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...
Estimation of base flow by optimal hydrograph separation for the conterminous United States and implications for national-extent hydrologic models
Sydney Foks, Jeff P. Raffensperger, Colin A. Penn, Jessica M. Driscoll
2019, Water (11)
Optimal hydrograph separation (OHS) uses a two-parameter recursive digital filter that applies specific conductance mass-balance constraints to estimate the base flow contribution to total streamflow at stream gages where discharge and specific conductance are measured. OHS was applied to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stream gages across the conterminous United States...
Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) diving changes with productivity, behavioral mode, and sea surface temperature
Autumn Iverson, Ikuko Fujisaki, Margaret M. Lamont, Kristen Hart
2019, PLoS ONE (14)
The relationship between dive behavior and oceanographic conditions is not well understood for marine predators, especially sea turtles. We tagged loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) with satellite-linked depth loggers in the Gulf of Mexico, where there is a minimal amount of dive data for this species. We tested for associations between...
Chemical and physical controls on mercury source signatures in stream fish from the northeastern United States
Sarah E. Janssen, Karen Riva-Murray, John F. DeWild, Jacob M. Ogorek, Michael T. Tate, Peter C. Van Metre, David P. Krabbenhoft, James F. Coles
2019, Environmental Science & Technology (53) 10110-10119
Streams in the northeastern U.S. receive mercury (Hg) in varying proportions from atmospheric deposition and legacy point sources, making it difficult to attribute shifts in fish concentrations directly back to changes in Hg source management. Mercury stable isotope tracers were utilized to relate sources of Hg to co-located fish and...
Streamflow, water quality, and constituent loads and yields, Scituate Reservoir Drainage Area, Rhode Island, Water Year 2017
Kirk P. Smith
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1039
As part of a long-term cooperative program to monitor water quality within the Scituate Reservoir drainage area, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Providence Water Supply Board, collected streamflow and water-quality data at the Scituate Reservoir and tributaries. Streamflow and concentrations of chloride and sodium estimated from records...
Climatic correlates of white pine blister rust infection in whitebark pine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
David Thoma, Erin K. Shanahan, Kathryn Irvine
2019, Forests (10)
Whitebark pine, a foundation species at tree line in the Western U.S. and Canada, has declined due to native mountain pine beetle epidemics, wildfire, and white pine blister rust. These declines are concerning for the multitude of ecosystem and human benefits provided by this species. Understanding climatic correlates associated with...
Effective solubility assessment for organic analytes in liquid samples, BKK class I landfill, West Covina, California, 2014–16
Michelle M. Lorah, Emily H. Majcher, Carol J. Morel
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1080
Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey assessed the effective solubilities of organic analytes at the BKK Class Ⅰ Landfill site, West Covina, California, in cooperation with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, using available data for liquid samples collected within (in-waste) and below (sub-waste) the landfill in 2014–16. The primary...
Using the precipitation-runoff modeling system to predict seasonal water availability in the upper Klamath River basin, Oregon and California
John C. Risley
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5044
Accurate forecasts of the streamflow expected during late spring and summer in the Upper Klamath River Basin in southern-central Oregon and northern California are used by water management agencies to balance water allocations for agriculture, aquatic habitat, and hydropower-production needs. Streamflow forecasts are also used by irrigation farmers for...
