Preliminary documentation of coseismic ground failure triggered by the February 6, 2023 Türkiye earthquake sequence
Tolga Gorum, Hakan Tanyas, Furkan Karabacak, Abdussamet Yilmaz, Serkan Girgin, Kate E. Allstadt, M. Lutfi Suzen, Paula Madeline Burgi
2023, Engineering Geology (327)
The devastating Kahramanmaraş earthquake sequence occurred on February 6, 2023. Two main events, Mw 7.8 and Mw 7.5 occurred 9 hours apart, affected 11 cities in Turkey, and subjected an area of ∼90,000 km2 to shaking levels known to trigger landslides (peak ground acceleration > 0.08 g). Extensive landsliding was expected given the hilly terrain affected by...
Developing a stochastic hydrological model for informing lake water level drawdown management
Xinchen He, Konstantinos Andreadisa, Allison H. Roy, Abhiskek Kumar, Caitlyn Butler
2023, Journal of Environmental Management (345)
Winter drawdown (WD) is a common lake management tool for multiple purposes such as flood control, aquatic vegetation reduction, and lake infrastructure maintenance. To minimize adverse impacts to a lake’s ecosystem, regulatory agencies may provide managers with general guidelines for drawdown and refill timing, drawdown magnitude, and outflow limitations. However,...
Spatially interactive modeling of land change identifies location-specific adaptations most likely to lower future flood risk
Georgina M. Sanchez, Anna Petrasova, Megan M. Skrip, Elyssa Collins, Margaret A. Lawrimore, John B. Vogler, Adam Terando, Jelena Vukomanovic, Helena Mitasova, Ross K. Meentemeyer
2023, Scientific Reports (13)
Impacts of sea level rise will last for centuries; therefore, flood risk modeling must transition from identifying risky locations to assessing how populations can best cope. We present the first spatially interactive (i.e., what happens at one location affects another) land change model (FUTURES 3.0) that can probabilistically predict urban...
Importance of understanding bottom-up control when characterizing geothermal systems
Jared R. Peacock, Paul A. Bedrosian
2023, Conference Paper, Using the Earth to save the Earth (GRC transactions)
Methods designed to identify favorable areas for geothermal resources have traditionally been focused on near-surface information, namely data that can be compiled into a 2D map. However, these methods fail to account for the third dimension: depth. As a result, they do not incorporate deep crustal and mantle features like...
Exploring centennial barrier-inlet evolution: Insights from undeveloped and developed phases at Barnegat Inlet, New Jersey
Shane Nichols-O’Neill, Jorge Lorenzo-Trueba, Daniel J. Ciarletta, Jennifer L. Miselis
2023, Conference Paper, The Proceedings of the Coastal Sediments 2023
This study aims to identify the natural processes and the subsequent responses to coastal engineering and development on the alongshore evolution of the IB-BI-LBI inlet-barrier system. The primary focus will be the quantification of barrier island and inlet sediment partitioning at decadal to centennial timescales, from 1839-1941. We analyze historical...
The Arctic Rivers Project: Using an equitable co-production framework for integrating meaningful community engagement and science to understand climate impacts
Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Alestine Andre, Victoria Buschman, Dylan Blaskey, Cassandra M. Brooks, Yifan Cheng, Evelynn Combs, Karen Cozzetto, Serena Fitka, Joshua C. Koch, Aine Lawlor, Elizabeth Moses, Emily Murray, Edda A. Mutter, Andrew Newman, Charles Prince, Patricia Salmon, Jenessa Tlen, Ryan C. Toohey, Michael L. Williams, Keith Musselman
2023, Community Science (2)
As the Arctic and its rivers continue to warm, a better understanding of the possible future impacts on people would benefit from close partnership with Indigenous communities and scientists from diverse fields of study. We present efforts by the Arctic Rivers Project to conduct community-engaged research to...
Moon-forming impactor as a source of Earth’s basal mantle anomalies
Qian Yuan, Mingming Li, Steven J. Desch, Byeongkwan Ko, Hongping Deng, Edward J. Garnero, Travis S.J. Gabriel, Jacob A. Kegerreis, Yoshinori Miyazaki, Vincent Eke, Paul D. Asimow
2023, Nature (623) 95-99
Seismic images of Earth’s interior have revealed two continent-sized anomalies with low seismic velocities, known as the large low-velocity provinces (LLVPs), in the lowermost mantle. The LLVPs are often interpreted as intrinsically dense heterogeneities that are compositionally distinct from the surrounding mantle. Here we show that...
Evaluating a tandem human-machine approach to labelling of wildlife in remote camera monitoring
Laurence A. Clarfeld, Alexej P.K. Sirén, Brendan M. Mulhall, Tammy L. Wilson, Elena Bernier, John Farrell, Gus Lunde, Nicole Hardy, Katherine D. Gieder, Robert Abrams, Sue Staats, Scott McLellan, Therese M. Donovan
2023, Ecological Informatics (77)
Remote cameras (“trail cameras”) are a popular tool for non-invasive, continuous wildlife monitoring, and as they become more prevalent in wildlife research, machine learning (ML) is increasingly used to automate or accelerate the labor-intensive process of labelling (i.e., tagging) photos. Human-machine hybrid tagging approaches have been shown to greatly increase...
A novel boat-based field application of a high-frequency conductometric ammonium analyzer to characterize spatial variation in aquatic ecosystems
Emily T. Richardson, Angela Hansen, Tamara E. C. Kraus, Bryan D. Downing, Don Forsberg, John Stillian, Katy O’Donnell, Crystal Lee Sturgeon, Brian A. Bergamaschi
2023, Limnology and Oceanography Methods (21) 761-774
Documenting dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentration and form at appropriate temporal and spatial scales is key to understanding aquatic ecosystem health, particularly as DIN fuels primary productivity. In addition to point and non-point source nutrient inputs, factors such as hydrology, geomorphology, temperature, light, and biogeochemical transformations influence nutrient dynamics in...
Development of small uncrewed aerial systems for multi-instrument geophysical data acquisition in active geothermal systems
Grant Harold Rea-Downing, Claire Bouligand, Jonathan M.G. Glen, Tait E. Earney, Laurie A. Zielinski, Jacob Elliott Anderson, Peter J. Kelly
2023, Conference Paper, 2023 Summit on Drone Geophysics program book
Small Uncrewed Aerial Systems (sUAS) serve as critical platforms for geophysical data collection at an intermediate scale between lower resolution, regional datasets collected via crewed aerial surveys, and high resolution, but spatially sparse sampling of ground-based data collection methods. Advances in sensor design and sUAS capabilities have led to rapid...
Decadal shifts in the population growth, regeneration, and health of Taxodium distichum in swamps of the Cache River Watershed, Illinois
Beth Middleton, Darren Johnson
2023, Journal for Nature Conservation (76)
Population projection models based on long-term trends in regeneration and tree survival can be used to predict the future stability of swamp forest species using water management. Population growth and regeneration of a foundational tree species in North American cypress swamps (Taxodium distichum) were compared...
Trade-offs in adapting to changes in climate, land use, and water availability in California
Nathan D. Van Schmidt, Tamara Wilson, Lorraine E. Flint, R. Langridge
2023, Ecology and Society (28)
Changes in land use and land cover, water systems, and climate are inextricably linked, and their combined stresses have had severe impacts in many regions worldwide. Integrated adaptation planning can support adaptive capacity by helping institutions manage land and water resources at regional to local scales. Linkages between these stressors...
Incremental evolution of modeling a prognosis for polar bears in a rapidly changing Arctic
Bruce G. Marcot, Todd C. Atwood, David C. Douglas, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, Anthony M. Pagano, Steven C. Amstrup
2023, Ecological Indicators (156)
Updating predictions of the response of high-profile, at-risk species to climate change and anthropogenic stressors is vital for informing effective conservation action. Here, we review two prior generations of Bayesian network probability models predicting changes in global polar bear (Ursus maritimus) population status, and provide...
Leveraging machine learning to automate regression model evaluations for large multi-site water-quality trend studies
Jennifer C. Murphy, Jeffrey G. Chanat
2023, Environmental Modeling and Software (170)
Large multi-site trend studies provide an opportunity to evaluate progress of waterbodies towards water-quality goals across broad geographic areas. Such studies often aggregate the results of site-specific models and thus contend with evaluating each model for appropriate fit and statistical...
System-scale airborne electromagnetic surveys in the lower Mississippi River Valley support multidisciplinary applications
Burke J. Minsley, Ryan F. Adams, William H. Asquith, Bethany L. Burton, Bennett Eugene Hoogenboom, Stephanie R. James, Courtney D. Killian, Katherine J. Knierim, Wade H. Kress, Maxwell A. Lindaman, Andrew T. Leaf, James R. Rigby, Jonathan P. Traylor
2023, Conference Paper
The lower Mississippi River Valley spans over 200,000 square kilometres in parts of seven states, encompassing areas of critical groundwater supplies, natural hazards, infrastructure, and low-lying coastal regions. From 2018 - 2022, the U.S. Geological Survey acquired over 82,000 line-kilometres of airborne electromagnetic, radiometric, and magnetic data over this region...
Dating the penultimate great earthquake in south-central Alaska using tree-ring crossdating and radiocarbon wiggle-matching
David J Barclay, Peter J. Haeussler, Robert C. Witter
2023, Quaternary Science Advances (13)
A forest bed of tree stumps currently in the intertidal zone at Girdwood, south-central Alaska, records coseismic submergence during the penultimate great earthquake. Tree-ring samples from ten spruce stumps were crossdated to develop a 149-year-long ring-width chronology. Radiocarbon wiggle-matching found that single-ring ages from the chronology were offset 28 ± 7 years older...
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on greater sage-grouse published from October 2019 to July 2022
Elisabeth C. Teige, Logan M. Maxwell, Samuel E. Jordan, Tait K. Rutherford, Emma I. Dietrich, Ella M. Samuel, Alexandra L. Stoneburner, Nathan J. Kleist, Jennifer K. Meineke, Lea B. Selby, Alison C. Foster, Sarah K. Carter
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1082
Integrating recent scientific knowledge into management decisions supports effective natural resource management and can lead to better resource outcomes. However, finding and accessing scientific knowledge can be time consuming and costly. To assist in this process, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) created a series of annotated bibliographies on topics of...
Effect of feeding history on metabolic rate of largemouth bass (Micropterus nigricans): implications for bioenergetics models
Steven H. Ranney, Steven R. Chipps, David H. Wahl
2023, Canadian Journal of Zoology (102) 207-216
Metabolic rate is a key parameter in fish energy budgets that strongly influences the output of bioenergetics models. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that metabolic rate varies with growth history of age-1 largemouth bass Micropterus nigricans Cuvier, 1828. Two groups of fish were fed alternating maintenance or ad libitum rations...
Using high-frequency monitoring data to quantify city-wide suspended-sediment load and evaluate TMDL goals
Samuel Adam Miller, James S. Webber, John D. Jastram, Marcus F Aguilar
2023, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (195)
Excess sediment is a common reason water bodies in the USA become listed as impaired resulting in total maximum daily loads (TMDL) that require municipalities to invest millions of dollars annually on management practices aimed at reducing suspended-sediment loads (SSLs), yet monitoring data are rarely used...
Effects of noise from oil and gas development on ungulates and small mammals—A science synthesis to inform National Environmental Policy Act analyses
Tait K. Rutherford, Logan M. Maxwell, Nathan J. Kleist, Elisabeth C. Teige, Richard J. Lehrter, Megan A. Gilbert, David J.A. Wood, Aaron N. Johnston, Claudia Mengelt, John C. Tull, Travis S. Haby, Sarah K. Carter
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5114
The U.S. Geological Survey is working with Federal land management agencies to develop a series of science syntheses to support environmental effects analyses that agencies conduct to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This report synthesizes science information about the potential effects of noise from oil and gas...
Updated decision analysis to inform multi-species salmonine management in Lake Michigan
Kelly Filer Robinson, Michael L. Jones, Richard Clark, Brian Roth, Jory Jonas, Iyob Tsehaye, Matthew S. Kornis, Benjamin A. Turschak, Daniel O’Keefe, Brian Brenton
2023, Cooperator Science Series FWS/CSS-154-2023
The recreational fishery for salmonine species in Lake Michigan (lake trout, Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, and brown trout) is largely maintained through stocking. Decisions about how many of each species to stock require an understanding of how to maintain a sustainable balance of predators (salmonine species) to prey (alewife)...
Construction and modification of debris-flow alluvial fans as captured in the geomorphic and sedimentary record: Examples from the western Sangre de Cristo Mountains, south-central Colorado
Sylvia Nicovich, James Schmitt, Harrison J. Gray, Ralph E. Klinger, Shannon A. Mahan
2023, Geological Society of America Special Papers (561)
Debris-flow alluvial fans are iconic features of dynamic landscapes and are hypothesized to record tectonic and climatic change. Here, we highlight their complex formation and evolution through an exemplary suite of Quaternary debris-flow alluvial fans emanating from the western range front of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in south-central Colorado,...
Model-based surveillance system design under practical constraints with application to white-nose syndrome
Gina Oh, Srikanth Aravamuthan, Ting Fung Ma, Juan Francisco Mandujano Juan Francisco Reyes, Anne Ballmann, Trevor J. Hefley, Ian McGahan, Robin Russell, Daniel P. Walsh, Juntao Zhu
2023, Environmental and Ecological Statistics (30) 649-667
Infectious diseases are powerful ecological forces structuring ecosystems, causing devastating economic impacts and disrupting society. Successful prevention and control of pathogens requires knowledge of the current scope and severity of disease, as well as the ability to forecast future disease dynamics. Assessment of the current situation...
Annual and inter-annual variability in the diffuse attenuation coefficient and turbidity in an urbanized Washington lake from 2013 to 2022 assessed using Landsat-8/9
Jennifer A. Schulien, Tessa Julianne Code, Curtis L. DeGasperi, David Beauchamp, Arielle Tonus Ellis, Arni H. Litt
2023, Remote Sensing (15)
Water clarity, defined in this study using measurements of the downwelling diffuse light attenuation coefficient (Kd) and turbidity, is an important indicator of lake trophic status and ecosystem health. We used in-situ measurements to evaluate existing semi-analytical models for Kd and turbidity, developed a regional turbidity model based on spectral shape,...
Climate-induced shifts in grassland bird nesting phenology have implications for grassland management
Michael J. Anteau, Kristen S. Ellis, Garrett J. MacDonald, Lawrence Igl, Neal D. Niemuth, Josh Vest
2023, Global Ecology and Conservation (48) e02700
Grasslands are among the most impacted ecosystems globally. In the midcontinent of North America, a > 80% loss of grasslands has made their conservation a major priority for resource managers. Grassland ecosystems evolved under periodic disturbances; consequently, grassland management often involves regular...
