A novel drive-point multilevel system to investigate PFAS and other contaminants of global concern in the hyporheic zone of a wastewater effluent dominated stream
J. R. Meyer, A. L. Mianecki, E. Occhi, Dana W. Kolpin, G. H. LeFevre
2026, Hydrological Processes (40)
Contaminants found in treated wastewater discharged to streams, including pharmaceuticals and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are of global concern due to their deleterious effects on aquatic ecosystems and potential impacts to human health. Hyporheic zones have strong potential for contaminant attenuation. Assessing this potential requires collection of physical and...
Line transect distance sampling and genetic analyses reveal a small but genetically diverse coastal Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) population
Margaret Lamont, Irlanda Gallardo-Alanis, Diya Chordia, Michael Palandri, Ylenia Chiari
2026, Herpetological Conservation and Biology (21) 199-212
Gopher Tortoises inhabit coastal systems, including barrier islands, across the southeastern U.S. St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge is an uninhabited barrier island located off the coast of northwestern Florida. Although tortoises have been observed on the island, no information is available on the status of the population. We conducted a...
Quantitative mineral resource assessment of lithium pegmatite deposits in the northern Appalachian orogen, USA
Niki E. Wintzer, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Jacob Evan Poletti, Dalton M. McCaffrey, Stanley Paul Mordensky, Erik Roger Tharalson, Collin Cronkite-Ratcliff
2026, Natural Resources Research
Lithium demand is projected to increase more than 48 times by 2040 due to electric vehicle production and other energy storage needs. Most lithium production is outside of the USA, thereby increasing supply chain vulnerability. The combined end use importance and heightened supply risk of lithium make this lightest metallic...
The role of groundwater in contributing to surface water salinization in the Upper Colorado River Basin
Matthew P. Miller, Olivia L. Miller, Patrick C. Longley, Daniel R. Wise, Morgan C. McDonnell, Noah M. Schmadel, Jay R. Alder
2026, Geophysical Research Letters (53)
Freshwater salinization impacts the availability of water for human use and ecosystem needs worldwide. It has been estimated that total dissolved solids (TDS) in the Colorado River Basin cause $350 million/year in damages and substantial resources are devoted to reducing TDS loading to streams. This study describes the development and...
Evaluating snow depth measurements from ground-penetrating radar and airborne lidar in boreal forest and tundra environments during the NASA SnowEx 2023 campaign
Kajsa Holland-Goon, Randall Ray Bonnell, Daniel McGrath, W. Brad Baxter, Tate Meehan, Ryan Webb, Christopher F. Larsen, Hans-Peter Marshall, Megan A. Mason, Carrie Vuyovich
2026, The Cryosphere (20) 2169-2179
Snow is a vital component of high-latitude terrestrial systems, but environmental factors (e.g., permafrost) and complex vegetation challenge the accurate measurement of key snowpack properties. We evaluated local-scale ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and large-scale airborne lidar retrievals of snow depth collected during the NASA SnowEx 2023 campaign in tundra and boreal...
A Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach for species diversity in ecology
Song S. Qian, Mark Richard Dufour, Sabrina Jaffe, Corbin David Hilling, William D. Hintz
2026, Ecological Informatics (95)
Species diversity is the foundation of many ecological disciplines. This metric is often approximated using species richness and evenness, even though actual richness likely exceeds observations due to imperfect sampling methods. Estimating the “true” species richness, which includes identifying the number of missing species, has intrigued ecologists for decades. We...
A practical decision tool for marine bird mortality assessments
Johanna Harvey, Andrew M. Ramey, Stephanie Avery-Gomm, Gregory J. Robertson, Marc D. Romano, Jennifer M Mullinax, Megan L Boldenow, Philip W. Atkinson, Diann Prosser
2026, Ornithological Applications
Given the rise in anthropogenic, environmental, and disease events contributing to marine bird mortality, there is a critical need to improve the rigor of mortality assessments. Deficits in data collection and mortality estimation can hinder a manager’s ability to document the scale of events and assess population level impacts. Therefore,...
Hydrogeology, groundwater salinity distributions, and assessment of the effect of oil-production activities on groundwater in the Midway Valley area, western Kern County, San Joaquin Valley, California
Janice M. Gillespie, Riley Gannon, Lyndsay B. Ball, John G. Warden, Rhett R. Everett, Michael J. Stephens
2026, PLOS Water (5)
This study seeks to determine the effects of oil field produced water disposal operations and well mechanical integrity issues on groundwater quality in oil fields in the southwest San Joaquin Valley, California. Whereas previous studies used groundwater wells to study shallow aquifers outside the oil fields, this study demonstrates that...
Water volumes, heat flow, and solute discharge from Old Faithful Geyser eruptions, Yellowstone National Park, USA
Shaul Hurwitz, R. Blaine McCleskey, Maxwell L. Rudolph, Sara Peek, David A. Roth, Melissa Schott-Atkins, Michael Manga, Kiernan F. Folz Donahue, Mara H. Reed, Jefferson D.G. Hungerford
2026, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (474)
The iconic Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park, USA, has attracted a significant amount of research because of the relative regularity and impressive size of its eruptions. Numerous studies have included observations, measurements, and analyses that informed models of geyser eruptions. However, fundamental quantities, including the associated mass and...
Critical minerals in zinc ore—An update on Earth Mapping Resources Initiative Research in the Boulder Batholith region, Montana
Sean Patrick Gaynor, Eric D. Anderson, Kyle A. Eastman, Karen Lund, Chris Gammons, Heather A. Lowers, Jay M. Thompson
2026, Fact Sheet 2026-3064
Plain Language Summary U.S. Geological Survey research, in collaboration with Montana Technical University and Montana Bureau of Geology and Mines, is providing key critical mineral information that may have potential for critical mineral production of several mining districts in the Boulder Batholith region, to better understand the abundance and distribution of...
Computation of regional groundwater budgets for the Virginia Coastal Plain aquifer system
Jason P. Pope, Alison D. Gordon, Ryan S. Frederiks
2026, Open-File Report 2026-1002
Computation of detailed groundwater flow budgets for subdivisions of the Virginia Coastal Plain aquifer system has enabled quantification and more thorough understanding of groundwater flow within this important water resource. A zone budget analysis based on previously published groundwater models of the Virginia Coastal Plain and Virginia Eastern Shore indicates...
Historical ice jams and associated environmental conditions on Osoyoos Lake
Nicholas A. Sutfin, Stephen J. Breen
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2026-5003
Ice jams occur regularly at the southern outlet of Osoyoos Lake, which spans the border between the State of Washington and British Columbia, Canada. In recent winters, ice jams caused (1) decreases in downstream discharge that may adversely affect salmon spawning habitat and (2) short-duration lake-level rise that can interfere...
Comparative assessment of STIC sensors, streamflow and rain gauges for quantifying river connectivity in intermittent systems
Cienna R. Cooper, Jane S. Rogosch, Nathan G. Smith, Clinton R. Robertson, Wade M. Wilson
2026, Water Biology and Security
In intermittent stream systems, including those occurring in Texas, USA, the severity of low-flow conditions, duration of seasonal disconnection, and frequency of no-flow events have been amplified by drought. Documentation of these no-flow events is necessary to evaluate ecosystem health. However, many intermittent reaches remain un-gauged given that perennial river...
Late Miocene Colorado River arrival in the Bidahochi basin supports spillover origin of Grand Canyon
John J.Y. He, Ryan S. Crow, John R. Douglass, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Jorge A. Vazquez, Brian F. Gootee, Marsha I Lidzbarski, Laura Pianowski, Harrison J. Gray, Emma Heitmann, Phil Pearthree, Kyle House, Shannon Dulin
2026, Science (395) 285-295
The timing and mechanism of the integration of the Colorado River and incision of the Grand Canyon remain among geology’s enduring controversies. A key question is the configuration of the upper Colorado River watershed between 11 and 6 million years ago. In this study, we present new evidence from zircon...
Logical data model for hydrographic data based on HY_Features concepts
David L. Blodgett, editor(s)
2026, OCG Public Engineering Report 25-045
This report describes background and design of the “hydrofabric data model” which defines logic for implementation of data schemas and software that deals with hydrologic geospatial data. As a “logical” data model, the hydrofabric data model specifies details necessary to support compatibility of data and software that satisfy diverse needs...
Characterizing changes in postfire debris-flow hazard as burned areas recover
Andrew Paul Graber, Matthew A. Thomas, Jason W. Kean, Jonathan Michael King, Jaime Kostelnik
2026, Geosphere (22) 494-515
Emergency assessments of postfire debris-flow hazards that are performed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provide estimates of debris-flow likelihood and rainfall triggering conditions that are used for evaluating and managing runoff-generated debris-flow hazards in recently burned areas throughout the western United States. Although the immediate postfire period, within roughly...
Analyses of meteorological and hydrological records support Tribal members’ accounts of changing climate on the Fort Apache Reservation, east–central Arizona
Jon P. Mason
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2026-5140
The Fort Apache Reservation in east–central Arizona, home to the White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation, Arizona, contains several climate zones because of the large variation in surface elevation within the reservation. This study was carried out in cooperation with the White Mountain Apache Tribe of the...
Cenozoic distributed volcanism of the Arabia Plate—A review
Thomas W. Sisson, Andrew T. Calvert
2026, Professional Paper 1890-J
Cenozoic volcanic rocks of the Arabia Plate cover about 140,000 square kilometers across a distance of about 3,000 kilometers from southern Yemen to southeastern Turkey. The majority of volcanic products are alkali basalts that erupted in restricted areas, commonly over periods of a million or more years, building mafic lava...
Why are ornithological studies so focused on the breeding stage? A test of hypotheses
Erin R. Stewart, Courtney J. Conway
2026, Ornithology
Unequal representation of focal research areas can arise during the initial stages of project development when investigators make decisions about what, when, and where to study. Regarding when research is conducted, publications on vertebrates are strongly skewed toward breeding-stage studies, leaving sizeable gaps in our knowledge pertaining to behavior and...
The global proliferation of aquatic, benthic Microcoleus: Taxonomy, distribution, toxin production, ecology, and future directions
Laura T. Kelly, Daniel G Beach, Joanna R. Blaszczak, Keith Bouma-Gregson, Sydney M. Brown, Haowu Cheng, Janette L. Davidson, Jutta Fastner, Marcus Francis, Andrea Garcia Jimenez, Laurel Genzoli, Ramesh Goel, Diego Gonzalez, Kim M. Handley, Sabine Hilt, Jean-Francois Humbert, Rob Jamieson, Lindsay Johnston, Pilar Junier, Janice Lawrence, Pearse McCarron, Sven Meissner, Jacob Mormando, Jonathan Puddick, Catherine Quiblier, Nagasaijanani Rajpirathap, Charlotte Schampera, Andy Selwood, Karen Shearer, Abeer Sohrab, Rosalina Stancheva, Cecilio Valadez-Cano, Jordan M. Zebrecky, Susanna A. Wood
2026, Water Research (294)
There have been sporadic reports of aquatic, benthic Microcoleus proliferations in freshwater rivers, lakes, and reservoirs for four decades, with reports increasing in frequency over the last twenty years, suggesting a possible rise in their global distribution, frequency, and intensity. Microcoleus can produce anatoxins which are neurotoxic, and ingestion of toxic...
Mount Rainier volcanic hazard information
Holly F. Weiss-Racine, Joseph A. Bard, Jessica L. Ball, Carolyn L. Mastin
2026, General Information Product 265
Introduction Eruptions at Mount Rainier produce lava flows, plumes of airborne volcanic ash, and avalanches of hot rock, ash, and gas—pyroclastic flows—that rush down the steep, ice-covered slopes of the volcano. Hot rock and ash ejected during an eruption can melt large quantities of snow and ice, forming huge, fast moving...
Evaluation of benthic habitat change within the national historic sites of Hawaiʻi’s Kona Coast
Meredith Leigh McPherson, Joshua B. Logan, Kristen Alkins, Sarah Groff, Gerry A. Hatcher, Ann E. Gibbs, Susan Cochran, Curt D. Storlazzi
2026, Open-File Report 2026-1061
Executive Summary Coral bleaching events have become increasingly common across the Hawaiian Archipelago since 1996 because of more frequent and intense marine heatwaves. The most significant bleaching event to date occurred from 2014 to 2015, which resulted in catastrophic state-wide coral loss. Bleaching events with less severe effects also occurred in...
Assessment of natural gas pipeline construction on stream temperature and turbidity in southwestern Virginia, 2017–25
Brendan M. Foster, Carly Marcella Maas, Alejandra Logan Flota
2026, Scientific Investigations Report 2026-5011
Despite the extensive natural gas pipeline network in the United States that intersects streams and other sensitive habitats, few case studies use a comparative upstream-to-downstream approach to evaluate potential short- and long-term effects of pipeline stream crossings from pre-construction through post-restoration. In 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with...
The mineral chemistry networks of tin and tungsten reflect metallogenic eras of the Mesozoic
Elisha Kelly Moore, Shaunna M. Morrison, Amber Hatter
2026, Geosciences (16)
Continental remobilization is a crucial driver of metallogenesis and the formation of ore deposits. Some of the world’s largest mineral deposits of the economically valuable elements tin (Sn), tungsten (W), gold (Au), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) formed during the Mesozoic Era. Additionally, the chemistry and distribution of...
Predicted range shifts of non‐native grasses in response to climate change are influenced by photosynthetic pathway: A case study in the Hawaiian Islands
Curtis Daehler, Kevin Faccenda, Elizabeth Aquino Peterson, Kelsey C. Brock, Lucas B. Fortini
2026, Diversity and Distributions (32)
AimGrasses comprise three main photosynthetic pathway variants (C3-BOP, C3-PACMAD and C4-PACMAD hereafter referred to as C4). We sought to confirm climate niche differences among these photosynthetic pathway variants and assessed whether predicted non-native grass range shift patterns with climate change differ among photosynthetic pathway variants.<h3 id="ddi70190-sec-0002-title" class="article-section__sub-title...
