Assessing patterns of annual change to permafrost bluffs along the North Slope coast of Alaska using high-resolution imagery and elevation models
Ann E. Gibbs, Matt Nolan, Bruce M. Richmond, Alexander G. Snyder, Li Erikson
2019, Geomorphology (336) 152-164
Coastal permafrost bluffs at Barter Island, on the North Slope, Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska are among the most rapidly eroding along Alaska’s coast, having retreated up to 132 m between 1955 and 2015. Here we quantify rates and patterns of change over a single year using very-high resolution orthophotomosaics...
Igneous rocks in the Fish Creek Mountains and environs, Battle Mountain area, north-central Nevada: A microcosm of Cenozoic igneous activity in the northern Great Basin, Basin and Range Province, USA
Brian L. Cousens, Christopher D. Henry, Christopher Stevens, Susan Varve, David A. John, Stacey Wetmore
2019, Earth Science Reviews (192) 403-444
The Great Basin of the western United States, the northern component of the Basin and Range Province, is a region of Cenozoic lithospheric extension with multiple periods and types of igneous activity. The composition and volume of Cenozoic magmas reflect a complex interaction between mantle-derived magmas and highly diverse crust, where...
Emerging investigator series: Atmospheric cycling of indium in the northeastern United States
Sarah Jane White, Harold F. Hemond
2019, Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts (21) 623-634
Indium is critical to the global economy and is used in an increasing number of electronics and new energy technologies. However, little is known about its environmental behavior or impacts, including its concentrations or cycling in the atmosphere. This study determined indium concentrations in air particulate matter at five locations...
Effects of age and environment on stable carbon isotope ratios in tree rings of riparian Populus
Jonathan M. Friedman, Craig A. Stricker, Adam Z Csank, Honghua Zhou
2019, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (524) 25-32
Stable carbon isotopes of riparian tree rings are enabling improved reconstruction of past climate variability, but this advance is limited by difficulty distinguishing the effects of tree age from those of climate. We investigated relative influence of age and climate trends in genus Populus, which dominates floodplain forests in Europe,...
HyCReWW: A hybrid coral reef wave and water level metamodel
Ana C. Rueda, Laura Cagigal, Stuart Pearson, Jose Antolínez, Curt D. Storlazzi, Ap van Dongeren, Paula Camus, Fernando J. Mendez
2019, Computers & Geosciences (127) 85-90
Wave-induced flooding is a major coastal hazard on tropical islands fronted by coral reefs. The variability of shape, size, and physical characteristics of the reefs across the globe make it difficult to obtain a parameterization of wave run-up, which is needed for risk assessments. Therefore, we developed the HyCReWW metamodel...
Geology of the Hardeeville NW Quadrangle and parts of the Brighton and Pineland Quadrangles, Jasper County, South Carolina
Christopher S. Swezey, Arthur P. Schultz, William R. Doar III, Christopher P. Garrity, Christopher E. Bernhardt, E. Allen Crider Jr., Lucy E. Edwards, John P. McGeehin
2019, Scientific Investigations Map 3424
IntroductionThis publication portrays the geology of the Hardeeville NW quadrangle and parts of the Brighton and Pineland quadrangles that are within Jasper County, South Carolina. The study area is located in the Atlantic Coastal Plain province, approximately 50 to 70 kilometers (km) inland from the coast. The data are compiled...
Sea level rise in the Samoan Islands escalated by viscoelastic relaxation after the 2009 Samoa‐Tonga earthquake
Shin-Chan Han, Jeanne Sauber, Frederick Pollitz, Richard Ray
2019, Journal of Geophysical Research (124) 4142-4156
The Samoan islands are an archipelago hosting a quarter million people mostly residing in three major islands, Savai'i and Upolu (Samoa), and Tutuila (American Samoa). The islands have experienced sea level rise by 2–3 mm/year during the last half century. The rate, however, has dramatically increased following...
Flow alteration-ecology relationships in Ozark Highland streams: Consequences for fish, crayfish and macroinvertebrate assemblages
D.T. Lynch, D.R. Leasure, Daniel D. Magoulick
2019, Science of the Total Environment (672) 680-697
We examined flow alteration-ecology relationships in benthic macroinvertebrate, fish, and crayfish assemblages in Ozark Highland streams, USA, over two years with contrasting environmental conditions, a drought year (2012) and a flood year (2013). We hypothesized that: 1) there would be temporal variation in flow alteration-ecology relationships between the two years, 2) flow alteration-ecology...
Wetland drying linked to variations in snowmelt runoff across Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks
Andrew M. Ray, Adam J. Sepulveda, Kathryn M. Irvine, Siri K.C. Wilmoth, David P. Thoma, Debra A. Patla
2019, Science of the Total Environment (666) 1188-1197
In Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks wetlands offer critical habitat and play a key role in supporting biological diversity. The shallow depths and small size of many wetlands make them vulnerable to changes in climate compared with larger and deeper aquatic habitats. Here, we use a simple water balance...
Establishing molecular methods to quantitatively profile gastric diet items of fish—Application to the invasive blue catfish (ictalurus furcatus)
Deborah D. Iwanowicz, W. Bane Schill, Lakyn R. Sanders, Tim Groves, Mary C. Groves
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1021
Understanding the diet of invasive species helps researchers to more accurately assess the health, survivorship, growth, and stability of an invasive fish species, as well as their effects on native populations. Techniques capable of identifying multiple prey species from fish stomach contents have been developed. In this study, a multi-locus...
The MTPy software package for magnetotelluric data analysis and visualisation
Alison Kirkby, Fei Zhang, Jared R. Peacock, Rakib Hassan, Jingming Duan
2019, Journal of Open Source Software (4) 1358-1364
The magnetotelluric (MT) method is increasingly being applied to a wide variety of geoscience problems. However, the software available for MT data analysis and interpretation is still very limited in comparison to many of the more mature geophysical methods such as the gravity, magnetic or seismic reflection methods. MTPy is an open source...
Slow-growing and extended-duration seismicity swarms: Reactivating joints or foliations in the Cahuilla Valley Pluton, Central Peninsular Ranges, Southern California
E. Hauksson, Z. Ross, Elizabeth S. Cochran
2019, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (124)
Three prolific earthquake swarms and numerous smaller ones have occurred since 1980 in the Mesozoic igneous plutonic rocks of the Perris block of the Peninsular Ranges, Southern California. The major swarms occurred in 1980–1981, 1983–1984, and 2016–2018, with the latest swarm still ongoing. These swarms have no...
Parasitic copepods (Crustacea, Hexanauplia) on fishes from the lagoon flats of Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific
Lilia Catherinne Soler-Jimenez, F. Neptali Morales-Serna, Ma. Leopoldina Aguirre-Macedo, John P. McLaughlin, Alejandra G. Jaramillo, Jenny C. Shaw, Anna K James, Ryan F. Hechinger, Armand M. Kuris, Kevin D. Lafferty, Victor M. Vidal-Martinez
2019, ZooKeys (833) 85-106
We surveyed copepods parasitic on the fishes at Palmyra, a remote atoll in the Central Indo-Pacific faunal region. In total, we collected 849 individual fish, representing 44 species, from the intertidal lagoon flats at Palmyra and recovered 17 parasitic copepod species. The parasitic copepods were: Orbitacolax williamsi on Mulloidichthys flavolineatus;...
Improving eDNA yield and inhibitor reduction through increased water volumes and multi-filter isolation techniques
Margaret Hunter, Jason Ferrante, Gaia Meigs-Friend, Amelia Ulmer
2019, Scientific Reports (9)
To inform management and conservation decisions, environmental DNA (eDNA) methods are used to detect genetic material shed into the water by imperiled and invasive species. Methodological enhancements are needed to reduce filter clogging, PCR inhibition, and false-negative detections when eDNA...
Globally important islands where eradicating invasive mammals will benefit highly threatened vertebrates
Nick D. Holmes, Dena R. Spatz, Steffen Oppel, Bernie Tershy, Donald Croll, Brad Keitt, Piero Genovesi, Ian Burfield, David J. Will, Alexander L. Bond, Alex Wegmann, Alfonso Aguirre-Munoz, Andre F. Raine, Charles R. Knapp, Chung-Hang Hung, David Wingate, Erin Hagen, Federico Mendez-Sanchez, Gerard Rocamora, Hsiao-Wei Yuan, Jakob Fric, James Millett, James M. Russell, Jill Liske-Clark, Eric Vidal, Herve Jourdan, Karl Campbell, Keith Springer, Kristy Swinnerton, Lolita Gibbons-Decherong, Olivier Langrand, M. de L. Brooke, Miguel McMinn, Nancy Bunbury, Nuno Oliveira, Paolo Sposimo, Pedro Geraldes, Pete McClelland, Peter Hodum, Peter G. Ryan, Rafael Borroto-Paez, Ray J. Pierce, Richard Griffiths, Robert N. Fisher, Ross M. Wanless, Stesha A. Pasachnik, Steve Cranwell, Thierry Micol, Stuart H. M. Butchart
2019, PLoS ONE (14)
Invasive alien species are a major threat to native insular species. Eradicating invasive mammals from islands is a feasible and proven approach to prevent biodiversity loss. We developed a conceptual framework to identify globally important islands for invasive mammal eradications to prevent imminent extinctions among highly threatened species using biogeographic...
Energy allocation and feeding ecology of juvenile chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) during transition from freshwater to saltwater
Sean E. Burril, Vanessa R. von Biela, Nicola Hillbruber, Christian E. Zimmerman
2019, Polar Biology (41) 1447-1461
Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) populations near their northern range extent in the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim region of Alaska have undergone major changes in population trajectory and illuminated the lack of basic information on juvenile ecology. This study fills information gaps on the early life history of chum salmon at northern latitudes. Energy...
Distribution and abundance of Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus) on the Middle San Luis Rey River, San Diego County, Southern California—2018 data summary
Lisa D. Allen, Barbara E. Kus
2019, Data Series 1109
We surveyed for Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus; vireo) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus; flycatcher) along the San Luis Rey River, between College Boulevard in Oceanside and Interstate 15 in Fallbrook, California (middle San Luis Rey River), in 2018. Surveys were conducted from April 17 to July 16 (vireo) and from May 16...
Persistence of intense, climate-driven runoff late in Mars history
Edwin S. Kite, David Mayer, Sharon A. Wilson, Joel M. Davis, Antoine S. Lucas, Gaia Stucky de Quay
2019, Science Advances (5)
Mars is dry today, but numerous precipitation-fed paleo-rivers are found across the planet’s surface. These rivers’ existence is a challenge to models of planetary climate evolution. We report results indicating that, for a given catchment area, rivers on Mars were wider than rivers on Earth today. We use the scale...
Measurement of long-term channel change through repeated cross-section surveys at bridge crossings in Alaska
Karenth L. Dworsky, Jeffrey S. Conaway
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1028
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been working with Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) since 1993 to provide hydraulic assessments of scour for bridges throughout Alaska. The purpose of the program is to evaluate, monitor, and study streambed scour at bridges in Alaska; this includes surveying...
Mammut pacificus sp. nov., a newly recognized species of mastodon from the Pleistocene of western North America
Alton C Dooley, Eric Scott, Jeremy Green, Kathleen B. Springer, Brett Dooley, Gregory J. Smith
2019, PeerJ (7)
A new species of mastodon from the Pleistocene of western North America, Mammut pacificus sp. nov. is herein recognized, with specimens identified throughout California and from two localities in southern Idaho. This new taxon differs from the contemporaneous M. americanum in having narrower teeth, most prominently in M3/m3, as well as six sacral vertebrae,...
Mid-latitude net precipitation decreased with Arctic warming during the Holocene
Cody Routson, Nicholas McKay, Darrell Kaufman, Hugues Goosse, Bryan Shuman, Jessica Rodysill, Toby Ault
2019, Nature (568) 83-87
The latitudinal temperature gradient between the Equator and the poles influences atmospheric stability, the strength of the jet stream and extratropical cyclones. Recent global warming is weakening the annual surface gradient in the Northern Hemisphere by preferentially warming the high...
Laboratory for Infectious Disease and the Environment (LIDE)
Joel P. Stokdyk, Jennifer L. Bruce, Tucker R. Burch, Susan K. Spencer, Aaron D. Firnstahl, Mark A. Borchardt
2019, Fact Sheet 2018-3079
The Laboratory for Infectious Disease and the Environment (LIDE) studies the occurrence, fate and transport, and health effects of human and agricultural zoonotic pathogens in the environment. The LIDE is an interagency collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service that conducts research...
Tampa Bay Ocean and Coastal Acidification Monitoring Quality Assurance Project Plan
Kimberly K. Yates, Christopher S. Moore, Nathan H. Goldstein, Edward T. Sherwood
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1003
Coastal acidification caused by eutrophication, freshwater inflow, and upwelling is already affecting many estuaries worldwide and can be exacerbated by ocean acidification that is caused by increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Effective management, mitigation, and (or) adaptation to the effects of coastal and ocean acidification require careful monitoring of...
Does perspective matter? A case study comparing Eulerian and Lagrangian estimates of common murre (Uria aalge) distributions
Elizabeth M. Phillips, John K. Horne, Jeannette E. Zamon, Jonathan J. Felis, Josh Adams
2019, Ecology and Evolution (9) 4805-4819
Studies estimating species' distributions require information about animal locations in space and time. Location data can be collected using surveys within a predetermined frame of reference (i.e., Eulerian sampling) or from animal‐borne tracking devices (i.e., Lagrangian sampling). Integration of observations obtained from Eulerian and Lagrangian perspectives can provide insights into...
Radiometric calibration of a non-imaging airborne spectrometer to measure the Greenland ice sheet surface
Christopher J. Crawford, Jeannette van den Bosch, Kelly M. Brunt, Milton G. Hom, John W. Cooper, David J. Harding, James J. Butler, Philip W. Dabney, Thomas A. Neumann, Craig S. Cleckner, Thorsten Markus
2019, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (12) 1913-1933
Methods to radiometrically calibrate a non-imaging airborne visible-to-shortwave infrared (VSWIR) spectrometer to measure the Greenland ice sheet surface are presented. Airborne VSWIR measurement performance for bright Greenland ice and dark bare rock/soil targets is compared against the MODerate resolution atmospheric TRANsmission (MODTRAN®) radiative transfer code (version 6.0), and a coincident...
