Interactions between resident risk perceptions and wildfire risk mitigation: Evidence from simultaneous equations modeling
James Meldrum, Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Patricia A. Champ, Jamie Gomez, Lilia C. Falk, Christopher M. Barth
2019, Fire (2)
Fire science emphasizes that mitigation actions on residential property, including structural hardening and maintaining defensible space, can reduce the risk of wildfire at a home. Accordingly, a rich body of social science literature investigates the determinants of wildfire risk mitigation behaviors of residents living in fire-prone areas. Here, we investigate...
Return of a giant: Coordinated conservation leads to the first wild reproduction of Lahontan Cutthroat Trout in the Truckee River in nearly a century
Robert Al-Chokhachy, Lisa Heki, Tim Loux, Roger Peka
2019, Fisheries (45) 63-73
Many freshwater fish populations have been greatly reduced, with particular loss of migratory fishes. Recovering depleted populations is challenging as threats are often plentiful and complex, especially in arid environments where demands for water resources are high. Here, we describe how a collaborative, multifaceted approach has spurred natural reproduction—a major...
Distribution and movement of steelhead and anglers in the Clearwater River, Idaho
Stacey F Feeken, Brett J. Bowersox, Marika E. Dobos, Matthew P. Corsi, Michael C. Quist, Timothy Copeland
2019, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (39) 1056-1072
Steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss is a species that is of high economic value that supports popular sport fisheries across the Pacific Northwest. The Clearwater River in Idaho provides a trophy steelhead fishery, and it is home to both wild- and hatchery-origin steelhead. To manage the fishery effectively, information is...
Estimating potential wetland extent along selected river reaches in Indiana using streamflow statistics and flood-inundation mapping techniques
Kathleen K. Fowler, Benjamin J. Sperl, Moon H. Kim
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5063
In this study potential wetland extents were estimated for 12 river reaches covering about 750 river miles in Indiana and parts of Illinois and Ohio. The study was completed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. This study follows and...
Life history, genetics, range expansion and new frontiers of the lionfish (Pterois volitans, Perciformes: Pteroidae) in Latin America
Edgardo Diaz-Ferguson, Margaret Hunter
2019, Regional Studies in Marine Science (31)
Pterois volitans (lionfish) is a midsize predatory fish commonly found in waters of the western Pacific and Indian Ocean. The species was first documented in Dania Beach, Florida (northwestern Caribbean) in 1985. Since that time the species has expanded its range rapidly to the Northwestern Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and...
Examining the extraction efficiency of petroleum-derived dissolved organic matter in contaminated groundwater plumes
Phoebe Zito, Rana Ghannam, Barbara A. Bekins, David C. Podgorski
2019, Ground Water Monitoring and Remediation (39) 25-31
The extraction efficiency of petroleum-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) was examined for groundwater samples from an aquifer contaminated with crude oil. Four different types of extraction were used to determine which method is best suited for the analysis of potentially toxic petroleum-derived DOM. The four types were a liquid-liquid extraction...
Recognition and significance of Late Devonian fluvial, estuarine, and mixed siliciclastic-carbonate nearshore marine environments in the San Juan Mountains (southwestern Colorado, U.S.A.): Multiple incised valleys backfilled by lowstand and transgressive system tracts
James E. Evans, Joshua T Maurer, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma
2019, Geosphere (15) 1497-1507
The Upper Devonian Ignacio Formation (as stratigraphically revised) comprises a transgressive, tide-dominated estuarine depositional system in the San Juan Mountains (Colorado, USA). The unit backfills at least three bedrock paleovalleys (10–30 km wide and ≥42 m deep) with a consistent stratigraphy of tidally influenced fluvial, bayhead-delta, central estuarine-basin, mixed tidal-flat,...
The effects of restored hydrologic connectivity on floodplain trapping vs. release of phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment along the Pocomoke River, Maryland USA
Gregory E. Noe, Kathy Boomer, Jaimie Gillespie, Cliff R. Hupp, Mario Martin-Alciati, Kelly Floro, Edward R. Schenk, Amy K. Jacobs, Steve Strano
2019, Ecological Engineering (138) 334-352
River channelization and artificial levees have decreased the hydrologic connectivity of river-floodplain systems around the world. In response, restoration through enhancing connectivity has been advocated to improve the functions of floodplains, but uncertain benefits and the possibility of phosphate release from re-flooded soils has limited implementation. In this study, we...
Mid-piacenzian of the north Atlantic Ocean
Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Kevin M. Foley, Timothy D. Herbert, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, Whittney Spivey
2019, Stratigraphy (16) 119-144
The Piacenzian Age (Pliocene) represents a past climate interval within which frequency and magnitude of environmental changes during a period of past global warmth can be analyzed, climate models can be tested, and results can be placed in a context to better prepare for future change. Here we focus on...
Using scenarios to evaluate vulnerability of grassland communities to climate change in the Southern Great Plains of the United States
Daniel J. Manier, Natasha B. Carr, Gordon C. Reese, Lucy Burris
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1046
Scenario planning is a useful tool for identifying key vulnerabilities of ecological systems to changing climates, informed by the potential outcomes for a set of divergent, plausible, and relevant climate scenarios. We evaluated potential vulnerabilities of grassland communities to changing climate in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) and the Landscape...
Mapping crop residue by combining Landsat and WorldView-3 satellite imagery
W. Dean Hively, Jacob Shermeyer, Brian T. Lamb, Craig S.T. Daughtry, Miguel Quemada, Jason Keppler
2019, Remote Sensing (11)
A unique, multi-tiered approach was applied to map crop-residue cover on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, USA. Field measurements of crop-residue cover were used to calibrate residue mapping using shortwave infrared (SWIR) indices derived from WorldView-3 imagery for an 8-km x 8-km footprint. The resulting map was then...
Use of set blanks in reporting pesticide results at the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory, 2001-15
Laura Medalie, Mark W. Sandstrom, Patricia L. Toccalino, William T. Foreman, Rhiannon C. ReVello, Laura M. Bexfield, Melissa L. Riskin
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5055
Executive SummaryBackground.—Pesticide results from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) are used for water-quality assessments by many agencies and organizations. The USGS is committed to providing data of the highest possible quality to the consumers of its data. A cooperator’s inquiries about specific pesticide detections in...
Soil chemistry, and not short-term (1–2 year) deer exclusion, explains understory plant occupancy in forests affected by acid deposition
Danielle R. Begley-Miller, Duane R. Diefenbach, Marc E. McDill, Patrick J. Drohan, Christopher S. Rosenberry, Emily H. Just Domoto
2019, AoB PLANTS (11)
The loss of species diversity and plant community structure throughout the temperate deciduous forests of North America have often been attributed to overbrowsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginanus). Slow species recovery following removal from browsing, or reduction in deer density, has been termed a legacy effect of past deer herbivory....
Ecosystems Mission Area bookmark
U.S. Geological Survey
2019, General Information Product 192
Scientists with the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area can be found at Science Centers and Cooperative Research Units across the Nation. We provide scientific research for the Department of the Interior that supports the management and conservation of our Nation’s biological resources....
U.S. Geological Survey accomplishments in cartography 2015-2019
E. Lynn Usery
2019, Conference Paper, 2019 US national report
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the United States' official national topographic mapping organization, is building and maintaining geographic databases for fundamental base geographic layers of land cover, structures, boundaries, hydrography, geographic names, transportation, elevation, and orthoimagery as The National Map. Data from the 3D Elevation Program, the National Hydrography Dataset...
Canals, backfilling and wetland loss in the Mississippi Delta
John W. Day, Gary P. Shaffer, Donald Cahoon, Ronald D. DeLaune
2019, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (227)
Canals and spoil banks have contributed significantly to high rates of wetland loss in the Mississippi delta. There has been relatively little research on management of canals and spoil banks and this needs to be a significant component of restoration of the delta. We analyze research on the...
Eastern Pacific migration strategies of pink-footed shearwaters Ardenna creatopus: Implications for fisheries interactions and international conservation
Jonathan J. Felis, Josh Adams, Peter Hodum, Ryan D. Carle, Valentina Colodro
2019, Endangered Species Research (39) 269-282
The pink-footed shearwater Ardenna creatopus has a breeding range restricted to 3 central-Chilean islands and travels north in the eastern Pacific Ocean during the non-breeding period. Despite its Vulnerable IUCN status, the locations and relative importance of core non-breeding areas and migratory pathways of the species are not well understood....
Genomic identity of white oak species in an eastern North American syngameon
Andrew Hipp, Alan T. Whittemore, Mira Garner, Marlene Hahn, Elisabeth Fitzek, Erwan Guichoux, Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Paul F. Gugger, Paul Manos, Ian Pearse, Chuck Cannon
2019, Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden (104) 455-477
The eastern North American white oaks, a complex of approximately 16 potentially interbreeding species, have become a classic model for studying the genetic nature of species in a syngameon. Genetic work over the past two decades has demonstrated the reality of oak species, but gene flow between sympatric oaks raises...
Streamflow reconstruction in the Upper Missouri River Basin using a novel Bayesian network model
Arun Ravindranath, Naresh Devineni, Upmanu Lall, Edward Cook, Gregory T. Pederson, Justin Martin, Connie A. Woodhouse
2019, Water Resources Research (55) 7694-7716
A Bayesian model that uses the spatial dependence induced by the river network topology, and the leading principal components of regional tree-ring chronologies for paleo-streamflow reconstruction is presented. In any river basin, a convergent, dendritic network of tributaries comes together to form the main stem of a river....
Bloom forming cyanobacteria can adversely affect zebra and quagga mussel veligers
Anna G. Boegehold, Nicholas S. Johnson, Donna R. Kashian
2019, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety (182)
Quagga (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) and zebra (D. polymorpha) mussels are broadcast spawners that produce planktonic, free swimming veligers, a life history strategy dissimilar to native North American freshwater bivalves. Dreissenid veligers require highly nutritious food to grow and survive, and thus may be susceptible to increased mortality rates during harsh...
Promoting change in common tern (Sterna hirundo) nest site selection to minimize construction related disturbance
Peter C. McGowan, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Carl C. Callahan, William Schultz, Jennifer L. Wall, Diann Prosser
2019, Ecological Restoration (37) 143-147
With dramatic declines in waterbird populations around the globe, wildlife managers have taken great care to minimize disturbance to breeding waterbird colonies. However, sometimes disturbance cannot be avoided and other actions must be considered. During the 2017 breeding season, a colony of Sterna hirundo (Common terns) were deterred from a...
Size selectivity of sampling gears used to sample Kokanee
Zachary B. Klein, Michael Quist, Andrew M. Dux, Matthew P. Corsi
2019, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (39) 343-352
Kokanee Oncorhynchus nerka provide valued recreational fisheries and also serve as a prey resource for economically, socially, and ecologically important fishes. As such, management of kokanee is a major focus of natural resource agencies. Kokanee are typically monitored using midwater trawls, but the interpretation of data collected using...
Occurrence and sources of radium in groundwater associated with oil fields in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California
Peter B. McMahon, Avner Vengosh, Tracy Davis, Matthew K. Landon, Rebecca L. Tyne, Michael Wright, Justin T. Kulongoski, Andrew G. Hunt, Peter H. Barry, A.J. Kondash, Z. Wang, Christopher J. Ballentine
2019, Environmental Science & Technology (53) 9398-9406
Geochemical data from 40 water wells were used to examine the occurrence and sources of radium (Ra) in groundwater associated with three oil fields in California (Fruitvale, Lost Hills, South Belridge). 226Ra+228Ra activities (range=0.010-0.51 Bq/L) exceeded the 0.185 Bq/L drinking-water standard in 18% of the wells (not drinking-water wells). Radium...
An initial assessment of areas where landslides could enter the West Arm of Glacier Bay, Alaska and implications for tsunami hazards
Jeffrey A. Coe, Robert G. Schmitt, Erin Bessette-Kirton
2019, Alaska Park Science (18) 26-37
Tsunamis generated by landslides in Glacier Bay are uncommon, but have potential to be extraordinarily destructive when they occur. This article identifies areas that are susceptible to landslides that could generate tsunamis and discusses approaches to characterize hazard and risk from these events....
Earlier plant growth helps compensate for reduced carbon fixation after 13 years of warming
Daniel E. Winkler, Charlotte Grossiord, Jayne Belnap, Armin J. Howell, Scott Ferrenberg, Hilda J. Smith, Sasha C. Reed
2019, Functional Ecology (33) 2071-2080
1. Drylands play a dominant role in global carbon cycling and are particularly vulnerable to increasing temperatures, but our understanding of how dryland ecosystems will respond to climatic change remains notably poor. Considering that the area of drylands is projected to increase 11–23% by 2100, understanding the impacts of warming...
