Priority questions in multidisciplinary drought research
Miroslav Trnka, Michael Hayes, Frantisek Jurecka, Lenka Bartosova, Martha Anderson, Rudolf Brazdil, Jesslyn F. Brown, Jesus J. Camarero, Pavel Cudlin, Petr Dobrovolny, Josef Eitzinger, Song Feng, Taryn Finnessey, Gregor Gregoric, Petr Havlik, Christopher Hain, Ian Holman, David Johnson, Kurt Christian Kersebaum, Fredrik Charpentier Ljungqvist, Jurg Luterbacher, Fabio Micale, Claudia Hartl-Meier, Martin Mozny, Pavol Nejedlik, Jorgen Eivind Olesen, Margarita Ruiz-Ramos, Reimund P. Rotter, Gabriel Senay, Sergio M. Vicente-Serrano, Mark Svoboda, Andreja Susnik, Tsegaye Tadesse, Adam Vizina, Brian D. Wardlow, Zdenek Zalud, Ulf Buntgen
2018, Climate Research (75) 241-260
Addressing timely and relevant questions across a multitude of spatio-temporal scales, state-of-the-art interdisciplinary drought research will likely increase in importance under projected climate change. Given the complexity of the various direct and indirect causes and consequences of a drier world, scientific tasks need to be coordinated efficiently. Drought-related research endeavors...
Increasing connectivity between metapopulation ecology and landscape ecology
Paige E. Howell, Erin L. Muths, Blake Hossack, Brent Sigafus, Richard Chandler
2018, Ecology (99) 1119-1128
Metapopulation ecology and landscape ecology aim to understand how spatial structure influences ecological processes, yet these disciplines address the problem using fundamentally different modeling approaches. Metapopulation models describe how the spatial distribution of patches affects colonization and extinction, but often do not account for the heterogeneity in the landscape between...
Divisions of geologic time—Major chronostratigraphic and geochronologic units
U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Names Committee
2018, Fact Sheet 2018-3054
IntroductionEffective communication in the geosciences requires a consistent nomenclature for stratigraphic units and, especially, for divisions of geologic time. A geologic time scale is composed of standard stratigraphic divisions based on rock sequences and is calibrated in years.Geologists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), State geological surveys, academia, and other...
Beyond traditional ecological restoration on the Colorado Plateau
Daniel E. Winkler, Dana M. Backer, Jayne Belnap, John B. Bradford, Bradley J. Butterfield, Stella M. Copeland, Michael C. Duniway, Akasha M. Faist, Stephen E. Fick, Scott L. Jensen, Andrea T. Kramer, Rebecca Mann, Robert Massatti, Molly L. McCormick, Seth M. Munson, Peggy Olwell, Steve D. Parr, Alix Pfennigwerth, Adrienne M. Pilmanis, Bryce A. Richardson, Ella Samuel, Kathy See, Kristina E. Young, Sasha C. Reed
2018, Restoration Ecology (26) 1055-1060
The Colorado Plateau is one of North America's five major deserts, encompassing 340,000 km2 of the western U.S., and offering many opportunities for restoration relevant to researchers and land managers in drylands around the globe. The Colorado Plateau is comprised of vast tracts of public land managed by local, state, and...
Effects of urbanization, and habitat composition on site occupancy of two snake species using regional monitoring data from southern California
Milan J. Mitrovich, James E. Diffendorfer, Cheryl S. Brehme, Robert N. Fisher
2018, Global Ecology and Conservation (15) 1-10
Detection data from a regional, reptile-monitoring program conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey were analyzed to understand the effects of urbanization and habitat composition on site occupancy of the coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum) and striped racer (M. lateralis) in coastal southern California. Likelihood-based occupancy models indicated striped racers responded to habitat...
Quantifying functional connectivity: The role of breeding habitat, abundance, and landscape features on range‐wide gene flow in sage‐grouse
Jeffery R. Row, Kevin E. Doherty, Todd B. Cross, Michael K. Schwartz, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Dave E. Naugle, Steven T. Knick, Bradley C. Fedy
2018, Evolutionary Applications (11) 1305-1321
Functional connectivity, quantified using landscape genetics, can inform conservation through the identification of factors linking genetic structure to landscape mechanisms. We used breeding habitat metrics, landscape attributes, and indices of grouse abundance, to compare fit between structural connectivity and genetic differentiation within five long‐established Sage‐Grouse Management Zones (MZ) I‐V using...
Ratio of mercury concentration to PCB concentration varies with sex of white sucker (Catostomus commersonii)
Charles P. Madenjian, Andrew L. Stevens, Martin A. Stapanian, David P. Krabbenhoft, John F. DeWild, Jacob M. Ogorek, William H. Edwards, Lynn M. Ogilvie, Peter B. McIntyre
2018, Environments (5)
The whole-fish total mercury (Hg) concentrations were determined in 25 mature female and 26 mature male white suckers (Catostomus commersonii) caught during their spawning run in the Kewaunee River, a tributary to Lake Michigan. The age of each fish was estimated using thin-sectioned otoliths, and total length (TL) and weight...
Global Modern Charcoal Dataset (GMCD): A tool for exploring proxy-fire linkages and spatial patterns of biomass burning
Donna Hawthorne, Colin J. Courtney Mustaphi, Julie C. Aleman, Olivier Blarquez, Daniele Colombaroli, Anne-Laure Daniau, Jennifer R. Marlon, Mitchell Power, Boris Vanniere, Youngming Han, Stijn Hantson, Natalie M. Kehrwald, Brian I. Magi, Xu Yue, Christopher Carcaillet, Rob Marchant, Ayodele Ogunkoya, Esther N. Githumbi, Rebecca M. Muriuki
2018, Quaternary International (488) 3-17
Progresses in reconstructing Earth's history of biomass burning has motivated the development of a modern charcoal dataset covering the last decades through a community-based initiative called the Global Modern Charcoal Dataset (GMCD). As the frequency, intensity and spatial scale of fires are predicted to increase regionally and globally in conjunction with changing climate, anthropogenic...
Seismic hazard classifications and Vs30 in Connecticut using MASW and HVSR methods
Sarah L C Morton, John W. Lane Jr., Margaret A. Thomas, Lanbo Liu
2018, Conference Paper
Five new seismic hazard classifications for Hartford County, Connecticut (CT), were proposed by New England State Geologists (NESG) in an effort to improve the current USGS Seismic Hazard Map. These classes were derived from mapped surficial materials, but in situ information is required to verify this approach. Therefore, active and...
Tools and methods in participatory modeling: Selecting the right tool for the job
Alexey Voinov, Karen Jenni, Steven Gray, Nagesh Kolagani, Pierre D. Glynn, Pierre Bommel, Christina Prell, Moira Zellner, Michael Paolisso, Rebecca Jordan, Eleanor J. Sterling, Laura Schmitt Olabasi, Philippe J. Giabbanelli, Zhanli Sun, Christophe Le Page, Sondoss Elsawah, Todd K. BenDor, Klaus Hubacek, Bethany K. Laursen, Antonie J. Jetter, Laura Basco Carrera, Alison Singer, Laura G. Young, Jessica Brunacini, Alex Smajgl
2018, Environmental Modeling and Software (109) 232-255
Various tools and methods are used in participatory modelling, at different stages of the process and for different purposes. The diversity of tools and methods can create challenges for stakeholders and modelers when selecting the ones most appropriate for their projects....
Sentinel-2A MSI and Landsat-8 OLI radiometric cross comparison over desert sites
Julia Barsi, Bahjat Alhammoud, Jeffrey Czapla-Myers, Ferran Gascon, Obaidul Haque, Morakot Kaewmanee, Larry Leigh, Brian Markham
2018, European Journal of Remote Sensing (51) 822-837
The Sentinel-2A and Landsat-8 satellites carry on-board moderate resolution multispectral imagers for the purpose of documenting the Earth’s changing surface. Though they are independently built and managed, users will certainly take advantage of the opportunity to have higher temporal coverage by combining the datasets. Thus it is important for the...
Improving our understanding of demographic monitoring: avian breeding productivity in a tropical dry forest
M. E. Kornegay, A. N. M. Wiewel, Jaime A. Collazo, J. F. Saracco, S. J. Dinsmore
2018, Journal of Field Ornithology (89) 258-275
The ratio of juvenile to adult birds in mist-net samples is used to monitor avian productivity, but whether it is a “true” estimate of per capita productivity or an index proportional to productivity depends on whether capture probability is not age-dependent (true estimate) or age difference in capture probability is...
Geochemical data for water, streambed sediment, and fish tissue from the Sierra Nevada Mercury Impairment Project, 2011–12
Elizabeth B. Stumpner, Charles N. Alpers, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Jennifer L. Agee, Evangelos Kakouros, Michelle R. Arias, Le H. Kieu, David A. Roth, Darrell G. Slotton, Jacob A. Fleck
2018, Data Series 1056
This report presents geochemical data for surface water, streambed sediment, and fish tissue samples collected during low-flow conditions in 20 to 24 Sierra Nevada streams during 2011 and 2012. The dataset is part of a larger study designed to assess the factors that control mercury concentrations in fish tissue and...
Hatchery strain contributions to emerging wild lake trout populations in Lake Huron
Kim T. Scribner, Iyob Tsehaye, Travis O. Brenden, Wendylee Stott, Jeannette Kanefsky, James R. Bence
2018, Journal of Heredity (109) 675-688
Recent assessments indicate the emergence of naturally produced lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) recruitment throughout Lake Huron in the North American Laurentian Great Lakes (>50% of fish <7 years). Because naturally produced fish derived from different stocked hatchery strains are unmarked, managers cannot distinguish strains contributing to natural recruitment. We used...
Development of an aerial population survey method for elk (Cervus elaphus) in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Bruce C. Lubow, Therese L. Johnson
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1085
Executive SummarySince the early 1990s, substantial effort and funding have been expended to conduct research to guide development of a 20-year Elk and Vegetation Management Plan for Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in Colorado. One goal of the plan is to maintain the elk (Cervus elaphus) population size at the...
Estimating post-fire debris-flow hazards prior to wildfire using a statistical analysis of historical distributions of fire severity from remote sensing data
Dennis M. Staley, Anne C. Tillery, Jason W. Kean, Luke McGuire, Hannah Pauling, Francis K. Rengers, Joel B. Smith
2018, International Journal of Wildland Fire (27) 595-608
Following wildfire, mountainous areas of the western United States are susceptible to debris flow during intense rainfall. Convective storms that can generate debris flows in recently burned areas may occur during or immediately after the wildfire, leaving insufficient time for development and implementation of risk mitigation strategies. We present a...
A multi-isotope (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S, δ2H) approach to establishing migratory connectivity in lesser snow geese: Tracking an overabundant species
Drew N. Fowler, Elisabeth B. Webb, Frank B Baldwin, Mark P. Vrtiska, Keith A. Hobson
2018, PLoS (13)
Expanding populations of North American midcontinent lesser snow geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) have potential to alter ecosystems throughout the Arctic and subarctic where they breed. Efforts to understand origins of harvested lesser snow geese to better inform management decisions have traditionally required mark-recapture approaches, while aerial photographic surveys have typically...
Fish Lake limnology and watershed aqueous geochemistry, Fish Lake Plateau, Utah
David Marchetti, Lesleigh Anderson, Joseph J. Donovan, M. Scott Harris, Tyler Huth
2018, Book chapter, Geofluids of Utah
Fish Lake is located at 2696 m elevation on the Fish Lake Plateau with a bedrock geology of Oligocene to Pliocene age volcanics and Cretaceous to Eocene age sedimentary rocks. Lake bathymetry indicates a maximum depth of ~27 m and volume of 2.31 x 108 m3. The lake is dimictic...
Comparing methods used by the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Geology Program for deriving shoreline position from lidar data
Amy S. Farris, Kathryn M. Weber, Kara S. Doran, Jeffrey H. List
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1121
The U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Geology Program uses three methods to derive a datum-based, mean high water shoreline on open-ocean coasts from light detection and ranging (lidar) elevation surveys. This work compared the shorelines produced by the three methods for two different surveys: one survey with simple beach...
Water-quality response to changes in phosphorus loading of the Winnebago Pool Lakes, Wisconsin, with special emphasis on the effects of internal loading in a chain of shallow lakes
Dale M. Robertson, Benjamin J. Siebers, Matthew W. Diebel, Andrew J. Somor
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5099
The Winnebago Pool is a chain of four shallow lakes (Lake Poygan, Lake Winneconne, Lake Butte des Morts, and Lake Winnebago) that are fed primarily by the Fox and Wolf Rivers, two large agriculturally dominated rivers in Wisconsin, United States. Because the lakes have received extensive phosphorus inputs from their...
A physics-based earthquake simulator replicates seismic hazard statistics across California
Bruce E. Shaw, Kevin R. Milner, Edward H. Field, Keith B. Richards-Dinger, Jacquelyn J. Gilchrist, James H. Dieterich, Thomas H. Jordan
2018, Science Advances (4) 1-9
Seismic hazard models are important for society, feeding into building codes and hazard mitigation efforts. These models, however, rest on many uncertain assumptions and are difficult to test observationally because of the long recurrence times of large earthquakes. Physics-based earthquake simulators offer a potentially helpful tool, but they face a...
Social attraction used to establish Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia) nesting colonies on modified islands at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, California—Final report
C. Alex Hartman, Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, Cheryl Strong, David Trachtenbarg, Crystal A. Shore
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1136
To address the 2008/2010 and Supplemental 2014 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Biological Opinion for operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) developed and began implementation of Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia) management plans. This...
Temporal records of diet diversity dynamics in individual adult female Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) vibrissae
Andrew C. Doll, Brian D. Taras, Craig A. Stricker, Lorrie D. Rea, Todd M. O'Hara, Andrew P. Cyr, S. Mcdermott, T.M. Loomis, Brian S. Fadely, Michael B. Wunder
2018, Oecologia (188) 263-275
Detailed information on the nutrition of free-ranging mammals contributes to the understanding of life history requirements, yet is often quite limited temporally for most species. Reliable dietary inferences can be made by analyzing the stable carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotopic values (δ13C and δ15N) of some...
Evaluation of key scientific issues in the report, “State of the mountain lion—A call to end trophy hunting of America’s lion”
James W. Cain III, Michael S. Mitchell
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1128
In their recently published report, State of the Mountain Lion: A Call to End Trophy Hunting of America’s Lion, the Humane Society of the United States suggested that mountain lion (Puma concolor) hunting should be abolished in the United States. The report claims this recommendation is based on scientific...
Annual cycle of White-winged Scoters (Melanitta fusca) in eastern North America: Migratory phenology, population delineation, and connectivity
D.E. Meatey, S.R. McWilliams, P.W.C. Paton, C. Lepage, S.G. Gilliland, L. Savoy, Glenn H. Olsen, J.D. Osenkowski
2018, Canadian Journal of Zoology (96) 1353-1365
Understanding full annual cycle movements of long-distance migrants is essential for delineating populations, assessing connectivity, evaluating crossover effects between life stages, and informing management strategies for vulnerable or declining species. We used implanted satellite transmitters to track up to 2 years of annual cycle movements of 52 adult female White-winged...
