Exploratory analysis of machine learning techniques in the Nevada geothermal play fairway analysis
Connor M. Smith, James E. Faulds, Stephen C. Brown, Mark Coolbaugh, Jacob DeAngelo, Jonathan M.G. Glen, Erick R. Burns, Drew Lorenz Siler, Sven Treitel, Eli Mlawsky, Michael Fehler, Chen Gu, Bridget F. Ayling
2023, Geothermics (111)
Play fairway analysis (PFA) is commonly used to generate geothermal potential maps and guide exploration studies, with a particular focus on locating and characterizing blind geothermal systems. This study evaluates the application of machine learning techniques to PFA in the Great...
Stream temperature prediction in a shifting environment: The influence of deep learning architecture
Simon Nemer Topp, Janet R. Barclay, Jeremy Alejandro Diaz, Alexander Y. Sun, Xiaowei Jia, Daniel Lubin, Jeffrey M Sadler, Alison P. Appling
2023, Water Resources Research (59)
Stream temperature is a fundamental control on ecosystem health. Recent efforts incorporating process guidance into deep learning models for predicting stream temperature have been shown to outperform existing statistical and physical models. This performance is in part because deep learning architectures can actively learn spatiotemporal relationships that...
Variable effects of long-term livestock grazing across the western United States suggest diverse approaches are needed to meet global change challenges
Stella M. Copeland, David L. Hoover, David J. Augustine, Jonathan D Bates, Chad S. Boyd, Kirk W. Davies, Justin D. Derner, Michael C. Duniway, Lauren M. Porensky, Lance T Vermeire
2023, Applied Vegetation Science (26)
AimsLivestock production is the most widespread land use globally and occurs across a diverse set of ecosystems. Variability in long-term livestock grazing impacts across ecosystems is poorly characterized, particularly at larger spatial scales, despite strong relationships with various ecosystem services related to soil fertility and stabilization and...
Plant water-use strategies predict restoration success across degraded drylands
Bradley J. Butterfield, Seth M. Munson, Hannah L. Farrell
2023, Journal of Applied Ecology (60) 1170-1180
Plant strategies for coping with water limitation are likely to mediate restoration outcomes in degraded dryland ecosystems. Trade-offs in traits related to water acquisition and use can intensify in more arid environments, making their effects on dryland restoration success even more salient. However, isolating the effects of drought responses...
Forecasting natural regeneration of sagebrush after wildfires using population models and spatial matching
Andrii Zaiats, Megan E Cattau, David S. Pilliod, Liu Rongsong, Juan M. Requena-Mullor, Trevor Caughlin
2023, Landscape Ecology (38) 1306
ContextAddressing ecosystem degradation in the Anthropocene will require ecological restoration across large spatial extents. Identifying areas where natural regeneration will occur without direct resource investment will improve scalability of restoration actions.ObjectivesAn ecoregion in need of large scale restoration is the Great Basin of the Western US,...
Field assessment of Naled and its primary degradation product (dichlorvos) in aquatic ecosystems following aerial ultra-low volume application for mosquito control
Cassandra Smith, Michelle L. Hladik, Kathryn Kuivila, Ian R. Waite
2023, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (84) 307-317
Naled, an organophosphate insecticide, is applied aerially at ultra-low volumes over aquatic ecosystems near Sacramento, California, USA, during summer months for mosquito control. Two ecosystem types (rice fields and a flowing canal) were sampled in 2020 and 2021. Naled and its primary degradation product (dichlorvos) were measured in water, biofilm,...
Migrating ducks and submersed aquatic vegetation respond positively after invasive common carp (Cyprinus carpio) exclusion from a freshwater coastal marsh
Lauren E Bortolotti, Robert B Emery, Paige D Kowal, Llwellyn M Armstrong, Vanessa B Harriman, Howard Singer, Michael J. Anteau, Frank B Baldwin, Cameron Meuckon, Dale A Wrubleski
2023, Wetlands (43)
Invasive carp can negatively affect waterbirds through habitat degradation, including removal of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV). At a freshwater coastal marsh of great ecological and cultural significance, we excluded invasive common carp (Cyprinus carpio) with the goal of restoring the marsh to historical conditions to support...
A call for strategic water-quality monitoring to advance assessment and prediction of wildfire impacts on water supplies
Sheila F. Murphy, Charles N. Alpers, Chauncey W. Anderson, John R. Banta, Johanna Blake, Kurt D. Carpenter, Gregory D. Clark, David W. Clow, Laura A. Hempel, Deborah A. Martin, Michael R. Meador, Gregory Mendez, Anke Mueller-Solger, Marc A. Stewart, Sean E. Payne, Cara L. Peterman-Phipps, Brian A. Ebel
2023, Frontiers in Water (5)
Wildfires pose a risk to water supplies in the western U.S. and many other parts of the world, due to the potential for degradation of water quality. However, a lack of adequate data hinders prediction and assessment of post-wildfire impacts and recovery. The dearth of such data is related...
Exploring effects of vessels on walrus behaviors using telemetry, automatic identification system data and matching
Rebecca L. Taylor, Chadwick V. Jay, William S. Beatty, Anthony S. Fischbach, Lori T. Quakenbush, Justin A. Crawford
2023, Ecosphere (14)
Arctic marine mammals have had little exposure to vessel traffic and potential associated disturbance, but sea ice loss has increased accessibility of Arctic waters to vessels. Vessel disturbance could influence marine mammal population dynamics by altering behavioral activity budgets that affect energy balance, which in turn can affect birth and...
Field techniques for fluorescence measurements targeting dissolved organic matter, hydrocarbons, and wastewater in environmental waters: Principles and guidelines for instrument selection, operation and maintenance, quality assurance, and data reporting
Amanda Booth, Jacob Fleck, Brian A. Pellerin, Angela Hansen, Alexandra Etheridge, Guy M. Foster, Jennifer L. Graham, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Kurt D. Carpenter, Bryan D. Downing, Stewart A. Rounds, JohnFranco Saraceno
2023, Techniques and Methods 1-D11
The use of field deployable fluorescence sensors by the U.S. Geological Survey has become increasingly common for a wide variety of surface water and groundwater investigations. This report addresses field deployable fluorometers that measure the fluorescence response of various substances in water exposed to incident light generated by the sensor....
Adjusting design floods for urbanization across groundwater-dominated watersheds of Long Island, NY
Robin L. Glas, Jory Seth Hecht, Amy E. Simonson, Christopher L. Gazoorian, Christopher Schubert
2023, Journal of Hydrology (618)
The magnitude and variability of floods have increased for many nontidal streams on Long Island (LI), NY since the mid-20th century. One of the most densely populated regions of the United States, LI has experienced amplified floods in step with increases in impervious land cover,...
Regional variability in peatland burning at mid-to high-latitudes during the Holocene
Thomas G. Sim, Graeme T. Swindles, Paul J. Morris, Andy J. Baird, Angela V. Gallego-Sala, Yuwan Wang, Maarten Blaauw, Philip Camill, Michelle Garneau, Mark Hardiman, Julie Loisel, Minna Valiranta, Lysanna Anderson, Karina Apolinarska, Femke Augustijns, Liene Aunina, Joannie Beaulne, Premysl Bobek, Werner Borken, Nils Broothaerts, Qiao-Yu Cui, Marissa A. Davies, Ana Ejarque, Michelle Farrell, Ingo Feeser, Angelica Feurdean, Richard Fewster, Sarah A. Finkelstein, Marie-Jose Gaillard, Mariusz Gałka, Annica Greisman, Liam Heffernan, Renske Hoevers, Miriam C. Jones, Teemu Juselius, Edgar Karofeld, Klaus Holger Knorr, Atte Korhola, Dmitri Kupriyanov, Malin Kylander, Terri Lacourse, Mariusz Lamentowicz, Martin Lavoie, Geoffrey Lemdahl, Dominika Lucow, Gabriel Magnan, Alekss Maksims, Claudia A. Mansilla, Katarzyna Marcisz, Elena Marinova, Paul J.H. Mathijssen, Dmitri Mauquoy, Yuri Mazei, Natalia Mazei, Julia McCarroll, Robert McCulloch, Alice Milner, Yannick Miras, Fraser J.G. Mitchell, Elena Novenko, Nicolas Pelletier, Matthew Peros, Sanna Pillo, Louis-Martin Pilote, Guillaume Primeau, Damien Rius, Vincent Robin, Mylene Robitaille, Thomas P. Roland, Eleonor Ryberg, A. Britta K. Sannel, Karsten Schittek, Gabriel Servera-Vives, William Shotyk, Michal Slowinski, Normunds Stivrins, Ward Swinnen, Gareth Thompson, Alexei Tiunov, Andrey N. Tsyganov, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, Gert Verstraeten, Tuomo Wallenius, Julia Webb, Debra A. Willard, Zicheng Yu, Claudio Zaccone, Hui Zhang
2023, Quaternary Science Reviews (305)
Northern peatlands store globally-important amounts of carbon in the form of partly decomposed plant detritus. Drying associated with climate and land-use change may lead to increased fire frequency and severity in peatlands and the rapid loss of carbon to the...
Documenting Arctic sea ice dynamics with Global Fiducials Program imagery
Bruce F. Molnia, Earl M. Wilson
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1008
For more than 25 years, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has used the remote-sensing capabilities of United States National Imagery Systems (USNIS) to obtain high-resolution electro-optical imagery to monitor Earth’s response to global environmental change. A major focus has been monitoring sea ice behavior in the Arctic Ocean and its...
Assembly methods for an external acoustic transmitter attachment device for fish telemetry studies
Justin R. Smerud, Kim T. Fredricks, Mark P. Gaikowski, Aaron R. Cupp
2023, Techniques and Methods 8-D1
The purpose of this report is to describe the assembly methods for an external acoustic transmitter attachment device that can be used during fish telemetry studies. External attachment is a simple procedure that can limit handling and reduce recovery times on fish. This report provides step-by-step directions to assemble devices;...
Application of a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated mitogenesis assay in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) to augment wild fish health studies
Cheyenne R. Smith, Christopher Ottinger, Heather L. Walsh, Patricia M. Mazik, Vicki S. Blazer
2023, Fishes (8)
The utility of a functional immune assay for smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) lymphocyte mitogenesis was evaluated. Wild populations in the Potomac River have faced disease and mortality with immunosuppression from exposure to chemical contaminants a suspected component. However, a validated set of immune parameters to screen for immunosuppression in...
Algal amendment enhances biogenic methane production from coals of different thermal maturity
George A. Platt, Katherine J. Davis, Hannah D. Schweitzer, Heidi J. Smith, Matthew W. Fields, Elliott Barnhart, Robin Gerlach
2023, Frontiers in Microbiology (14)
The addition of small amounts of algal biomass to stimulate methane production in coal seams is a promising low carbon renewable coalbed methane enhancement technique. However, little is known about how the addition of algal biomass amendment affects methane production from coals of different thermal maturity. Here, we show...
Nest traits and major flooding events influence nest survival of Emperor Geese while regional environmental variation linked to climate does not
Jordan M. Thompson, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Bryan L. Daniels, Joel A. Schmutz, Benjamin S. Sedinger
2023, Ornithological Applications (125)
The reproductive ecology of geese that breed in the Arctic and subarctic is likely susceptible to the effects of climate change, which is projected to alter the environmental conditions of northern latitudes. Nest survival is an important component of productivity in geese; however, the effects of regional environmental conditions...
Wastewater reuse and predicted ecological risk posed by contaminant mixtures in Potomac River watershed streams
Kaycee E. Faunce, Larry B. Barber, Steffanie H. Keefe, Jeramy Roland Jasmann, Jennifer L. Krstolic
2023, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (59) 779-802
A wastewater model was applied to the Potomac River watershed to provide (i) a means to identify streams with a high likelihood of carrying elevated effluent-derived contaminants and (ii) risk assessments to aquatic life and drinking water. The model linked effluent discharges along stream networks, accumulated...
Assessing impaired benthic communities using sediment toxicity and contaminant concentrations from reference sites inside the Niagara River Area of Concern
Barry P. Baldigo, Scott D. George, Andrew Lenox, Mark Filipski, Brian T. Duffy
2023, Journal of Great Lakes Research (49) 463-478
Anthropogenically degraded benthic-macroinvertebrate communities (benthos) are one of seven beneficial use impairments (BUIs) in the Niagara River Area of Concern (AOC). Over the last 50 years, upgrades to waste-water treatment, industry closures, and sediment remediations reduced contaminant levels throughout the system. Improvements...
Evaluating brook trout egg and alevin survival at different temperatures in simulated karst environments with marl sedimentation
John. Davidson, Clayton D. Raines, Curtis Crouse, CHristopher Goodchild, Brandon J. Keplinger
2023, Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (10) 27-35
Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) have been extirpated from many karst-geology streams in West Virginia; however, the causes are not fully understood. Specifically, the impact of calcareous precipitate (marl), which is common in hard-water environments, has not been evaluated as an im- pediment to juvenile survival. Accordingly, two...
Three-dimensional geologic map the southeastern Gabbs Valley geothermal area, Nevada
Drew L. Siler, Jeffrey B. Witter, Jason W Craig, Tait E. Earney, William D. Schermerhorn, Dominique Fournier, James E. Faulds, Jonathan M.G. Glen, Jared R. Peacock
2023, Scientific Investigations Map 3498
This three-dimensional (3D) geologic map displays the subsurface geology in the upper ~4 kilometers of the Earth’s crust in the southeastern Gabbs Valley geothermal area of west-central Nevada. The 3D map was constructed by integrating the results from detailed geologic mapping, 3D gravity inversion modeling, and potential-field-geophysical studies. This effort...
Terrestrial invertebrate diversity and occurrence in restored hardwood forest floodplains, Indiana, United States, June–August 2016
Janice L. Albers, Mark L. Wildhaber, Matthew A. Struckhoff, Daniel J. Westrich, Nicholas S. Green, Barry C. Poulton, Michael J. Hooper
2023, Data Report 1168
This report provides a summary of terrestrial invertebrates collected at old field, mature, and restored hardwood forest floodplain sites in northeast Indiana. Invertebrate populations were sampled at selected sites using walking butterfly transects, pitfall-enhanced Malaise invertebrate traps (PEMITs), and sweep nets. We identified a total of 19 taxonomic groups of...
Food caching by a solitary large carnivore reveals importance of intermediate-sized prey
Maximilian L. Allen, L. Mark Elbroch, Javan Mathias Bauder, Heiko U. Wittmer
2023, Journal of Mammalogy (104) 457-165
Pumas (Puma concolor) are solitary large carnivores that exhibit high energetic investments while hunting prey that often take multiple days to consume. Therefore, pumas should behave in a way to maximize their energetic gains, including using caching, which is a behavior used by many mammal species to preserve and store...
Mercury accumulation potential of aquatic plant species in West Dongting Lake, China
Dong Peng, Mingzhu Chen, Xinyue Su, Chenchen Liu, Zhehao Zhang, Beth Middleton, Ting Lei
2023, Environmental Pollution (324)
West Dongting Lake is a protected wetland with the potential for high levels of mercury release via wastewater and deposition from industry and agriculture during the last decade. To find out the ability of various plant species to accumulate mercury pollutants from soil and water, nine sites were studied in...
Investigating hydrologic alteration in the Pearl and Pascagoula River basins using rule-based model trees
Victor L. Roland II, Elena Crowley-Ornelas, Kirk D. Rodgers
2023, Environmental Software and Modelling (163)
Anthropogenic hydrologic alteration threatens the health of riverine ecosystems. Machine learning algorithms that employ the use of model trees to predict hydrologic alteration are underrepresented in related literature. This study assesses hydrologic alteration in the Pearl and Pascagoula River basins using modeled...
