Contribution of arsenic and uranium in private wells and community water systems to urinary biomarkers in US adults: The Strong Heart Study and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Maya Spaur, Ronald A. Glabonjat, Kathrin Schilling, Melissa A. Lombard, Galvez-Fernandez, Wil Lieberman-Cribbin, Carolyn Hayek, Vesna Ilievski, Olgica Balac, Chiugo Izuchukwu, Kevin Patterson, Anirban Basu, Benjamin Bostick, Qixuan Chen, Tiffany Sanchez, Ana Navas-Acien, Anne E Nigra
2024, Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology (34) 77-89
BackgroundChronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (As) and uranium (U) in the United States (US) occurs from unregulated private wells and federally regulated community water systems (CWSs). The contribution of water to total exposure is assumed to be low when water As and U concentrations are low.ObjectiveWe...
Variation in flight characteristics associated with entry by eagles into rotor-swept zones of wind turbines
Brian W. Rolek, Melissa A. Braham, Tricia A. Miller, Adam E. Duerr, Todd E. Katzner, Christopher J W McClure
2024, Ibis (166) 308-314
Automated curtailment of wind turbines can reduce fatality rates of wildlife, but the resulting increased number of curtailments can reduce power generation. Tailoring curtailment criteria for each individual turbine could reduce unnecessary curtailment, yet it is unknown whether the risk to wildlife varies among turbines....
Global status of non-native Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides, Centrachidae) and Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus Dolomieu, Centrarchidae): Disparate views as beloved sportfish and feared invader
James M. Long, L. Seguy
2024, Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture (32) 81-98
Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides, LMB) and Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu, SMB) are among the most highly invasive species across the globe, but are simultaneously among the most highly sought-after game fish. To explain these disparate views, data on invasive status and angling participation of these two species were compiled at...
Low-complexity floodplain inundation model performs well for ecological and management applications in a large river ecosystem
Molly Van Appledorn, Nathan R. De Jager, Jason J. Rohweder
2024, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (60) 9-26
Flooding is a dominant physical process that drives the form and function of river-floodplain ecosystems. Efficiently characterizing flooding dynamics can be challenging, especially over geographically broad areas or at spatial and temporal scales relevant for ecosystem management activities. Here, we empirically evaluated a low-complexity geospatial...
The usability gap in water resources open data and actionable science initiatives
Melissa A. Kenney, Michael D. Gerst, Emily Read
2024, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (60) 1-8
The open data movement represents a major advancement for informed water management. Data that are findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable—or FAIR—are now prerequisite to responsible data stewardship. In contrast to FAIR, accessibility and usability case studies and guidelines designed around human access and understanding are lacking...
Twenty-year record of salt marsh elevation dynamics in response to sea-level rise and storm-driven barrier island geomorphic processes: Fire Island, New York, USA
Charles T. Roman, James C. Lynch, Donald Cahoon
2024, Estuaries and Coasts (47) 1903-1917
Twenty years of surface elevation table and marker horizon monitoring at three sites along the Fire Island (New York, USA) barrier island indicates that rates of marsh surface elevation change (Watch Hill, 4.4 mm year−1; Hospital Point, 3.5 mm year−1; Great Gun, − 0.3 mm year−1) were lower than the rate of monthly mean...
Genetic erosion in an endangered desert fish during a multidecadal megadrought despite long-term supportive breeding
Megan J. Osborne, Thomas P. Archdeacon, Charles Yackulic, Robert K. Dudley, Guilherme Caeiro-Dias, Thomas F. Turner
2024, Conservation Biology (38)
Human water use combined with a recent megadrought have reduced river and stream flow through the Southwestern United States and led to periodic drying of formerly perennial river segments. Reductions in snowmelt runoff and increased extent of drying collectively threaten short-lived, obligate aquatic species, including the endangered Rio Grande silvery...
High-resolution thermal imagery reveals how interactions between crown structure and genetics shape plant temperature
Peter J. Olsoy, Andrii Zaiats, Donna M. Delparte, Matthew J. Germino, Bryce Richardson, Spencer Roop, Anna V. Roser, Jennifer S. Forbey, Megan E Cattau, Sven Buerki, Keith Reinhardt, Trevor Caughlin
2024, Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation (10) 106-120
Understanding interactions between environmental stress and genetic variation is crucial to predict the adaptive capacity of species to climate change. Leaf temperature is both a driver and a responsive indicator of plant physiological response to thermal stress, and methods to monitor it are needed. Foliar temperatures vary across leaf to...
Sensitivity of North American grassland birds to weather and climate variability
Scott Maresh Nelson, Christine Ribic, Neal D. Niemuth, Jacy Bernath-Plaisted, Benjamin Zuckerberg
2024, Conservation Biology (38)
Grassland birds in North America have experienced sharp declines over the last 60 years driven by the widespread loss and degradation of grassland habitats. In recent decades, modern climate change has amplified these pressures. Climate change is occurring more rapidly in grasslands relative to some other ecosystems, and exposure to...
Considering pollinators' ecosystem services in the remediation and restoration of contaminated lands: Overview of research and its gaps
James Meldrum, Diane L. Larson, Timothy B. Hoelzle, Jo Ellen Hinck
2024, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (20) 322-336
The concept of ecosystem services provides a useful framework for understanding how people are affected by changes to the natural environment, such as when a contaminant is introduced (e.g., oil spills, hazardous substance releases) or, conversely, when contaminated lands are remediated and restored. Pollination...
Crop water productivity from cloud-Based landsat helps assess California’s water savings
Daniel Foley, Prasad Thenkabail, Adam Oliphant, Itiya P. Aneece, Pardhasaradhi Teluguntla
2024, Remote Sensing (15)
Demand for food and water are increasing while the extent of arable land and accessible fresh water are decreasing. This poses global challenges as economies continue to develop and the population grows. With agriculture as the leading consumer of water, better understanding how water is used to produce food...
Wildlife ecological risk assessment in the 21st century: Promising technologies to assess toxicological effects
Barnett A. Rattner, Thomas G. Bean, Val R. Beasley, Philippe Berny, Karen M. Eisenreich, John E. Elliott, Margaret L. Eng, Phyllis C. Fuchsman, Mason D. King, Rafael Mateo Soria, Carolyn B. Meyer, Jason M. O’Brien, Christopher J. Salice
2024, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (20) 725-748
Despite advances in toxicity testing and development of new approach methodologies (NAMs) for hazard assessment, the ecological risk assessment (ERA) framework for terrestrial wildlife (i.e., air-breathing amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) has remained unchanged for decades. While survival, growth, and reproductive endpoints derived from...
Spatial segregation between phenotypes of the diablotin black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata during the non-breeding period
Yvan G. Satgé, Brad Keitt, Chris Gaskin, J. Brian Patteson, Patrick G.R. Jodice
2024, Endangered Species Research (51) 183-201
Despite growing support for ecosystem-based approaches, conservation is mostly implemented at the species level. However, genetic differentiation exists within this taxonomic level, putting genetically distinct populations at risk of local extinction. In the diablotin black-capped petrel Pterodroma hasitata, an endangered gadfly petrel endemic to the Caribbean, 2 phenotypes have been described:...
Presence of hummock and hollow microtopography reflects shifting balances of shallow subsidence and root zone expansion along forested wetland river gradients
Ken Krauss, Gregory E. Noe, Jamie A. Duberstein, Nicole Cormier, Andrew From, Thomas Rossiter Doody, William H. Conner, Donald Cahoon, Darren Johnson
2024, Estuaries and Coasts (47) 1750-1763
Tidal freshwater forested wetlands (TFFWs) are in an active phase of transition to tidal marsh with sea level rise and salinity incursion along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States (U.S.). A prominent feature of TFFWs is hummock/hollow microtopography where hollows represent the flat,...
Accuracy and precision of sea-finding orientation as a function of dune proximity in hatchlings of two species of sea turtles
Shigetomo Hirama, Blair Witherington, Andrea Sylvia, Raymond Carthy
2024, Marine and Freshwater Research (74) 994-1001
Context: Sea turtle hatchlings generally emerge at night from nests on sand beaches and immediately orient using visual cues, which are believed to entail the difference in brightness between the light seen in the seaward direction and that seen in the duneward direction.Aim: The aim of this study was to understand how...
Estimating groundwater pumping for irrigation: A method comparison
Andrea E. Brookfield, Samuel Zipper, Anthony D. Kendall, Hoori Ajami, Jillian M. Deines
2024, Extramural-Authored Publication Paper
Effective groundwater management is critical to future environmental, ecological, and social sustainability and requires accurate estimates of groundwater withdrawals. Unfortunately, these estimates are not readily available in most areas due to physical, regulatory, and social challenges. Here, we compare four different approaches for estimating groundwater withdrawals for agricultural irrigation. We...
Horizontal integrity a prerequisite for vertical stability: Comparison of elevation change and the unvegetated-vegetated marsh ratio across southeastern USA coastal wetlands
Neil K. Ganju, Zafer Defne, Caroline Schwab, Michelle Moorman
2024, Estuaries and Coasts (47) 2135-2145
Surface elevation tables (SETs) estimate the vertical resilience of coastal wetlands to sea-level rise (SLR) and other stressors but are limited in their spatial coverage. Conversely, spatially integrative metrics based on remote sensing provide comprehensive spatial coverage of horizontal processes but cannot track elevation trajectory at high resolution. Here, we...
Toxicological effects assessment for wildlife in the 21st Century: Review of current methods and recommendations for a path forward
Thomas G. Bean, Val R. Beasley, Philippe Berny, Karen M. Eisenreich, John E. Elliott, Margaret L. Eng, Phyllis C. Fuchsman, Mark S. Johnson, Mason D. King, Rafael Mateo Soria, Carolyn B. Meyer, Christopher J. Salice, Barnett A. Rattner
2024, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (20) 699-724
Model species (e.g., granivorous gamebirds, waterfowl, passerines, domesticated rodents) have been used for decades in guideline laboratory tests to generate survival, growth and reproductive data for prospective Ecological Risk Assessments (ERAs) for birds and mammals, while officially adopted risk assessment schemes for amphibians and reptiles do not exist. There are...
Characterizing lung particulates using quantitative microscopy in coal miners with severe pneumoconiosis
Jeremy T. Hua, Carlyne D. Cool, Heather A. Lowers, Leonard H. T. Go, Lauren M. Zell-Baran, Emily A. Sarver, Kirsten S. Almberg, Kathy D. Pang, Susan M. Majka, Angela D. Franko, Naseema I. Vorajee, Robert A. Cohen, Cecil S. Rose
2024, Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (148) 327-335
Context.—Current approaches for characterizing retained lung dust using pathologists' qualitative assessment or scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) have limitations.Objective.—To explore polarized light microscopy coupled with image-processing software, termed quantitative microscopy–particulate matter (QM-PM), as a tool to characterize in situ dust in lung tissue of...
FloPy workflows for creating structured and unstructured MODFLOW models
Joseph D. Hughes, Christian D. Langevin, Scott R. Paulinski, Joshua Larsen, David Brakenhoff
2024, Groundwater (62) 124-139
FloPy is a popular Python package for creating, running, and post-processing MODFLOW-based groundwater flow and transport models. FloPy functionality has expanded to support the latest version of MODFLOW (MODFLOW 6) including support for unstructured grids. FloPy can be used to download MODFLOW-based and other executables for Linux, MacOS, and Windows...
Inconsistent citation of the Global Seismographic Network in scientific publications
Molly Staats, Kasey Aderhold, Katrin Hafner, Colleen Dalton, Megan Flanagan, Harriet Lau, Frederick Simons, Martin Vallée, Shawn Wei, William L. Yeck, Andy Frassetto, Robert Busby
2024, Seismological Research Letters (95) 1478-1485
The highly used Global Seismographic Network (GSN) is a pillar of the seismological research community and contributes to numerous groundbreaking publications. Despite its wide recognition, this survey found that the GSN is not consistently acknowledged in scientific literature and is underrepresented by roughly a factor of 3 in citation searches....
Toward a national eDNA strategy for the United States
Ryan Kelly, David M. Lodge, Kai Lee, Susanna Theroux, Adam Sepulveda, Chris Scholin, Joseph M. Craine, Elizabeth Allan, Krista M. Nichols, Kim M. Parsons, Kelly D Goodwin, Zachary Gold, Francisco P. Chavez, Rachel T. Noble, Cathryn Abbott, Melinda R. Baerwald, Amanda Naaum, Peter Thielen, Ariel Simons, Christopher L. Jerde, Jeffrey J. Duda, Margaret Hunter, John Hagan, Rachel Meyer, Joshua Steele, Mark Stoeckle, Holly Bik, Christopher Meyer, Eric D. Stein, Karen James, Austen Thomas, Elif Demir-Hilton, Molly Timmers, John Griffith, Michael J Weise, Steve Weisberg
2024, Environmental DNA (6)
Environmental DNA (eDNA) data make it possible to measure and monitor biodiversity at unprecedented resolution and scale. As use-cases multiply and scientific consensus grows regarding the value of eDNA analysis, public agencies have an opportunity to decide how and where eDNA data fit into their...
Obtaining and applying public data for training students in technical statistical writing: Case studies with data from U.S. Geological Survey and general ecological literature
Barb Bennie, Richard A. Erickson
2024, Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education (32) 217-226
Effective undergraduate statistical education requires training using real-world data. Textbook datasets seldom match the complexities and messiness of real-world data and finding these datasets can be challenging for educators. Consulting and industrial datasets often have nondisclosure agreements. Academic datasets often require subject area expertise beyond those of a general education...
Optimal management decisions are robust to unknown dynamics in an amphibian metapopulation plagued by disease
Brian D. Gerber, Brittany A. Mosher, Larissa L. Bailey, Erin Muths, Harry J. Crockett, Sarah J. Converse
2024, Animal Conservation (27) 65-77
Identifying conservation actions to recover threatened species can be challenging due to many ecological uncertainties. For example, major threats to a species' conservation are commonly known or suspected, but the specific impacts on population or metapopulation dynamics can be uncertain. This is frequently the...
Ice resource mapping on Mars
Nathaniel E Putzig, Gareth A Morgan, Hanna G Sizemore, David M Hollibaugh Baker, Eric I Petersen, Asmin V Pathare, Colin M. Dundas, Ali M Bramson, Samuel W Courville, Matthew R Perry, Stefano Nerozzi, Zachary M Bain, Rachel H Hoover, Bruce A Campbell, Marco Mastrogiuseppe, Michael T. Mellon, Roberto Seu, Isaac B. Smith
2024, Book chapter, Handbook of Space Resources
This chapter explains the rationale for considering shallowly buried (0 to >5 m depth) water ice in the mid-latitudes of Mars as a resource to support future human missions, and describes a NASA-funded effort to map that ice with existing orbital remote-sensing data. In recent decades, numerous studies have used...
