Method for identification of reservoir regulation within U.S. Geological Survey streamgage basins in the Central United States using a decadal dam impact metric
Mackenzie K. Marti, Karen R. Ryberg
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1034
Researchers routinely study streamflow data to understand the effects of natural climate variability and anthropogenic climate change, and to develop methods for estimating streamflow at ungaged locations. These studies require streamflow data that are not modified or largely altered by other anthropogenic activities, such as reservoirs or diversions. This report...
Haliaeetus leucocephalus (bald eagle) and Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagle) mortality and exposure to lead, mercury, and anticoagulant rodenticides in eight western and midwestern States, 2014–17
Barbara L. Bodenstein, Julia S. Lankton, Robin E. Russell, Matthew S. Schwarz
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1016
The U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center measured environmental contaminants in Haliaeetus leucocephalus (bald eagles) and Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagles) to evaluate dietary exposure to lead, mercury, and anticoagulant rodenticides (AR), all of which were identified by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a priority issue of concern for...
Community for data integration 2019 project report
Amanda N. Liford, Caitlin M. Andrews, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Joseph A. Bard, David S. Blehert, John B. Bradford, Wesley M. Daniel, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Frank L. Engel, Jason A. Ferrante, Amy K. Gilmer, Margaret E. Hunter, Jeanne M. Jones, Benjamin Letcher, Frances L. Lightsom, Richard R. McDonald, Leah E. Morgan, Sasha C. Reed, Leslie Hsu
2023, Open-File Report 2022-1120
The U.S. Geological Survey Community for Data Integration annually supports small projects focusing on data integration for interdisciplinary research, innovative data management, and demonstration of new technologies. This report provides a summary of the 14 projects supported in fiscal year 2019 and outlines their goals, activities, and accomplishments. Proposals in...
Forest structure and residual tree growth at the Northwest Gateway project area, Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
Micah C. Wright, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Calvin Farris
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1021
Mechanical thinning and prescribed fire are common mitigation treatments to reduce fire hazards. However, these treatments are infrequently applied together within national parks. The Northwest Gateway project at Lassen Volcanic National Park is an exception to this pattern. Various thinning prescriptions were applied to the project area in 2014, with...
Grassland management priorities for the North Central Region
Christine D. Miller Hesed, Heather M. Yocum, editor(s)
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1037
Executive SummaryUnderstanding how climate change and variability will impact grassland ecosystems is crucial for successful grassland management in the 21st century. In 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (USGS NC CASC) began a project to establish a baseline of information to best serve grassland managers...
Synthesis of climate and ecological science to support grassland management priorities in the North Central Region
Christine D. Miller Hesed, Heather M. Yocum, Imtiaz Rangwala, Amy Symstad, Jeff M. Martin, Kevin Ellison, David J. A. Wood, Marissa Ahlering, Katherine J. Chase, Shelley Crausbay, Ana D. Davidson, Julie L. Elliott, Jim Giocomo, David Hoover, Toni Klemm, David A. Lightfoot, Owen P. McKenna, Brian W. Miller, Danika Mosher, R. Chelsea Nagy, Jesse B. Nippert, Jeremy Pittman, Lauren M. Porensky, Jilmarie Stephens, Alexander V. Zale
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1036
Grasslands in the Great Plains are of ecological, economic, and cultural importance in the United States. In response to a need to understand how climate change and variability will impact grassland ecosystems and their management in the 21st century, the U.S. Geological Survey North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center led...
Assessment of riparian vegetation patterns and change downstream from Glen Canyon Dam from 2014 to 2019
Emily C. Palmquist, Bradley J. Butterfield, Barbara E. Ralston
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1026
Changes in riparian vegetation cover and composition occur in relation to flow regime, geomorphic template, and climate, and can have cascading effects on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Tracking such changes over time is therefore an important part of monitoring the condition and trajectory of riparian ecosystems. Maintaining diverse, self-sustaining riparian...
Bivalve effects on the food web supporting delta smelt—A long-term study of bivalve recruitment, biomass, and grazing rate patterns with varying freshwater outflow
Emily L. Zierdt Smith, Kelly H. Shrader, Janet K. Thompson, Francis Parchaso, Karen Gehrts, Elizabeth Wells
2023, Open-File Report 2022-1101
Phytoplankton are an important and limiting food source in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay in California. Decreasing phytoplankton biomass is one possible factor for the pelagic organism decline and the decline of the protected Hypomesus transpacificus (delta smelt). Bivalves Corbicula fluminea and Potamocorbula amurensis (hereafter C. fluminea...
Monitoring of wave, current, and sediment dynamics along the Chincoteague living shoreline, Virginia
Hongqing Wang, Q. Chen, Nan Wang, William D. Capurso, L.M. Niemoczynski, Ling Zhu, Gregg A. Snedden, Kevin S. Holcomb, Bowdoin W. Lusk, Carol W. Wilson, Sean R. Cornell
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1020
Nature-based features, also called living shorelines, are increasingly applied in coastal protection and restoration. However, the processes and mechanisms (feedbacks and interactions) of wave attenuation, current velocity change, and sediment deposition and erosion along the living shoreline remain unclear, thus limiting the adaptive management of living shoreline restoration projects for...
Value-aligned planning objectives for restoring North Carolina aquatic resources
Ana Maria Garcia, Mitchell J. Eaton, Georgina M. Sanchez, Jennifer L. Keisman, Kirsten Ullman, James Blackwell
2023, Open-File Report 2022-1058
Rapid population growth and development in the southeastern United States have resulted in substantial impairment to freshwater aquatic ecosystems. National or regional restoration policies strive to address impaired ecosystems but can suffer from inconsistent and opaque processes. The Clean Water Act, for example, establishes reallocation mechanisms to transfer ecosystem services...
User needs assessment for postfire debris-flow inundation hazard products
Katherine R. Barnhart, Veronica Romero, Katherine R. Clifford
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1025
Debris flows are a type of mass movement that is more likely after wildfires, and while existing hazard assessments evaluate the rainfall intensities that are likely to trigger debris flows, no operational hazard assessment exists for identifying the areas where they will run out after initiation. Fifteen participants who work...
Preliminary surficial geologic map of Leuhman Ridge and the surrounding area, Edwards Air Force Base and Air Force Research Laboratory, Kern and San Bernardino Counties, California
Andrew J. Cyr, David M. Miller
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1014
This preliminary geologic map presents mapping of the Leuhman Ridge area of Edwards Air Force Base, California, conducted between April 2020 and June 2021. The report focuses on surficial materials and bedrock to evaluate potential faults and other geologic features that may influence groundwater movement. The preliminary work confirms that...
Potential effects of climate change on Ambystoma barbouri (streamside salamander)
Marta P. Lyons, Olivia E. LeDee, Ryan P. Boyles
2023, Open-File Report 2021-1104-C
Ambystoma barbouri (streamside salamanders) are stream-breeding mole salamanders that rely on seasonally intermittent, fishless streams for egg and larval development but are primarily fossorial as adults. Climate-driven changes are likely to alter streamflow duration, peak, and seasonality within the range of A. barbouri, reducing reproductive habitat and larval survival. Although...
Sediment deposition, erosion, and bathymetric change in San Francisco Bay, California, 1971–1990 and 1999–2020
Theresa A. Fregoso, Amy C. Foxgrover, Bruce E. Jaffe
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1031
Bathymetric change analyses document historical patterns of sediment deposition and erosion, providing valuable insight into the sediment dynamics of coastal systems, including pathways of sediment and sediment-bound contaminants. In 2014 and 2015, the Office for Coastal Management, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Coastal...
Geochronologic and geochemical data from metasedimentary and associated rocks in the Lane Mountain area, San Bernardino County, California
Paul Stone, M. Robinson Cecil, Howard J. Brown, Jorge A. Vazquez
2023, Open-File Report 2022-1115
Eugeoclinal metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks in the Lane Mountain area, California, are considered part of the El Paso terrane, which is commonly thought to have been displaced several hundred kilometers (km) southeastward from its place of origin during late Paleozoic truncation of the North American continental margin. Uranium-lead dating of...
Bivalve effects on the food web supporting delta smelt—A spatially intensive study of bivalve recruitment, biomass, and grazing rate patterns with varying freshwater outflow in 2019
Emily L. Zierdt Smith, Kelly H. Shrader, Janet K. Thompson, Francis Parchaso, Karen Gehrts, Elizabeth Wells
2023, Open-File Report 2022-1102
Phytoplankton are an important and limiting food source in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay. The decline of phytoplankton biomass is one potential factor in the decline of the protected Hypomesus transpacificus (delta smelt) and other pelagic organisms. The bivalves Corbicula fluminea and Potamocorbula amurensis (hereafter C. fluminea...
Geospatial standard operating procedures of the Chesapeake Bay Program
John C. Wolf, Labeeb Ahmed, Peter Claggett, Andrew Fitch, Frederick Irani, Sarah McDonald, David Strong, Renee Thompson, Zhaoying Wei
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1007
Introduction The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) has operated a geographic information system (GIS) program since the early 1990s to address the established and growing need for and use of geospatial data, maps, and analysis within the CBP Partnership. This report is intended to detail the standard operating procedures of the CBP...
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...
ECCOE Landsat quarterly Calibration and Validation report—Quarter 3, 2022
Obaidul Haque, Rajagopalan Rengarajan, Mark Lubke, Nahid Hasan, Ashish Shrestha, Fatima Tuz Zafrin Tuli, Jerad L. Shaw, Alex Denevan, Shannon Franks, Esad Micijevic, Mike Choate, Cody Anderson, Kurt Thome, Ed Kaita, Julia Barsi, Raviv Levy, Jeff Miller
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1013
Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Calibration and Validation (Cal/Val) Center of Excellence (ECCOE) focuses on improving the accuracy, precision, calibration, and product quality of remote-sensing data, leveraging years of multiscale optical system geometric and radiometric calibration and characterization experience. The ECCOE Landsat Cal/Val Team continually...
Juvenile salmonid monitoring to assess natural recolonization following removal of Condit Dam on the White Salmon River, Washington, 2016–21
Ian G. Jezorek, Jill M. Hardiman
2023, Open-File Report 2022-1117
Condit Dam was removed from river kilometer (rkm) 5.3 of the White Salmon River, Washington, in 2011 and 2012 after blocking upstream passage of anadromous fish for nearly 100 years. The dam removal opened habitat upstream and improved habitat downstream with addition of cobble and gravel to a reach depauperate...
Observations of coastal circulation, waves, and sediment transport along West Maui, Hawaiʻi (November 2017– March 2018), and modeling effects of potential watershed restoration on decreasing sediment loads to adjacent coral reefs
Curt D. Storlazzi, Olivia M. Cheriton, Katherine M. Cronin, Luuk H. van der Heijden, Gundula Winter, Kurt J. Rosenberger, Joshua B. Logan, Robert T. McCall
2023, Open-File Report 2022-1121
Terrestrial sediment discharging from watersheds off West Maui, Hawaiʻi, has been documented as a primary stressor to local coral reefs, causing coral reef health to decline. The U.S. Geological Survey acquired and analyzed physical oceanographic and sedimentologic field data off the coast of West Maui to calibrate and validate physics-based,...
The value of scientific information — An overview
Emily Pindilli, Scott J. Chiavacci, Crista L. Straub
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1011
IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides reliable science, data, information, and models (hereafter collectively referred to as “information”) to describe and understand the Earth. This information is used to minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect quality...
Integrated rangeland fire management strategy actionable science plan completion assessment — Sagebrush and sage-grouse topic, 2015–20
Matthew J Holloran, Christopher R. Anthony, Mark A. Ricca, Steven E. Hanser, Sue L. Phillips, Paul F. Steblein, Lief A. Wiechman
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1010
Loss and degradation of sagebrush rangelands due to an accelerated invasive annual grass-wildfire cycle and other stressors are significant management, conservation, and economic issues in the western United States. These sagebrush rangelands comprise a unique biome spanning 11 states, support over 350 wildlife species, and provide important ecosystem services that...
Integrated rangeland fire management strategy actionable science plan completion assessment—Fire topic, 2015–20
Matthew J Holloran, Christopher R. Anthony, Mark A. Ricca, Steven E. Hanser, Sue L. Phillips, Paul F. Steblein, Lief A. Wiechman
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1009
Loss and degradation of sagebrush rangelands due to an accelerated invasive annual grass-wildfire cycle and other stressors are significant management, conservation, and economic issues in the western United States. These sagebrush rangelands comprise a unique biome spanning 11 states, support over 350 wildlife species, and provide important ecosystem services that...
Integrated rangeland fire management strategy actionable science plan completion assessment: Restoration topic, 2015–20
Christopher R. Anthony, Matthew J Holloran, Mark A. Ricca, Steven E. Hanser, Sue L. Phillips, Paul F. Steblein, Lief A. Wiechman
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1004
Loss and degradation of sagebrush rangelands due to an accelerated invasive annual grass-wildfire cycle and other stressors are substantial management, conservation, and economic issues in the western United States. These sagebrush rangelands comprise a unique biome spanning 11 states, support over 350 wildlife species, and provide important ecosystem services that...
