with a complex life cycle that includes metamorphosis from a freshwater (FW) benthic filter-feeding larva into a parasitic juvenile which migrates to seawater (SW) or (in landlocked populations) large bodies of FW. After a juvenile/adult...
Fluvial Egg Drift Simulator (FluEgg) user’s manual
Marian M. Domanski, Jessica Z. LeRoy, Michael Berutti, P. Ryan Jackson
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1052
The Fluvial Egg Drift Simulator (FluEgg) was developed to simulate the transport and dispersion of invasive carp eggs and larvae in a river. FluEgg currently (2020) supports modeling of bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), silver carp (H. molitrix), and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), with the planned addition of black carp (Mylopharyngodon...
Navigating the science-policy interface
Michael C. Runge
Donald Baur, Ya-Wei Li, editor(s)
2021, Book chapter, Endangered species act: Law, policy, and perspectives
As a wildlife population ecologist who wants to conduct useful science, I find the Endangered Species Act (ESA), like other federal wildlife statutes, an intriguing read. The topic is in my wheelhouse—fish, wildlife, and plants, with a focus at the population and species levels. There is an emphasis on...
Evidence for latent crustal fluid injection transients in southern California from long-duration earthquake swarms
Zachary E. Ross, Elizabeth S. Cochran
2021, Geophysical Research Letters (48)
Earthquake swarms are manifestations of aseismic driving processes deep in the crust. We examine the spatiotemporal distribution of aseismic processes in Southern California using a 12-years catalog of swarms derived with deep learning algorithms. In a core portion of the plate boundary region, which is not associated with elevated heat...
Long-term population fluctuations of a Burrowing Owl population on Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, USA
Carl G. Lundblad, Courtney J. Conway, Kristen Cruz-McDonnell, Dejeanne Doublet, Martha J. Desmond, Corrie Navis, Kurt Ongman
2021, Journal of Raptor Research (55) 241-254
Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea; hereafter, Burrowing Owls) were once widespread residents of grasslands throughout western North America, but their range has contracted, and abundance has declined in some regions. The causes of declines and geographic variation in population trends of Burrowing Owls are unclear but may be linked...
Genetic structure and population history in two critically endangered Kaua‘i honeycreepers
Loren Cassin-Sackett, Michael G. Campana, Nancy McInerney, Haw Chuan Lim, Natalia Przelomska, Bryce Masuda, R. Terry Chesser, Eben H. Paxton, Jeffery T Foster, Lisa H. Crampton, Robert C. Fleischer
2021, Conservation Genetics (22) 601-614
Population sizes of endemic songbirds on Kaua‘i have decreased by an order of magnitude over the past 10–15 years to dangerously low numbers. The primary cause appears to be the ascent of invasive mosquitoes and Plasmodium relictum, the agent of avian malaria, into elevations formerly free of introduced malarial parasites and their...
Using systems thinking to inform management of imperiled species: A case study with sea turtles
Ian Silver-Gorges, Simona A. Ceriani, Matthew Ware, Megan Lamb, Margaret Lamont, Janice Becker, Raymond Carthy, Chris Matechik, Joseph C. Mitchell, Raya Pruner, Mike Reynolds, Bradley Smith, Caitlyn Snyder, Mariana M. P. B. Fuentes
2021, Biological Conservation (260)
Management of imperiled species facing spatiotemporally dynamic threats is difficult. Systems thinking can inform their management by quantifying the impacts that they face. We apply systems thinking to the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGM) loggerhead (Caretta caretta) Recovery Unit (RU), one of the smallest subpopulations of loggerheads nesting in the USA. We...
