Movements and habitat use vary across the Rocky Mountain Population of trumpeter swans
Sharon A. Poessel, Todd Sanders, William Long, Andrea Kristof, Brandon Reishus, Matt Proett, Claire Gower, Nicole Ibrahim, Todd E. Katzner
2025, Journal of Wildlife Management (89)
The Rocky Mountain Population (RMP) of trumpeter swans Cygnus buccinator (hereafter, swans) in North America includes breeders in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) and other western states (together, United States segment) and western provinces of Canada (Canada segment). Conservation concern for the United States segment stems from its slow population growth and...
Assessing survey design for long-term population trend detection in piping plovers
Eve Bohnett, Jessica Schulz, Robert C. Dobbs, Thomas Hoctor, Bilal Ahmad, Wajid Rashid, J. Hardin Waddle
2025, Land (14)
Determining appropriate spatio-temporal scales for monitoring migratory shorebirds is challenging. Effective surveys must detect population trends without excessive or insufficient sampling, yet many programs lack formal evaluations of survey effectiveness. Using data from 2012 to 2019 on Louisiana’s barrier islands (Whiskey, west Raccoon, east Raccoon, and Trinity), we assessed how...
Spatiotemporal variability of algal biomass and nitrate in Owasco and Seneca Lakes in the Finger Lakes Region, New York, in 2019
Michael D.W. Stouder, Sabina R. Gifford, Kristina Gutchess, Kaitlyn M. Finkelstein, Brett D. Johnston, Karen M. Beaulieu, Joshua J. Rosen, Megan L. Essig, Guy M. Foster
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5118
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) have become increasingly common, threatening the security of water resources globally. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted high-resolution nearshore mapping surveys using boat-mounted multiparameter sondes and nitrate sensors during the summer and fall of 2019 on Owasco Lake and Seneca Lake, two lakes with documented CyanoHABs...
Urban heterogeneity drives dissolved organic matter sources, transport, and transformation from local to macro scales
Rebecca Hale, Kristina G. Hopkins, Krista A. Capps, John S. Kominoski, Jennifer L. Morse, Allison H. Roy, Shuo Chen, Annika Quick, Andrew Blinn, Liz Ortiz Muñoz, Gwendolynn Folk
2025, Limnology and Oceanography (70) 3109-3125
Urbanization reshapes dissolved organic matter (DOM) sources, transport, and transformations through changes in vegetation, hydrology, and management of waste and water. Yet the impacts of urbanization on DOM are variable within and among cities. Predicting heterogeneous responses to urbanization is challenged by diverse human activities and underlying biophysical variation along...
Catchment prioritization for freshwater mussel conservation in the Northeastern United States based on distribution modelling
Rebecca S.M. O’Brien, Graziella Vittoria DiRenzo, Allison H. Roy, Jason Carmignani, Rebecca M. Quinones, Jennifer B. Rogers, Beth I. Swartz
2025, PLoS ONE (20)
Freshwater mussels are critical to the health of freshwater systems, but their populations are declining dramatically throughout the world. The limited resources available for freshwater mussel conservation necessitates the geographic prioritization of conservation-related actions. However, lack of knowledge about freshwater mussel spatial distributions hinders decision making in this context. In...
Evaluating mass flow meter measurements from chambers for greenhouse gas emissions from orphan wells and other point sources
Karl B. Haase, Nicholas J. Gianoutsos
2025, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (18) 4207-4226
This study evaluates the performance of a rigid gas flux chamber equipped with a mass flow meter (MFM) for measuring gas emissions from leaking orphan wells and similar pressure-driven gas point sources. We conducted a series of laboratory and field experiments to evaluate the sensitivity, stability, and dynamic range of...
Changes in aeolian saltation cloud properties with wind speed and ripples
Madeline Margaret Kelley, Ian J. Walker, Mark W. Schmeeckle, Christy Swann, Ron Dorn, Michaela Roberts, Patrick O'Brien
2025, Aeolian Research (74)
Aeolian sediment transport shapes landscapes on Earth and other planetary surfaces, yet key uncertainties remain in how the near-bed saltation cloud responds to changing wind and surface conditions. Leveraging recent advances in image-based particle tracking, we conducted wind tunnel experiments using high-speed imaging and Particle Tracking Velocimetry to quantify sand...
Speleothem evidence for Late Miocene extreme Arctic amplification – An analogue for near-future anthropogenic climate change?
Stuart Umbo, Franziska Lechleitner, Thomas Opel, Sevasti Modestou, Tobias Braun, Anton Vaks, Gideon Henderson, Pete Scott, Alexander Osintzev, Alexander Kononov, Irina Adrian, Yuri Dublyansky, Alena Maria Giesche, Sebastian F.M. Breitenbach
2025, Climate of the Past (21) 1533-1551
The Miocene provides an excellent climatic analogue for near-future runaway anthropogenic warming, with atmospheric CO2 concentrations and global average temperatures similar to those projected for the coming century under extreme-emissions scenarios. However, the magnitude of Miocene Arctic warming remains unclear due to the scarcity of reliable proxy data. Here we use...
Avak Creek oil occurrence, North Slope, Alaska: Newly discovered oil seep on Native lands, near village of Utqiagvik
Palma J. Botterell, David W Houseknecht, Jody Brae Wycech, J. Mike Moldowan, Paul G. Lillis, Rebecca A. Smith, Kimberley Maher
2025, Conference Paper
An unknown occurrence of oil was detected near Avak Creek on Native lands on the North Slope of Alaska. Determining the source of oil was imperative for allowing stakeholders (Federal, State, and local government agencies and the landowner, an Alaska Native corporation) to make timely and informed decisions and mount...
Simple bagged movement models for telemetry data
Andrew B. Whetten, Trevor J. Hefley, David A. Haukos, Dustin E. Brewer
2025, Ecology and Evolution (15)
Determining which statistical methods are appropriate for data is both user and data dependent and prone to change as new methodology becomes available. This process encompasses model ideation, model selection, and determining appropriate use of statistical methods. Literature on models for animal movement emerging in the past two decades has...
Small fish, big implications: Considerations for an ecosystem approach to capelin fisheries management
Warsha Singh, John T. Trochta, Hannah M. Hannah M. Murphy, David W. McGowan, Aaron T. Adamack, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Birkir Barðarson, Höskuldur Björnsson, Bjarte Bogstad, Mathieu Boudreau, Catherine Chambers, Harald Gjøsæter, Teunis Jansen, Sigurður Þ. Jónsson, Sturla Kvamsdal, Ron S. Lewis, Nina Mikkelsen, Torstein Pedersen, Anna H. Olafsdottir, Maartje Oostdijk, Teresa Silva, Georg Skaret, Robert M. Suryan, Sam Subbey
2025, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries (35) 1899-1934
Climate-driven changes in the Subarctic will directly impact capelin populations and the ecosystem they inhabit, including their predators, prey, and physical habitats. Consequently, incorporating ecosystem considerations in future capelin fisheries management is crucial. In this study, a multidisciplinary group of experts critically evaluated whether the current capelin...
Seasonal variation in bay-marsh sediment exchange through a back-barrier salt marsh tidal creek
Gregg A. Snedden, S. Jarrell Smith
2025, Limnology and Oceanography (70) 3143-3154
Salt marsh resilience to sea-level rise largely depends on the balance of sediment exchanges with surrounding bays. In this study, we investigate mechanisms that determine residual sediment fluxes using continuous measurements of bay-marsh sediment exchange conducted in a tidal creek spanning 13 months (753 tidal cycles) in an intertidal marsh recently...
Framework developed for geomorphic mapping of Fern Ridge Lake, Oregon, 2023
Mackenzie K. Keith, Heather D. Bervid
2025, Data Report 1215
The construction and operation of large reservoirs in the Willamette River Basin, Oregon, influences important cultural, biological, and other natural or economic resources in affected river corridors. The present-day landforms and cover within the reservoirs have been shaped by a variety of processes, including the pre-dam valley setting and geomorphic...
The U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Intelligence Community—100 years of mapping and remote sensing collaboration, 1879–1979
Paul M. Young
2025, Circular 1552
IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)—a Federal civilian agency—and U.S. military and intelligence agencies collaborate on mapping and remote sensing and have since the establishment of the USGS. The organizations exchange data and information and share technology to further their respective missions in service to the American people. Often referred to...
An integrated sensor network and data driven approach to satellite remote sensing of dissolved organic matter
Dulcinea Marie Avouris, Erin L Hestir, Jacob Fleck, Jeffrey A. Hansen, Brian A. Bergamaschi
2025, Earth and Space Science (12)
Traditional remote sensing retrieval models for water quality have historically relied on limited, localized data sets due to the prohibitive costs of extensive field campaigns and logistical challenges of collecting match-up data with satellite overpasses. As a result, these models often lack generalizability across seasons, tides, and sites. Furthermore, small...
Impacts of lake elevation decline on spawning habitat of a critical, native forage species
Sarah Barnes, Robert Al-Chokhachy, Phaedra E. Budy
2025, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (154) 640-656
ObjectiveLake elevation decline is a global phenomenon with pronounced effects in arid regions that changes the characteristics of nearshore habitat area available to lacustrine spawners, potentially impacting recruitment and whole-lake food web dynamics. Our objective was to understand the potential effects of lake elevation decline on spawning habitat for the...
Grammar to graph—An approach for semantic transformation of annotations to triples
Dalia E. Varanka, Emily Abbott
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5064
Data annotation is the process of labeling data to show the outcome that a related data model should predict. In this study, annotation data were transformed into semantic graph triples, mainly for use with the Resource Description Framework (RDF), a type of entity-relationship-attribute data model for graph databases. The transformation...
Satellite tracking reveals heavy use of local MPAs by green turtles (Chelonia mydas) nesting in southeast Florida, USA
Glenn D. Goodwin, Kristen Hart, Abby C. Evans, Derek A. Burkholder
2025, Marine Biology (172)
Florida hosts a regionally important nesting aggregation of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the North Atlantic, yet internesting and post-nesting movements for this rookery remain poorly understood. Here, we used satellite telemetry to track 23 green turtles nesting on southeast Florida beaches from 2017 to 2021 to investigate their spatial...
ECCOE Landsat quarterly calibration and validation report—Quarter 1, 2025
Md Obaidul Haque, Nahid Hasan, Ashish Shrestha, Rajagopalan Rengarajan, Mark Lubke, Daniel Steinwand, Paul Bresnahan, Jerad L. Shaw, Kathryn Ruslander, Esad Micijevic, Michael J. Choate, Cody Anderson, Jeff Clauson, Kurt Thome, Ed Kaita, Amit Angal, Raviv Levy, Jeff Miller, Leibo Ding, Cibele Teixeira Pinto
2025, Open-File Report 2025-1048
Executive Summary The 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...
Assessing diet and genotyping success of goat pellet surveys from 2019 in Glacier National Park
Salix Scoresby, Lindsay M Dose, Jami Belt, Tabitha A. Graves
2025, Report
Fecal pellets contain genetic information and can be used to identify individuals, their diet, and more. Individual identification can be useful in understanding movements of individuals, developing population estimates, assessing vital rates, genetic diversity and structure, and evaluating trends over time (e.g., Epps et al 2024). Successful genotyping depends on...
A spatiotemporal deep learning approach for predicting daily air-water temperature signal coupling and identification of key watershed physical parameters in a montane watershed
Mohammad Reza M. Behbahani, David M. Rey, Martin A. Briggs, Amvrossios Bagtzoglou
2025, Journal of Hydrology (663)
Seasonal shifts from runoff to groundwater dominance influence daily headwater stream temperatures, especially where local groundwater input is strong. This input buffers temperature during hot periods, supporting cold-water habitats. Recent studies use air–water temperature signal metrics to identify zones of...
Estimated average annualized tsunami losses for the United States
Anne Sheehan, Casey Zuzak, Nathan J. Wood, Doug Bausch, Cadie Goulette Yeager, Alice McDougall
2025, Report
Tsunami hazards are substantial threats to coastal communities across the United States (U.S.) and its territories. U.S. states and territories collaborate through the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP) to develop their own tsunami-hazard information for outreach and evacuation planning. An effort to curate this tsunami-hazard information to support comprehensive...
Fluvial sediment dynamics in the Shoshone River and tributaries around Willwood Dam, Park County, Wyoming
Jason S. Alexander, Haylie M. Brown, Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller, Jason Burckhardt, Laura Burckhardt, Christopher A. Ellison, Carmen McIntyre, Travis Moger, Lindsay Patterson, Chace Tavelli, David Waterstreet, Mahonri Williams
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5077
Sedimentation affects many of the aging reservoirs in the United States. Dams and water diversions from rivers have been central elements of infrastructure supporting agricultural irrigation in the arid and semiarid regions of the Western United States for more than a century. The Willwood Irrigation District diversion dam (hereafter referred...
Projecting stream water quality using Weighted Regression on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS): An example with drought conditions in the Delaware River Basin
Christopher Green, Robert M. Hirsch, Hedeff Essaid, Ward E. Sanford
2025, Science of the Total Environment (999)
Future water availability depends on understanding the responses of constituent concentrations to hydrologic change. Projecting future water quality remains a methodological challenge, particularly when using discrete observations with limited temporal resolution. This study introduces Weighted Regression on Time, Discharge, and Season for Projection (WRTDS-P), a novel, computationally efficient method that...
Sensitive environmental DNA methods for low-risk surveillance of at-risk bumble bees
Rodney T. Richardson, Grace Avalos, Cameron J. Garland, Regina Trott, Olivia Hager, Mark J. Hepner, Clayton D. Raines, Karen Goodell
2025, Preprint
Terrestrial environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques have been proposed as a means of sensitive, non-lethal pollinator monitoring. To date, however, no studies have provided evidence that eDNA methods can achieve detection densities on par with traditional pollinator surveys. Using a large-scale dataset of eDNA and corresponding net surveys, we show that...
