Body mass dynamics in wintering mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley
John T. Veon, Brett Alexander DeGregorio, Luke W. Naylor, Kenneth J. Reinecke, Brad C. Dabbert, Dean W. Demarest, Kevin M. Hartke, David G. Krementz
2023, Global Ecology and Conservation (41)
Body mass in overwintering waterfowl is an important fitness attribute as it affects winter survival, timing of spring migration, and subsequent reproductive success. Recent research in Europe and the western United States indicates body mass of <a class="topic-link" title="Learn more about mallards from...
Sound-side inundation and seaward erosion of a barrier island during hurricane landfall
Christopher R. Sherwood, Andrew C. Ritchie, Jin-Si R. Over, Christine J. Kranenburg, Jonathan A. Warrick, Jenna A. Brown, Wayne Wright, Alfredo Aretxabaleta, Sara Zeigler, Phillipe Alan Wernette, Daniel D. Buscombe, Christie Hegermiller
2023, JGR - Earth Surface (128)
Barrier islands are especially vulnerable to hurricanes and other large storms, owing to their mobile composition, low elevations, and detachment from the mainland. Conceptual models of barrier-island evolution emphasize ocean-side processes that drive landward migration through overwash, inlet migration, and aeolian transport. In contrast, we found that...
Evaluating the spatial and temporal variability of groundwater uptake by riparian vegetation in a humid southeastern US catchment
Jeffrey W. Riley, Luke A. Pangle, Brent T. Aulenbach
2023, Ecohydrology (16)
In environments with shallow water tables, vegetation may use groundwater to support transpiration (TG). This process has been carefully studied in some arid climates but rarely in humid climates—even those with severe droughts and seasonal water deficits. As such, the role of TG in humid-catchment hydrology is...
Connecting habitat to species abundance: The role of light and temperature on the abundance of walleye in lakes
Shad Mahlum, Kelsey Vitense, Hayley R. Corson-Dosch, Lindsay Platt, Jordan Read, Patrick J Schmalz, Melissa Treml, Gretchen J.A. Hansen
2023, Canadian Journal Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (80) 273-286
Walleye (Sander vitreus) are an ecologically important species managed for recreational, tribal, and commercial harvest. Walleye prefer cool water and low light conditions, and therefore changing water temperature and clarity potentially impacts walleye habitat and populations across the landscape. Using survey data collected from 1993 to 2018 from...
A comprehensive multi-state conditional occupancy model for evaluating interactions of non-native and native species
Patti J. Wohner, Paul D. Scheerer, Michael H. Meeuwig, James T. Peterson
2023, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (10)
A major challenge in ecology is disentangling interactions of non-native, potentially invasive species on native species. Conditional two-species occupancy models examine the effects of dominant species (e.g., non-native) on subordinate species (e.g., native) while considering the possibility that occupancy of one species may affect occupancy and/ or detection of...
Long-term, high-resolution permafrost monitoring reveals coupled energy balance and hydrogeologic controls on talik dynamics near Umiujaq (Nunavik, Québec, Canada)
Philippe Fortier, Jean-Michel Lemieux, Nathan L Young, Michelle A. Walvoord, Richard Fortier
2023, Water Resources Research (59)
Rising temperatures in the Arctic and subarctic are driving the rapid thaw of permafrost by reducing permafrost cooling, increasing active layer thickness, and promoting talik formation. In this study, the cyrohydrogeology of a permafrost mound located within the discontinuous permafrost zone near Umiujaq (Nunavik, Québec, Canada) is...
Simulating post-dam removal effects of hatchery operations and disease on juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) production in the Lower Klamath River, California
Russell W. Perry, John M. Plumb, Michael J. Dodrill, Nicholas A. Som, H. Eve Robinson, Nicholas J. Hetrick
2023, Open-File Report 2022-1106
Executive SummaryThe Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has been considering the approval to breach four dams on lower Klamath River in southern Oregon and northern California. Approval of this application would allow for Strikeouts indicate text deletion hereafter. decommissioning and dam removal, beginning as early as 2023. This action would...
Quality of groundwater used for domestic supply in the Modesto, Turlock, and Merced Subbasins of the San Joaquin Valley, California
Zeno F. Levy, Mariia Balkan, Jennifer L. Shelton
2023, Open-File Report 2022-1116
Summary More than 2 million Californians rely on groundwater from privately owned domestic wells for drinking-water supply. This report summarizes a water-quality survey of domestic and small-system drinking-water supply wells in the Modesto, Turlock, and Merced subbasins of the San Joaquin Valley where more than 78,000 residents are...
Modeling coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) population response to streamflow and water temperature extremes
J. Ryan Bellmore, Christopher J. Sergeant, Rebecca A. Bellmore, Jeffrey A. Falke, Jason B. Fellman
2023, Article
Models that assess the vulnerability of freshwater species to shifting environmental conditions do not always account for short-duration extremes, which are increasingly common. Life cycle models for Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) generally focus on average conditions that fish experience during each life stage, yet many floods, low flows, and elevated water...
Round goby detection in Lakes Huron and Michigan— An evaluation of eDNA and fish catches
Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley M. Spoljaric, Meredith B. Nevers
2023, Fishes (8)
Aquatic surveys for fish in large water bodies (e.g., Laurentian Great Lakes of North America) often require a flexible approach using multiple methods, surveying different depths, and sampling across seasons, especially when the target species is elusive in its natural habitat. The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) is an invasive,...
Gross alpha-particle activity and high 226Ra concentrations do not correspond with high 210Po in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain aquifers of the United States
Zoltan Szabo, Charles A. Cravotta III, Paul E. Stackelberg, Kenneth Belitz
2023, Environmental Science & Technology Water (3) 262-274
210Po, which is of human-health concern based on lifetime ingestion cancer risk, is indirectly regulated in drinking water through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s gross alpha-particle activity (GAPA) maximum contaminant level of 15 pCi/L (picocuries per liter). This regulation requires independent measurement of 226Ra for samples exceeding...
Intensified warming and aridity accelerate terminal lake desiccation in the Great Basin of the western United States
Dorothy K. Hall, John S. Kimball, Ron Larson, Nicolo E. DiGirolamo, Kimberly Ann Casey, Glynn Hulley
2023, Earth and Space Science (10)
Terminal lakes in the Great Basin (GB) of the western US host critical wildlife habitat and food for migrating birds and can be associated with serious human health and economic consequences when they desiccate. Water levels have declined dramatically in the last 100+ years due to diversion...
Geologic map of the source region of Shalbatana Vallis, Mars
Daniel C. Berman, J. Alexis Palmero Rodriguez, Catherine M. Weitz, David A. Crown
2023, Scientific Investigations Map 3492
Xanthe Terra is a high-standing cratered plain located southeast of Lunae Planum and south of Chryse Planitia in the western equatorial region of Mars. It contains landforms shaped by diverse geologic processes, including various scales of channels and valleys, chaotic terrains, delta fan deposits, and landslides. An extensive outflow channel...
High female desert tortoise mortality in the western Sonoran Desert during California’s epic 2012–2016 drought
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Michele R. Puffer, Kristy L. Cummings, Terence R. Arundel, Michael S. Vamstad, Kathleen D. Brundige
2023, Endangered Species Research (50) 1-16
We conducted population surveys for desert tortoises Gopherus agassizii at 2 nearby sites in the western Sonoran Desert of California, USA, from 2015-2018, during the driest ongoing 22 yr period (2000-2021) in the southwestern USA in over 1200 yr. We hypothesized that drought-induced mortality would be female-biased due to water and...
Guide for benthic invertebrate studies in support of Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration
David J. Soucek, Aida M. Farag, John M. Besser, Jeffery A. Steevens
2023, Open-File Report 2022-1110
This guide is intended to assist with characterizing injury to freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs) in Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) cases. The contents are narrowly focused on insects, crustaceans, snails, and other invertebrate fauna that are typically considered part of BMI communities and are not intended to address...
Epistylis spp. infestation in two species of mud turtles (Kinosternon spp.) in the American Southwest
Audrey K. Owens, Jennifer A. Smith, Rebecca A. Cole, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Daniel A. Grear
2023, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (59) 167-171
The protistan genus Epistylis contains freshwater colonial species that attach to aquatic organisms in an epibiotic or parasitic relationship. They are known to attach to the epidermis and shells of aquatic turtles, but have not been reported to cause heavy infestations or morbidity in turtles....
Near real-time detection of winter cover crop termination using harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 (HLS) to support ecosystem assessment
Feng Gao, Jyoti Jennewein, W. Dean Hively, Alexander M. Soroka, Alison Thieme, Dawn Bradley, Jason Keppler, Steven Mirsky, Uvirkaa Akumaga
2023, Science of Remote Sensing (7)
Cover crops are planted to reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and improve watershed management. In the Delmarva Peninsula of the eastern United States, winter cover crops are essential for reducing nutrient and sediment losses from farmland. Cost-share programs have been created to incentivize cover crops to achieve conservation objectives....
Hydrogeologic framework of the Red River alluvial aquifer and Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer in northwestern Louisiana
Phillip D. Hays, Anna M. Nottmeier, Robert B. Fendick, William J. Daugherty, Kayla Carter
2023, Water Resources Technical Report of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of Public Works 82
Groundwater in northwestern Louisiana is a valuable resource needed for expanding public-supply needs as well as possible energy development needs arising from Haynesville Formation natural-gas production. The Red River alluvial and the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifers are two of the most important and heavily pumped aquifers in northwestern Louisiana; however, little documentation...
Maximizing the water quality benefits of wetlands in croplands
Owen P. McKenna, Caryn D Ross, Joseph Prenger
2023, Report
Key Takeaways Nutrient loads from croplands continue to negatively affect surface water quality, despite considerable investments in and adoption of agricultural conservation practices aimed at reducing nutrient losses. Numerous studies indicate that effective restoration and management of wetlands in and adjacent to cultivated croplands could reduce surface and subsurface nutrient...
Comprehensive inventory of habitat assessment and evaluation datasets to support Deepwater Horizon mesophotic and deep benthic communities
Rachel Bassett, Jennifer Herting, Janessy Frometa, Stephanie M. Sharuga, Jacob Howell, Laughlin Siceloff, Jill R. Bourque, Megan Cromwell, Kirstie Francis, Randy Clark, Amanda Demopoulos, Andy David, Kristopher Benson, Stacey L. Harter
2023, DWH MDBC Data Report DR-23-01
This report is part of the NOAA Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities (MDBC) Series of publications that share the results of work conducted by the Deepwater Horizon MDBC restoration projects. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill was an unprecedented event. Approximately 3.2 million barrels of oil were released into the...
The not-so-dead of winter: Underwater light climate and primary productivity under snow and ice cover in inland lakes
Andrew J. Bramburger, Ted Ozersky, Greg M. Silsbe, Christopher J. Crawford, Leif Olmanson, Krill Shchapov
2023, Inland Waters (13) 1-12
As global surface temperatures continue to rise as a result of anthropogenic climate change, effects in temperate lakes are likely to be more pronounced than in other ecosystems. Decreases in snow and ice cover extent and duration, as well as extended periods of summer stratification have been observed in temperate...
What controls suspended-sediment concentration and export in flooded agricultural tracts in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta?
Jessica R. Lacy, Evan T. Dailey, Tara L. Morgan-King
2023, San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science (21)
We investigated wind-wave and suspended-sediment dynamics in Little Holland Tract and Liberty Island, two subsided former agricultural tracts in the Cache Slough complex in the northern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta which were restored to tidal shallows to improve habitat. Turbidity, and thus suspended-sediment concentration (SSC), is important to habitat quality because...
Improving the operational simplified surface energy balance evapotranspiration model using the forcing and normalizing operation
Gabriel B. Senay, Gabriel Edwin Lee Parrish, Matthew Schauer, MacKenzie Friedrichs, Kul Bikram Khand, Olena Boiko, Stefanie Kagone, Ray Dittmeier, Saeed Arab, Lei Ji
2023, Remote Sensing (15)
Actual evapotranspiration modeling is providing useful information for researchers and resource managers in agriculture and water resources around the world. The performance of models depends on the accuracy of forcing inputs and model parameters. We developed an improved approach to the parameterization of the Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance...
Vulnerable waters are essential to watershed resilience
Charles R. Lane, Irena F. Creed, Heather E. Golden, Scott G. Leibowitz, David M. Mushet, Mark C. Rains, Qiusheng Wu, Ellen D’Amico, Laurie C. Alexander, Genevieve A. Ali, Nandita B. Basu, Micah G. Bennett, Jay R. Christensen, Matthew J. Cohen, Tim P. Covino, Ben DeVries, Ryan A. Hill, Kelsey G. Jencso, Megan W. Lang, Daniel L. McLaughlin, Donald O. Rosenberry, Jennifer Rover, Melanie K. Vanderhoof
2023, Ecosystems (26) 1-28
Watershed resilience is the ability of a watershed to maintain its characteristic system state while concurrently resisting, adapting to, and reorganizing after hydrological (for example, drought, flooding) or biogeochemical (for example, excessive nutrient) disturbances. Vulnerable waters include non-floodplain wetlands and headwater streams, abundant watershed components representing...
Relative-condition parameters for fishes of Montana, USA
Robert W. Eckelbecker, Nathaniel M. Heili, Christopher S. Guy, David A. Schmetterling
2023, Fishes (8)
Body condition indices are commonly used in the management of fish populations and are a surrogate to physiological attributes such as tissue-energy reserves. Relative condition factor (Kn) describes the condition of species relative to populations in a geographic area. We developed models to allow for the calculation of Kn in...
