Geologic map of the San Antonio Mountain area, northern New Mexico and southern Colorado
Kenzie J. Turner, Ren A. Thompson, Michael A. Cosca, Ralph R. Shroba, Christine F. Chan, Leah E. Morgan
2018, Scientific Investigations Map 3417
The geologic map of the San Antonio Mountain area in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado is located along the west-central part of the San Luis Valley. The San Luis Valley is the geomorphic expression of the San Luis Basin, an extensional basin associated with the northern Rio Grande rift....
Assessment of coalbed gas resources in the Kutei and Barito Basin Provinces, Indonesia, 2018
Christopher J. Schenk, Tracey J. Mercier, Phuong A. Le, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Thomas M. Finn, Michael E. Brownfield, Kristen R. Marra, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Janet K. Pitman, Ronald M. Drake II
2018, Fact Sheet 2018-3055
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 10.7 trillion cubic feet of potential coalbed gas resources in the Kutei and Barito Basin Provinces of Indonesia....
Analysis of different sensor performances in impervious surface mapping
George Z. Xian, Hua Shi, Jon Dewitz, Zhuoting Wu
2018, Conference Paper, IGARSS 2018 - 2018 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) to provide consistent land cover and land cover change products for the nation since 2001. As one of products in the NLCD, the percent impervious surface area (ISA), which was estimated with Landsat imagery, represents the fraction...
Multi-state occupancy models of foraging habitat use by the Hawaiian hoary bat Lasiurus cinereus semotus
P. Marcos Gorresen, Kevin W. Brinck, Megan A. DeLisle, Kristina Montoya-Aiona, Corinna A. Pinzari, Frank Bonaccorso
2018, PLoS ONE (13) 1-14
Multi-state occupancy modeling can often improve assessments of habitat use and site quality when animal activity or behavior data are available. We examine the use of the approach for evaluating foraging habitat suitability of the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus) from classifications of site occupancy based on flight...
Using research networks to create the comprehensive datasets needed to assess nutrient availability as a key determinant of terrestrial carbon cycling
Sara Vicca, Benjamin Stocker, Sasha C. Reed, William R. Wieder, Michael Bahn, Philip A. Fay, Ivan Janssens, Hans Lambers, Josep Penuelas, Shilong Piao, Karin Rebel, Jordi Sardans, Bjarni D. Sigurdsson, Kevin Van Sundert, Ying-Ping Wang, Sonke Zaehle, Philippe Ciais
2018, Environmental Research Letters (13) 1-13
A wide range of research shows that nutrient availability strongly influences terrestrial carbon (C) cycling and shapes ecosystem responses to environmental changes and hence terrestrial feedbacks to climate. Nonetheless, our understanding of nutrient controls remains far from complete and poorly quantified, at least partly due to a lack of informative,...
Chronic physical disturbance substantially alters the response of biological soil crusts to a wetting pulse, as characterized by metatranscriptomic sequencing
Blaire Steven, Jayne Belnap, Cheryl R. Kuske
2018, Frontiers in Microbiology (9) 1-17
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are microbial communities that are a feature of arid surface soils worldwide. In drylands where precipitation is pulsed and ephemeral, the ability of biocrust microbiota to rapidly initiate metabolic activity is critical to their survival. Community gene expression was compared after a short duration (1 hour)...
Natural climate solutions for the United States
Joseph E. Fargione, Steven Bassett, Timothy Boucher, Scott D. Bridgham, Richard T. Conant, Susan C. Cook-Patton, Peter W. Ellis, Alessandra Falcucci, James W. Fourqurean, Trisha Gopalakrishna, Huan Gu, Benjamin Henderson, Matthew D. Hurteau, Kevin D. Kroeger, Timm Kroeger, Tyler J. Lark, Sara M. Leavitt, Guy Lomax, Robert I. McDonald, Patrick Megonigal, Daniela A. Miteva, Curtis J. Richardson, Jonathan Sanderman, David Shoch, Seth A. Spawn, Joseph W. Veldman, Christopher A. Williams, Peter B. Woodbury, Chris Zganjar, Marci Baranski, Patricia Elias, Richard A. Houghton, Emily Landis, Emily McGlynn, William H. Schlesinger, Juha V. Siikamaki, Ariana Sutton-Grier, Bronson W. Griscom
2018, Science (4)
Limiting climate warming to <2°C requires increased mitigation efforts, including land stewardship, whose potential in the United States is poorly understood. We quantified the potential of natural climate solutions (NCS)—21 conservation, restoration, and improved land management interventions on natural and agricultural lands—to increase carbon storage and avoid greenhouse gas emissions...
Ground motions from the 7 and 19 September, 2017 Tehuantepec and Puebla-Morelos, Mexico, earthquakes
Valerie J. Sahakian, Diego Melgar, Luis Quintanar, Leonardo Ramirez-Guzman, Xyoli Perez-Campos, Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom
2018, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (108) 3300-3312
The 2017 M">M 8.2 Tehuantepec and M">M 7.1 Puebla‐Morelos earthquakes were deep inslab normal‐faulting events that caused significant damage to several central‐to‐southern regions of Mexico. Inslab earthquakes are an important component of seismicity and seismic hazard...
Change in dominance determines herbivore effects on plant biodiversity
Sally E. Koerner, Melinda D. Smith, Deron E. Burkepile, Niall P. Hanan, Meghan L. Avolio, Scott L. Collins, Alan K. Knapp, Nathan P. Lemoine, Elisabeth J. Forrestel, Stephanie Eby, Dave I. Thompson, Gerardo A. Aguado-Santacruz, John P. Anderson, T. Michael Anderson, Ayana Angassa, Sumanta Bagchi, Elisabeth S. Bakker, Gary Bastin, Lauren E. Baur, Karen H. Beard, Erik A. Beever, Patrick J. Bohlen, Elizabeth H. Boughton, Don Canestro, Ariela Cesa, Enrique Chaneton, Jimin Cheng, Carla M. D’Antonio, Claire Deleglise, Fadiala Dembele, Josh Dorrough, David J. Eldridge, Barbara Fernandez-Going, Silvia Fernandez-Lugo, Lauchlan H. Fraser, Bill Freedman, Gonzalo Garcia-Salgado, Jacob R. Goheen, Liang Guo, Sean Husheer, Moussa Karembe, Johannes M. H. Knops, Tineke Kraaij, Andrew Kulmatiski, Minna-Maarit Kytoviita, Felipe Lezama, Gregory Loucougaray, Alejandro Loydi, Daniel G. Milchunas, Suzanne J. Milton, John W. Morgan, Claire Moxham, Kyle C. Nehring, Han Olff, Todd M. Palmer, Salvador Rebollo, Corinna Riginos, Anita C. Risch, Marta Rueda, Mahesh Sankaran, Takehiro Sasaki, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Nick L. Schultz, Martin Schutz, Angelika Schwabe, Frances Siebert, Christian Smit, Karen A. Stahlheber, Christian Storm, Dustin J. Strong, Jishuai Su, Yadugiri V. Tiruvaimozhi, Claudia Tyler, James Val, Martijn L. Vandegehuchte, Kari E. Veblen, Lance Vermeire, David Ward, Jianshuang Wu, Truman P. Young, Qiang Yu, Tamara J. Zelikova
2018, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2) 1925-1932
Herbivores alter plant biodiversity (species richness) in many of the world’s ecosystems, but the magnitude and the direction of herbivore effects on biodiversity vary widely within and among ecosystems. One current theory predicts that herbivores enhance plant biodiversity at high productivity but have the opposite effect at low productivity. Yet,...
Bank‐derived material dominates fluvial sediment in a suburban Chesapeake Bay watershed
Matthew J. Cashman, Allen C. Gellis, Lillian E. Gorman Sanisaca, Gregory E. Noe, Vanessa Cogliandro, Anna Baker
2018, River Research and Applications (34) 1032-1044
Excess fine sediment is a leading cause of ecological degradation within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. To effectively target sediment mitigation measures, it is necessary to identify and quantify the delivery of sediment sources to local waterbodies.This study examines the contributions of sediment sources within Upper Difficult Run, a suburbanized watershed...
Time-varying predatory behavior is primary predictor of fine-scale movement of wildland-urban cougars
Frances E. Buderman, Mevin Hooten, Mathew W. Alldredge, Ephraim M. Hanks, Jacob S. Ivan
2018, Movement Ecology (6) 1-16
BackgroundWhile many species have suffered from the detrimental impacts of increasing human population growth, some species, such as cougars (Puma concolor), have been observed using human-modified landscapes. However, human-modified habitat can be a source of both increased risk and increased food availability, particularly for large carnivores. Assessing preferential use of...
Monitoring wadeable stream habitat conditions in Southeast Coast Network parks: Protocol narrative
Jacob M. McDonald, Mark B. Gregory, Jeffrey W. Riley, Eric N. Starkey
2018, Natural Resource Report NPS/SECN/NRR—2018/1715
The Southeast Coast Network (SECN) has initiated a monitoring effort to assess habitat conditions in wadeable streams at national parks, recreation areas, battlefields, and monuments in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. This monitoring effort includes Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Congaree National Park, Horseshoe Bend...
California mallards: a review
Cliff L. Feldheim, Joshua T. Ackerman, Shaun L. Oldenburger, John M. Eadie, Joseph P. Fleskes, Gregory S. Yarris
2018, California Fish and Game (104) 49-66
Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) are the most abundant breeding waterfowl species in California and are important to waterfowl hunters in the state. California is unique among major North American wintering waterfowl areas, in that most mallards harvested in California are also produced in California, meaning that California must provide both high...
Increasing soil organic carbon to mitigate greenhouse gases and increase climate resiliency for California
Lorraine E. Flint, Alan L. Flint, Michelle A. Stern, Allegra Mayer, Whendee L. Silver, Clyde Casey, Fabiano Franco, Kristin B. Byrd, Benjamin M. Sleeter, P. Alvarez, J. Creque, T. Estrada, D. Cameron
2018, Report
Rising air temperatures are projected to continue to drive up urban, agricultural, and rangeland water use, straining both surface and groundwater resources. Scientific studies have shown that managing farms, ranches, and public lands to increase soil carbon can increase soil waterholding capacity and increase hydrologic benefits such as increased baseflows...
Methods used for the collection and analysis of chemical and biological data for the Tapwater Exposure Study, United States, 2016–17
Kristin M. Romanok, Dana W. Kolpin, Shannon M. Meppelink, Maria Argos, Juliane B. Brown, Michael J. Devito, Julie E. Dietze, Carrie E. Givens, James L. Gray, Christopher P. Higgins, Michelle L. Hladik, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Keith A. Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Carrie A. McDonough, Michael T. Meyer, Mark J. Strynar, Christopher P. Weis, Vickie S. Wilson, Paul M. Bradley
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1098
In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Environmental Health Mission Area, initiated the Tapwater Exposure Study as part of an infrastructure project to assess human exposure to potential threats from complex mixtures of contaminants. In the pilot phase (2016), samples were collected from 11 States throughout the United States, and...
Concentrations of lead and other inorganic constituents in samples of raw intake and treated drinking water from the municipal water filtration plant and residential tapwater in Chicago, Illinois, and East Chicago, Indiana, July–December 2017
Kristin M. Romanok, Dana W. Kolpin, Shannon M. Meppelink, Michael J. Focazio, Maria Argos, Mary E. Hollingsworth, R. Blaine McCleskey, Andrea R. Putz, Alan Stark, Christopher P. Weis, Abderrahman Zehraoui, Paul M. Bradley
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1071
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Environmental Health Mission Area (EHMA) is providing comprehensive science on sources, movement, and transformation of contaminants and pathogens in watershed and aquifer drinking-water supplies and in built water and wastewater infrastructure (referred to as the USGS Water and Wastewater Infrastructure project) in the Greater Chicago...
Sierra Nevada summary report. California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment
Michael D. Dettinger, Holly Alpert, John J. Battles, Jonathan Kusel, Hugh Safford, Dorian Fougeres, Clarke Knight, Lauren Miller, Sarah Sawyer
2018, Report
The Sierra Nevada region is critical to the environment and economy of California. Its places and peoples provideessential natural resources including fresh water, clean power, working lands, and famous wilderness. The regionencompasses tremendous geographical, climatological, and ecological diversity that spans majestic mountains todeep desert basins. The climate consists of cool,...
Land subsidence
Michelle Sneed
2018, Book chapter, Groundwater: State of the science and practice
Land subsidence in the United States is inextricably linked to the development of groundwater—one of the Nation’s most valuable natural resources. More than 80 percent of the identified subsidence in the United States is a consequence of anthropogenic impact on water resources. Three processes account for most of the water-related...
Inland waters
David E. Butman, Robert G. Striegl, Sarah M. Stackpoole, Paul Del Giorgio, Yves Prairie, Darren Pilcher, Peter Raymond, Fernando Paz Pellat, Javier Alcocer
N. Cavallaro, G. Shrestha, R. Birdsey, M. A. Mayes, R.G. Najjar, S.C. Reed, P. Romero-Lankao, Z. Zhu, editor(s)
2018, Book chapter, Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2): A Sustained Assessment Report
1. The total flux of carbon—which includes gaseous emissions, lateral flux, and burial—from inland waters across the conterminous United States (CONUS) and Alaska is 193 teragrams of carbon (Tg C) per year. The dominant pathway for carbon movement out of inland waters is the emission of carbon dioxide gas across...
Radium attenuation and mobilization in stream sediments following oil and gas wastewater disposal in western Pennsylvania
Katherine Van Sice, Charles A. Cravotta III, Bonnie McDevitt, Travis L. Tasker, Joshua D. Landis, Johnna Puhr, Nathaniel R. Warner
2018, Applied Geochemistry (98) 393-403
Centralized waste treatment facilities (CWTs) in Pennsylvania discharged wastewater from conventional and unconventional oil and gas (O&G) wells into surface waters until 2011, when a voluntary request from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) encouraged recycling rather than treating and discharging unconventional O&G wastewater. To determine the effect of this request on the occurrence of radium in...
Long-term impacts of exotic grazer removal on native shrub recovery, Santa Cruz Island, California
Stephanie G. Yelenik
2018, Western North American Naturalist (78) 777-786
A combination of overgrazing and exotic species introduction has led to the degradation of habitats worldwide. It is often unclear whether removal of exotic ungulates will lead to the natural reestablishment of native plant communities without further management inputs. I describe here my return to sites on Santa Cruz Island,...
Unsaturated zone CO2, CH4, and δ13C-CO2 at an arid region low-level radioactive waste disposal site
Christopher H. Conaway, Michelle Ann Walvoord, Randall B. Thomas, Christopher Green, R.J. Baker, James J. Thordsen, David A. Stonestrom, Brian J. Andraski
2018, Vadose Zone Journal (17) 1-11
Elevated tritium, radiocarbon, Hg, and volatile organic compounds associated with low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) at the USGS Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS) have stimulated research on factors and processes that affect contaminant gas distribution and transport. Consequently, we examined the sources, mixing, and biogeochemistry of CO2 and CH4, two additional important...
Are changes in lower trophic levels limiting prey-fish biomass and production in Lake Michigan?
David B. Bunnell, Hunter J. Carrick, Charles P. Madenjian, Edward S. Rutherford, Henry A. Vanderploeg, Richard P. Barbiero, Elizabeth Hinchey-Malloy, Steven A. Pothoven, Catherine M. Riseng, Randall M. Claramunt, Harvey A. Bootsma, Ashley Elgin, Mark Rowe, Sara Thomas, Benjamin A. Turschak, Sergiusz J. Czesny, Kevin Pangle, David M. Warner
2018, Miscellaneous Publication 2018-01
To improve understanding of how recent changes in lower trophic levels in Lake Michigan could be affecting prey-fish biomass and production, the Lake Michigan Committee (LMC) convened a Lower Trophic Level Task Group and provided several charges that are responded to in this report. First, we compiled a comprehensive summary...
Automated road breaching to enhance extraction of natural drainage networks from elevation models through deep learning
Larry Stanislawski, Tyler Brockmeyer, Ethan J. Shavers
2018, Conference Paper, The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences
High-resolution (HR) digital elevation models (DEMs), such as those at resolutions of 1 and 3 meters, have increasingly become more widely available, along with lidar point cloud data. In a natural environment, a detailed surface water drainage network can be extracted from a HR DEM using flow-direction and flow-accumulation modeling....
Method comparisons for determining concentrations of metals in water samples used in studies of fish migratory histories
Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid, Steven J. Zigler, Ryan P. Maki, Byron N. Karns, Seth A. Love
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5143
Signatures developed from metal concentrations in water and fish bony structures can be used to demonstrate migration of individual fish between connected water bodies. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Park Service and the Missouri Department of Conservation, compared two protocols for collecting and analyzing water...
