Predicting light regime controls on primary productivity across CONUS river networks
Philip Savoy, Judson Harvey
2021, Geophysical Research Letters (48)
Solar radiation is a fundamental driver of ecosystem productivity, but widespread estimates of light available for primary producers in rivers are lacking. We developed a model to predict light available for river primary producers and used it to estimate river primary production across the contiguous United States...
Ten years of volcanic activity at Mt Etna: High-resolution mapping and accurate quantification of the morphological changes by Pleiades and Lidar data
Marina Bisson, Claudia Spinetti, Daniele Andronico, Monica Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Maria Fabrizia Buongiorno, Oleg Alexandrov, Thomas Cecere
2021, International Journal of Applied Earth Observations and Geoinformation (102)
The topography of Mt. Etna, Italy, is subjected to continuous modifications depending on intensity and magnitude of eruptions that frequently occur at the volcano summit and flanks. In order to make high-resolution maps of morphological changes and accurately calculate the overall volume of the erupted products (e.g., lava flows, tephra...
The contribution of land cover change to the decline of honey yields in the Northern Great Plains
David Smith, Amelie Y. Davis, Claudia Hitaj, Dan Hellerstein, Amanda Preslicka, Emma Kirkpatrick, David M. Mushet, Eric Lonsdorf
2021, Environmental Research Letters (16)
Decreased availability of forage, as well as increased pesticide exposure, are important factors in the decline of honey bee health. Here, we isolate land cover transitions and their effect on honey production at 160 commercial apiaries in the Northern Great Plains. We found that land cover changes from 2008 to...
Overview and methodology for a study to identify fecal contamination sources using microbial source tracking in seven embayments on Long Island, New York
Tristen N. Tagliaferri, Shawn C. Fisher, Christopher M. Kephart, Natalie Cheung, Ariel P. Reed, Robert J. Welk
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5033
Between June 2018 and July 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey collaborated with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to analyze water quality in seven embayments on Long Island, New York, for a study to examine fecal contamination using microbial source tracking. This report documents the approach, methodology, and...
Improving short-term recruitment forecasts for coho salmon using a spatiotemporal integrated population model
Lukas B. DeFilippo, Thomas W. Buehrens, Mark David Scheuerell, Neala W. Kendall, Daniel E. Schindler
2021, Fisheries Research (242)
Fishery managers often rely on forecasts of future population abundance to set allowable harvest quotas or exploitation rates. While there has been substantial research devoted to identifying environmental factors that can predict recruitment for individual populations, such correlations often degrade over time, thereby limiting their utility for management. Conversely, examining...
Large-scale variation in wave attenuation of oyster reef living shorelines and the influence of inundation duration
R. L. Morris, Megan K. La Peyre, B. M. Webb, D. A. Marshall, D. M. Bilkovic, J. Cebrian, G. McClenachan, K. M. Kibler, L. J. Walters, D. Bushek, E. L. Sparks, N. A. Temple, J. A. Moody, K. Angstadt, J. Goff, M. K. Boswell, P. E. Sacks, S. E. Swearer
2021, Ecological Applications (31)
One of the paramount goals of oyster reef living shorelines is to achieve sustained and adaptive coastal protection, which requires meeting ecological (i.e., develop a self-sustaining oyster population) and engineering (i.e., provide coastal defense) targets. In a large-scale comparison along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, the...
Appendix C: Central sands lakes study technical report: Modeling documentation
Michael N. Fienen, Megan J. Haserodt, Andrew T. Leaf, Stephen, M. Westenbroek
2021, Report
This report provides the necessary documentation of the numerical models developed for the Central Sands Lake study in central Wisconsin and will be included as a technical appendix in the report to the Wisconsin State Legislature by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) in response to 2017 Wisconsin Act...
Assessing the uncertainties in climatic estimates based on vegetation assemblages: Examples from modern vegetation assemblages in the American Southwest
Robert S. Thompson, Katherine H Anderson, Richard T. Pelltier, Laura E. Strickland, Sarah Shafer, Patrick J. Bartlein
2021, Quaternary Science Reviews (262)
Assemblages of fossil plant remains have been widely used to reconstruct past climatic conditions, usually through the application of methods that involve either finding vegetation analogues on the modern landscape (and using the modern associated climatic values as the basis for an estimate) or using the modern climatic ranges...
Ten simple rules for productive lab meetings
Nigel Golden, Kadambari Devarajan, Cathleen Balantic, Joseph Drake, Michael T. Hallworth, Toni Lyn Morelli
Russell Schwartz, editor(s)
2021, PLOS Computational Biology (17)
The aim of this article is to delineate 10 simple rules on how to achieve productive lab meetings. We use the term “meeting” interchangeably to represent both the single meeting event and the overarching concept of the recurring meeting. In this article we speak from our experience, as a lab...
Transient disease dynamics across ecological scales
Yun Tao, Jessica L Hite, Kevin D. Lafferty, David J D Earn, Nita Bharti
2021, Theoretical Ecology (14) 625-640
Analyses of transient dynamics are critical to understanding infectious disease transmission and persistence. Identifying and predicting transients across scales, from within-host to community-level patterns, plays an important role in combating ongoing epidemics and mitigating the risk of future outbreaks. Moreover, greater emphases on non-asymptotic processes will...
Enhancing Great Lakes coastal ecosystems research by initiating engagement between scientists and decision-makers
Charlotte B. Weinstein, Laura Bourgeau-Chavez, S. L. Martin, W. S. Currie, K. Grantham, Q. F. Hamlin, David W Hyndman, Kurt P. Kowalski, J. P. Martina, D. Pearsall
2021, Journal of Great Lakes Research (47) 1235-1240
A disconnect between scientific research and environmental management communities can be a detriment to both. In the case of Great Lakes coastal ecosystems, which are inherently complex and subject to uncertain effects of future climatic, environmental, and anthropogenic drivers, greater collaboration could be beneficial to their sustainability. We capture the...
Impact of SST and surface waves on Hurricane Florence (2018): A coupled modeling investigation
Joseph Zambon, Ruoying He, John C. Warner, Christie Hegermiller
2021, Weather and Forecasting (36) 1713-1734
Hurricane Florence (2018) devastated the coastal communities of the Carolinas through heavy rainfall that resulted in massive flooding. Florence was characterized by an abrupt reduction in intensity (Saffir-Simpson Category 4 to Category 1) just prior...
N supply mediates the radiative balance of N2O emissions and CO2 sequestration driven by N-fixing vs. non-fixing trees
Sian Kou-Giesbrecht, Jennifer L. Funk, Steven Perakis, Amelia A. Wolf, Duncan Menge
2021, Ecology (102)
Forests are a significant CO2 sink. However, CO2 sequestration in forests is radiatively offset by emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas, from forest soils. Reforestation, an important strategy for mitigating climate change, has focused on maximizing CO2 sequestration in plant biomass without integrating N2O emissions from soils. Although nitrogen (N)-fixing...
Flow characteristics and salinity patterns in tidal rivers within the northern Ten Thousand Islands, southwest Florida, water years 2007–19
Amanda C. Booth, Travis M. Knight
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5028
Freshwater flow to the Ten Thousand Islands (TTI) estuary has been altered by the construction of the Tamiami Trail and construction of features in the now defunct Southern Golden Gate Estates development. This development included four associated canals that combine into the Faka Union Canal, which discharges into the TTI...
Satellite remote sensing to assess cyanobacterial bloom frequency across the United States at multiple spatial scales
Megan M. Coffer, Blake Schaeffer, Wilson B. Salls, Erin Urquhart, Keith A. Loftin, Richard P. Stumpf, P. Jeremy Werdell, John A. Darling
2021, Ecological Indicators (128)
Cyanobacterial blooms can have negative effects on human health and local ecosystems. Field monitoring of cyanobacterial blooms can be costly, but satellite remote sensing has shown utility for more efficient spatial and temporal monitoring across the United States....
Seismic wave propagation and basin amplification in the Wasatch Front, Utah
Morgan P. Moschetti, David Henry Churchwell, Eric M. Thompson, John Rekoske, Emily Wolin, Oliver S. Boyd
2021, Seismological Research Letters (92) 3626-3641
Ground‐motion analysis of more than 3000 records from 59 earthquakes, including records from the March 2020 Mw">Mw 5.7 Magna earthquake sequence, was carried out to investigate site response and...
Initial estimates of net infiltration and irrigation from a soil-water-balance model of the Mississippi Embayment Regional Aquifer Study Area
Stephen, M. Westenbroek, Martha G. Nielsen, David E. Ladd
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1008
The Mississippi embayment encompasses about 100,000 square miles and covers parts of eight States. In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey began updating previous work for a part of the embayment known as the Mississippi Alluvial Plain to support informed water use and agricultural policy in the region. Groundwater, water use,...
Arsenic in petroleum-contaminated groundwater near Bemidji, Minnesota is predicted to persist for centuries
Brady A. Ziegler, G.-H. Crystal Ng, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli, Aubrey J. Dunshee, Madeline E. Schreiber
2021, Water (13)
We used a reactive transport model to investigate the cycling of geogenic arsenic (As) in a petroleum-contaminated aquifer. We simulated As mobilization and sequestration using surface complexation reactions with Fe(OH)3 during petroleum biodegradation coupled with Fe-reduction. Model results predict that dissolved As in the plume will exceed the...
Global commitments to conserving and monitoring genetic diversity are now necessary and feasible
Sean M. Hoban, Michael W. Bruford, W. Chris Funk, Peter Galbusera, M. Patrick Griffith, Catherine E. Grueber, Myriam Heuertz, Margaret Hunter, Christina Hvilsom, Belma Kalamujic Stroil, Francine Kershaw, Colin K. Khoury, Linda Laikre, Magarida Lopes-Fernandes, Anna J. MacDonald, Joachim Mergeay, Mariah Meek, Cinnamon Mittan, Tarek A. Mukassabi, David O'Brien, Rob Ogden, Clarisse Palma-Silva, Uma Ramakrishnan, Gernot Segelbacher, Robyn E. Shaw, Per Sjogren-Gulve, Nevena Velickovic, Cristiano Vernesi
2021, BioScience
Global conservation policy and action have largely neglected protecting and monitoring genetic diversity—one of the three main pillars of biodiversity. Genetic diversity (diversity within species) underlies species’ adaptation and survival, ecosystem resilience, and societal innovation. The low priority given to genetic diversity has largely been due to knowledge gaps...
Does type, quantity, and location of habitat matter for fish diversity in a Great Plains riverscape?
Sean M. Hitchman, Martha E. Mather, Joseph M. Smith
2021, Fisheries Magazine (46) 495-504
Fisheries professionals frequently measure habitat type and amount, but less often measure the importance of where those habitats are located and in what combinations. We address this challenge by testing whether the individual and combined type, quantity, and location of habitat affects fish diversity in the...
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the northern Sierra Nevada foothills domestic-supply aquifer study units, 2015–17—California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Zeno F. Levy, Miranda S. Fram
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5019
Groundwater quality in the northern Sierra Nevada foothills region of California was investigated as part of California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Groundwater Ambient Monitoring Assessment Priority Basin Project (GAMA-PBP). The region was divided into two study units: the Yuba-Bear watersheds (YBW) study unit and the American-Cosumnes-Mokelumne watersheds (ACMW)...
Geologic influences on the quality of groundwater used for domestic supply in the northern Sierra Nevada Foothills
Zeno F. Levy, Miranda S. Fram
2021, Fact Sheet 2021-3013
Approximately 2 million California residents depend on groundwater from domestic wells for their drinking-water supply. The State of California, in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey, created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program Priority Basin Project (GAMA-PBP) to assess the quality of groundwater used for domestic supply throughout the...
Sampling for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) by the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Priority Basin Project
Robert H. Kent
2021, Fact Sheet 2021-3028
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of human-made chemicals that can persist in the environment. In 2019, the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Priority Basin Project (GAMA-PBP) added PFAS to the projects’ on-going assessments of the quality of groundwater used for drinking-water...
Hydrologic and hydraulic analyses of selected streams near the city of Rittman in Wayne and Medina Counties, Ohio
Chad J. Ostheimer
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5040
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District and the city of Rittman, Ohio, did a study to provide data to update and expand parts of two Federal Emergency Management Agency Flood Insurance Studies. The study consisted of hydrologic and hydraulic analyses for selected reaches of...
Discharge data collection and analysis and implications for surface-water/groundwater interactions in the lower Las Vegas Wash, Clark County, Nevada, 2016–18
Jon W. Wilson
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5034
The lower Las Vegas Wash represents the terminal surface drainage for the Las Vegas Valley in southern Nevada. In 1997, high concentrations of perchlorate were found in seeps contributing to discharge in this area and traced to an industrial byproduct from manufacturing operations in the mid-1900s at the nearby Basic...
