Water-quality comparison of the Gulf Coast aquifer system and Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer in Texas from National Water-Quality Assessment Project Principal Aquifer Surveys, 2013 and 2015
Patricia B. Ging
2020, Fact Sheet 2020-3009
The U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project assessed the quality of groundwater in aquifers that are important sources of drinking water in the United States. One major aquifer in Texas that was assessed by NAWQA in 2013 is the coastal lowlands aquifer system, which is often referred to...
Machine learning identifies a strong association between warming and reduced primary productivity in an oligotrophic ocean gyre
Domenico D’Alelio, Salvatore Rampone, Luigi Maria Cusano, Valerio Morfino, Luca Russo, Nadia Sanseverino, James E. Cloern, Michael W. Lomas
2020, Scientific Reports (10)
Phytoplankton play key roles in the oceans by regulating global biogeochemical cycles and production in marine food webs. Global warming is thought to affect phytoplankton production both directly, by impacting their photosynthetic metabolism, and indirectly by modifying the physical environment in which they grow. In this respect, the Bermuda Atlantic...
Prioritizing water security in the management of vector borne diseases: Lessons from Oaxaca, Mexico
Ali S Akanda, Kristine D. Johnson, Howard S. Ginsberg, Janelle Couret
2020, Geohealth News (4)
Changes in human water use, along with temperature and rainfall patterns, are facilitating habitat spread and distribution of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, the primary vectors for the transmission of Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika viruses in the Americas. Artificial containers and wetspots provide major sources of mosquito larval habitat...
Have humans influenced volcanic activity on the lower East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano? A publication review
James P. Kauahikaua, Frank A. Trusdell
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1017
Since the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, the topic of whether commercial developments not only caused the eruption to occur in the lower East Rift Zone (LERZ), but also caused its high eruption rate has been a subject of public discussion. We review Kīlauea Volcano publications from the past several...
Climate- and disturbance-driven changes in subsistence berries in coastal Alaska: Indigenous knowledge to inform ecological inference
Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Rachel A. Loehman, Ryan C. Toohey, Cynthia Paniyak
2020, Human Ecology Review (48) 85-99
Berry-producing plants are a key subsistence resource in Indigenous Alaskan communities. High-latitude coastal regions are particularly impacted by global climate change due to their location at the land-sea ecotone subjecting them to terrestrial stressors as well as shifts in ocean dynamics. While vegetation changes have been documented for the subarctic coastal region of Alaska,...
Amphibian responses in the aftermath of extreme climate events
Gary M. Bucciarelli, Morgan Clark, Katy S. Delaney, Seth P.D. Riley, H. Bradley Shaffer, Robert N. Fisher, Rodney L Honeycutt, Lee B. Kats
2020, Scientific Reports (10)
Climate change-induced extinctions are estimated to eliminate one in six known species by the end of the century. One major factor that will contribute to these extinctions is extreme climatic events. Here, we show the ecological impacts of recent record warm air temperatures and simultaneous peak drought conditions in California....
Practices of biological soil crust rehabilitation in China: Experiences and challenges
Xiaobing Zhou, Yunge Zhao, Jayne Belnap, Bingchang Zhang, Chongfeng Bu, Yuanming Zhang
2020, Restoration Ecology (28) S45-S55
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are a central component of dryland ecosystems. However, they are highly vulnerable to disturbance and natural recovery may be slow. Therefore, finding ways to enhance the reestablishment of biocrusts after disturbance has been of great interest to researchers. This article provides a review of the laboratory...
A non-intrusive approach for efficient stochastic emulation and optimization of model-based nitrate-loading management decision support
Jeremy T. White, Matthew Knowling, Michael N. Fienen, Daniel T. Feinstein, Garry W. McDonald, Catherine R. Moore
2020, Environmental Modelling and Software (126)
Use of physically-motivated numerical models like groundwater flow-and-transport models for probabilistic impact assessments and optimization under uncertainty (OUU) typically incurs such a computational burdensome that these tools cannot be used during decision making. The computational challenges associated with these models can...
A non-intrusive approach for efficient stochastic emulation and optimization of model-based nitrate-loading management decision support
Jeremy T. White, Matthew J. Knowling, Michael N. Fienen, Daniel T. Feinstein, Garry W. McDonald, Catherine R. Moore
2020, Environmental Modeling and Software (126)
Use of physically-motivated numerical models like groundwater flow-and-transport models for probabilistic impact assessments and optimization under uncertainty (OUU) typically incurs such a computational burdensome that these tools cannot be used during decision making. The computational challenges associated with these models can be addressed through emulation. In the land-use/water-quality context, the...
Regional ocean models indicate changing limits to biological invasions in the Bering Sea
Amanda Droghini, Anthony S. Fischbach, Jordan Watson, Jesika Reimer
2020, ICES Journal of Marine Science
Minimal vessel traffic and cold water temperatures are believed to limit non-indigenous species (NIS) in high-latitude ecosystems. We evaluated whether suitable conditions exist in the Bering Sea for the introduction, survival, and reproduction of NIS. We compiled temperature and salinity thresholds of known NIS and compared these to ocean conditions...
Preliminary analyses of volcanic hazards at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i, 2017–2018
Christina A. Neal, Kyle R. Anderson
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1002
From 2017 to 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) responded to ongoing and changing eruptions at Kīlauea Volcano as part of its mission to monitor volcanic processes, issue warnings of dangerous activity, and assess volcanic hazards. To formalize short-term hazards assessments—and, in some cases, issue...
Hydrologic and hydraulic analyses of selected streams in Stark County, Ohio
Chad J. Ostheimer, Matthew T. Whitehead
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5011
To update and expand a part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Flood Insurance Study, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, and the Stark County Commissioners began a cooperative study. The study consisted of hydrologic and hydraulic analyses for selected reaches of 14 streams in Stark County,...
Modeling a 2- and 4-foot drawdown in the Link River to Keno Dam reach of the upper Klamath River, south-central Oregon
Annett B. Sullivan, Stewart A. Rounds
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5001
Executive SummaryThe most upstream, pooled reach of the Klamath River in south-central Oregon, from Link River mouth to Keno Dam (Link-Keno), has a water-surface elevation that remains relatively constant throughout the year. Two model scenarios, using an existing two-dimensional hydrodynamic and water-quality model (CE-QUAL-W2), were constructed to examine the...
Highly variable rates of survival to metamorphosis in wild boreal toads (Anaxyrus boreas boreas)
John G. Crockett, Larissa L. Bailey, Erin L. Muths
2020, Population Ecology (62) 258-268
Life history theory suggests that long‐lived, pond‐breeding amphibians should have low and highly variable early life‐stage survival rates, but this theoretical expectation is often untested and the causes of variation are usually unknown. We evaluated the impact of hydroperiod, presence of a pathogen (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis [Bd]), presence of a potential predator...
Lifetime chronicles of selenium exposure linked to deformities in an imperiled migratory fish
Rachel C. Johnson, A. Robin Stewart, Karin Limburg, Rong Huang, Dennis E. Cocherell, Frederick V. Feyrer
2020, Environmental Science & Technology (54) 2892-2901
Aquatic ecosystems worldwide face growing threats from elevated levels of contaminants from human activities. Toxic levels of selenium (Se) shown to cause deformities in birds, fish, and mammals can transfer from parents to progeny during embryonic development or accumulate through Se-enriched diets. For migratory species that move across landscapes, tracking...
Conceptual frameworks
Keunhyun Park, James B. Grace, Reid Ewing
2020, Book chapter, Basic quantitative research methods for urban planners
The chapter starts by addressing some of the issues that come from not using a conceptual framework. This point is illustrated using an example with causal factors. The chapter then goes on to explain the mechanics of establishing conceptual frameworks. Lastly, it...
Runoff sensitivity to snow depletion curve representation within a continental scale hydrologic model
Graham A. Sexstone, Jessica M. Driscoll, Lauren Hay, John C. Hammond, Theodore B. Barnhart
2020, Hydrological Processes (34) 2365-2380
The spatial variability of snow water equivalent (SWE) can exert a strong influence on the timing and magnitude of snowmelt delivery to a watershed. Therefore, the representation of subgrid or subwatershed snow variability in hydrologic models is important for accurately simulating snowmelt dynamics and runoff response. The U.S. Geological Survey...
A machine learning approach to developing ground motion models from simulated ground motions
Kyle Withers, Morgan P. Moschetti, Eric M. Thompson
2020, Geophysical Research Letters (47)
We use a machine learning approach to build a ground motion model (GMM) from a synthetic database of ground motions extracted from the Southern California CyberShake study. An artificial neural network is used to find the optimal weights that best fit the target data (without overfitting), with...
Spatial and temporal variations in SO2 and PM2.5 levels around Kīlauea volcano, Hawai'i during 2007–2018
R.C.W. Whitty, E. Ilyinskaya, E. Mason, P.E. Wieser, E. J. Liu, A. Schmidt, T.J. Roberts, M.A. Pfeffer, Barbara Brooks, T.A. Mather, M. Edmonds, Tamar Elias, David J. Schneider, C. Oppenheimer, A. Dybwad, Patricia A. Nadeau, Christoph Kern
2020, Frontiers in Earth Science (8)
Among the hazards posed by volcanoes are the emissions of gases and particles that can affect air quality and damage agriculture and infrastructure. A recent intense episode of volcanic degassing associated with severe impacts on air quality accompanied the 2018 lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption of Kīlauea volcano,...
An experimental study of longitudinal incisional grooves in a mixed bedrock-alluvial channel
Takuya Inoue, Jonathan M. Nelson
2020, Water Resources Research (56)
Natural bedrock rivers have various bedforms created by erosion. Flow‐parallel incisional grooves formed longitudinally in bedrock are one common example of such bedforms. Although several studies have been conducted regarding these grooves, their formation processes are not well understood. In this study, we conducted a flume experiment to investigate the...
Preparing for geophysical science on the surface of the moon enabled by Artemis
Nicholas Schmerr, Jacob A. Richardson, R. Ghent, Matt Seigler, Molly Wasser, Patrick Wheeley, D. Buczkowski, Lynne Carter, Chuck Connor, Laura Connor, Jacob E. Bleacher, M. Fouch, D. Baker, T. Hurford, L. Jozwiak, Sarah Kruse, V. Lekic, A. Naids, Ryan Porter, L. Montesi, Derek Richardson, M. Elise Rumpf, J. Sunshine, Norbert Schorghofer, S. Goossens, Nicole Whelley, D. Wyrick, W. Zhu, Ernie Bell, J. DeMartini, D. Coan, D. Akin, Barbara Cohen, E. Mazarico, Clive Neal, M. Panning, Noah Petro, B. Strauss, Renee Weber, T. Glotch, A. Hendrix, A. Parker, Sarah Wright
2020, Report, Artemis III Science Definition Team White Papers
Geophysical methods have been extremely successful in identifying resources on Earth as they provide a means of characterizing and mapping the sub-surface using data gathered on and above the target structures. Geophysics on the Moon will be an important tool for identifying key targets for geological prospecting, scientific sampling, assessing...
Long term persistence of aspen in snowdrift-dependent ecosystems
Alec M Kretchun, Robert M Scheller, Douglas J. Shinneman, B Soderquist, Kaitlin C. Maguire, Timothy E Link, Eva K. Strand
2020, Forest Ecology and Management (462)
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) forests throughout the western United States have experienced significant mortality in recent decades, much of which has been influenced by climate variability, especially drought. In the western portion of its range, where most precipitation arrives during winter as snowfall and summers are dry, snowdrifts that persist into the growing season...
Evolving infrasound detections from Bogoslof volcano, Alaska: Insights from atmospheric propagation modeling
Hans Schwaiger, John J. Lyons, Alexandra M. Iezzi, David Fee, Matthew M. Haney
2020, Bulletin of Volcanology (82)
Bogoslof volcano, a back-arc volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian arc, began an eruptive sequence in mid-December 2016 that ended in late August 2017, with 70 individual eruptive episodes. Because there were no local seismic or infrasound stations on the island, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) relied on distant geophysical networks and...
The effects of fire on the thermal environment of sagebrush communities
Christopher R. Anthony, Christian A. Hagen, Katie Dugger, R. Dwayne Elmore
2020, Journal of Thermal Biology (89)
Thermal heterogeneity provides options for organisms during extreme temperatures that can contribute to their fitness. Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) communities exhibit vegetation heterogeneity that creates thermal variation at fine spatial scales. However, fire can change vegetation and thereby variation within the thermal environment...
Characterizing land surface phenology and exotic annual grasses in dryland ecosystems using Landsat and Sentinel-2 data in harmony
Neal Pastick, Devendra Dahal, Bruce K. Wylie, Sujan Parajuli, Stephen P. Boyte, Zhuoting Wu
2020, Remote Sensing (12)
Invasive annual grasses, such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.), have proliferated in dryland ecosystems of the western United States, promoting increased fire activity and reduced biodiversity that can be detrimental to socio-environmental systems. Monitoring exotic annual grass cover and dynamics over large areas requires the use of remote sensing that...
