Joint pilot fish habitat framework
Hannah Nisonson, Alexander H. Kiser, Benjamin P. Gressler, A.K. Leight, John A. Young
2024, Report
This story map will take you through the process of exploring and testing methods necessary for a higher resolution, seamless fish habitat assessment across both inland and estuarine waters through the lens of our...
Bottom trawl assessment of Lake Ontario's benthic preyfish community, 2023
Brian O’Malley, Scott P. Minihkeim, Olivia Margaret Mitchinson, Scott David Stahl, Jessica A Goretzke, Jeremy P. Holden
2024, Report
Since 1978, surveys of Lake Ontario preyfish communities have provided information on the status and trends of the benthic preyfish community related to Fish Community Objectives that includes understanding preyfish population dynamics and community diversity. Beginning in 2015, the benthic preyfish survey expanded from US-only to incorporate Canadian sites, increasing...
Incorporating measurements of vertical land motion in wetland surface elevation change analyses
P. Hensel, Donald R. Cahoon, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, L. G. Mitchell, M. Whitbeck, Galen Scott
2024, Estuaries and Coasts (47) 2094-2105
We compared elevation trajectories from 14 rod surface elevation table (RSET) stations and 60 real-time kinematic (RTK) global positioning system (GPS) transects within the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (BNWR) from 2010–2013. The results were similar, 7.3 ± 0.9 (mean ± standard error; RSET) versus 6.2 ± 0.6 mm year−1 (RTK) (P = 0.216), and were greater than relative sea level rise...
Low-flow period seasonality, trends, and climate linkages across the United States
Caelan Simeone, Gregory J. McCabe, Jory Seth Hecht, John C. Hammond, Glenn A. Hodgkins, Carolyn G. Olson, Michael Wieczorek, David M. Wolock
2024, Hydrological Sciences Journal (69) 1387-1398
Low-flow period properties, including timing, magnitude, and duration, influence many key processes for water resource managers and ecosystems. We computed annual low-flow period duration and timing metrics from 1951 to 2020 for 1032 conterminous United States (CONUS) streamgages and analyzed spatial patterns, trends through time, and relationships to climate. Results...
Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveillance of the federally threatened Slender Chub (Erimystax cahni) in the Clinch River and Powell River
Robert T.R. Paine, Mark W. Rogers, Amanda E. Rosenberger
2024, Cooperator Science Series CSS-157-2024
The slender chub (Erimystax cahni) is a federally threatened fish native to and geographically restricted to eastern North America. More specifically, the Powell, Clinch, and lower Holston Rivers in Tennessee were historical collection areas. Habitat degradation from multiple sources, including surface mining, agriculture, dams, and urbanization, is associated with the...
Estimating species-specific U.S. waterfowl harvest
Ben Augustine, J. Andrew Royle
2024, Preprint
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitors species-specific waterfowl (ducks, seaducks, geese, and brant) harvest through two hunter surveys, one that estimates the total harvest for each waterfowl group, and a second that estimates the species composition of each waterfowl group. Point estimates for species-specific harvest can be computed by...
Insights on using solid bitumen reflectance as a thermal maturity proxy in the Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, USA
Paul C. Hackley, Clint Scott, Justin E. Birdwell, Jennifer Nedzweckas, Brett J. Valentine, Tongwei Zhang, Timothy O Nesheim
2024, ACS Omega (9) 33983-33997
To further refine the use of solid bitumen reflectance (BRo in %) as a measurement of thermal maturity in source-rock reservoirs, we examined its relationship to other thermal proxies in the Bakken Formation. Comparisons included criteria from programmed temperature pyrolysis, gas chromatography (GC), and Fourier transform infrared...
The effect of myiasis on Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) body condition, movement, and habitat use at Camp Edwards in Massachusetts
Andrew B. Gordon Jr., Donovan Drummey, Anthony Tur, Annie E. Curtis, Jacob C. McCumber, Michael T. Jones, Jeremy C. Andersen, Graziella Vittoria DiRenzo
2024, Northeastern Naturalist. (31) T55-T76
In 2020, natural resource managers at Camp Edwards, Barnstable County, MA, observed Terrapene carolina carolina (Eastern Box Turtle) individuals infected by myiasis, where parasitic flesh flies larviposit into the living tissue of a host. The hypothesized parasite was Dexosarcophaga cistudinis, but its impacts on the host's body condition,...
Post-fire sediment yield from a central California watershed: Field measurements and validation of the WEPP model
Amy E. East, Joshua B. Logan, Helen Willemien Dow, Douglas P. Smith, Pat Iampietro, Jonathan A. Warrick, Thomas Lorenson, Leticia Hallas, Benjamin Kozlowicz
2024, Earth and Space Science (11)
In a warming climate, an intensifying fire regime and higher likelihood of extreme rain are expected to increase watershed sediment yield in many regions. Understanding regional variability in landscape response to fire and post-fire rainfall is essential for managing water resources and infrastructure. We measured sediment yield...
Tire-derived contaminants 6PPD and 6PPD-Q: Analysis, sample handling, and reconnaissance of United States stream exposures
Rachael F. Lane, Kelly L. Smalling, Paul M. Bradley, Justin Blaine Greer, Stephanie E. Gordon, John D. Hansen, Dana W. Kolpin, Andrew R. Spanjer, Jason R. Masoner
2024, Chemosphere (363)
The environmental ubiquity of tire and road wear particles (TRWP) underscores the need to understand the occurrence, persistence, and environmental effects of tire-related chemicals in aquatic ecosystems. One such chemical is 6PPD-quinone (6PPD-Q), a transformation product of the tire antioxidant 6PPD. In urban stormwater runoff 6PPD-Q can exceed acute toxicity thresholds for several salmonid species and is being implicated...
Slip rate for the Rose Canyon fault through San Diego, California, based on analysis of GPS data: Evidence for a potential Rose Canyon–San Miguel-Vallecitos fault connection?
Drake Moore Singleton, Jillian Maloney, Duncan Agnew, Thomas Rockwell
2024, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (114) 2751-2766
The Rose Canyon fault is the southern extension of the larger Newport–Inglewood–Rose Canyon fault system, which represents a major structural boundary in the Inner Continental Borderland (ICB) offshore of southern California. Ten to fifteen percent of total plate boundary motion in southern California is thought to be accommodated by the...
Exploring spatial and temporal symptoms of the freshwater salinization syndrome in a rural to urban watershed
Nicole K. Marks, Charles A. Cravotta III, Marissa Lee Rossi, Camila Silva, Peleg Kremer, Steven T. Goldsmith
2024, Science of the Total Environment (947)
The freshwater salinization syndrome (FSS), a concomitant watershed-scale increase in salinity, alkalinity, and major-cation and trace-metal concentrations, over recent decades, has been described for major rivers draining extensive urban areas, yet few studies have evaluated temporal and spatial FSS variations, or causal factors, at the subwatershed scale in mixed-use landscapes. This study examines the potential...
Utica/Point Pleasant brine isotopic compositions (δ7Li, δ11B, δ138Ba) elucidate mechanisms of lithium enrichment in the Appalachian Basin
Bonnie McDevitt, Travis L. Tasker, Rachel Coyte, Madalyn S. Blondes, Brian W. Stewart, Rosemary C Capo, J. Alexandra Hakala, Avner Vengosh, William D Burgos, Nathaniel R. Warner
2024, Science of the Total Environment (947)
Global Li production will require a ~500 % increase to meet 2050 projected energy storage demands. One potential source is oil and gas wastewater (i.e., produced water or brine), which naturally has high total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations, that can also be enriched in Li...
Analysis of water use associated with hydraulic fracturing and determination of baseline water quality in watersheds within the shale play of eastern Ohio, 2021–23
S. Alex Covert, G. F. Koltun
2024, Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5045
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, performed a two-part study to (1) assess water use and temporal trends and changes in streamflow, and to (2) characterize 2021–23 baseline water quality, as they relate to oil and gas extraction activities in selected eastern Ohio...
Pilot framework for fish habitat assessments across tidal and non tidal waters in the Patuxent River Basin
H Nisonson, Alexander H. Kiser, Benjamin P. Gressler, A Leight, John A. Young
2024, NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 332
As part of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, all Bay States and the District of Columbia have committed to improving the condition of the Bay, which includes a goal to achieve sustainable fisheries. One outcome under that broad goal is improved effectiveness of fish habitat conservation and preservation efforts....
Upper crustal seismic velocity structure of the Hayward fault zone, San Francisco Bay, California, USA: Results from the 2016 East Bay Seismic Experiment (EBSI-16)
Rufus D. Catchings, Luther M. Strayer, Joanne H. Chan, Mark Goldman, Andrian T. McEvilly, J. Suppe
2024, GSA Bulletin (136) 3261-3276
We developed Vp, Vs, Vp/Vs ratio, and Poisson’s ratio models of the uppermost crust (<4 km depth) from the eastern San Francisco (SF) Bay (California, USA) to near the Calaveras fault along a 15-km-long, linear profile. Upper crustal velocities are highly variable beneath, west, and well east of the Hayward fault. We...
Pasture and diurnal temperature are key predictors of regional Plains Spotted Skunk (Spilogale interrupta) distribution
Kara M. White, Amanda E. Cheeseman, Joshua D. Stafford, Robert Charles Lonsinger
2024, Journal of Mammalogy
The Plains Spotted Skunk (Spilogale interrupta) is a small carnivore native to central North America that has experienced significant population reductions, and there is a lack of information about the species that could inform conservation. Our study aimed to address knowledge gaps about the distribution and habitat associations of the...
Climate, food and humans predict communities of mammals in the United States
Roland Kays, Matthew H. Snider, George Hess, Michael V. Cove, Alex Jensen, Hila Shamon, William J. McShea, Brigit Rooney, Maximilian L. Allen, Charles E. Pekins, Christopher C. Wilmers, Mary E. Pendergast, Austin M. Green, Justin Suraci, Matthew S. Leslie, Sophie Nasrallah, Dan Farkas, Mark Jordan, Melissa Grigione, Michael LaScaleia, Miranda L. Davis, Chris Hansen, Josh Millspaugh, Jesse S. Lewis, Michael Havrda, Robert Long, Kathryn R. Remine, Kodi J. Jaspers, Diana J. R. Lafferty, Tru Hubbard, Colin E. Studds, Erika L. Barthelmess, Katherine Andy, Andrea Romero, Brian J. O’Neill, Melissa T.R. Hawkins, Jason V. Lombardi, Maksim Sergeyev, M. Caitlin Fisher-Reid, Michael S. Rentz, Christopher Nagy, Jon D Davenport, Christine C. Rega-Brodsky, Cara L. Appel, Damon B. Lesmeister, Sean T. Giery, Christopher A. Whittier, Jesse M. Alston, Chris Sutherland, Christopher Rota, Thomas Murphy, Thomas E. Lee Jr., Alessio Mortelliti, Dylan L. Bergman, Justin A. Compton, Brian D. Gerber, Jess Burr, Kylie Rezendes, Brett Alexander DeGregorio, Nathaniel H. Wehr, John F. Benson, M. Teague O’Mara, David S. Jachowski, Morgan Gray, Dean E. Beyer Jr., Jerrold L. Belant, Robert V. Horan III, Robert Charles Lonsinger, Kellie M. Kuhn, Steven C. M. Hasstedt, Marketa Zimova, Sophie M. Moore, Daniel J. Herrera, Sarah Fritts, Andrew J. Edelman, Elizabeth A. Flaherty, Tyler R. Petroelje, Sean A. Neiswenter, Derek R. Risch, Fabiola Iannarilli, Marius van der Merwe, Sean P. Maher, Zach J. Farris, Stephen L. Webb, David S. Mason, Marcus A. Lashley, Andrew M. Wilson, John P. Vanek, Samuel R. Wehr, L. Mike Conner, James C. Beasley, Helen L. Bontrager, Carolina Baruzzi, Susan N. Ellis-Felege, Mike D. Proctor, Jan Schipper, Katherine Weiss, Andrea K. Darracq, Evan G. Barr, Peter D. Alexander, Cagan H. Sekercioglu, Daniel A. Bogan, Christopher M. Schalk, Jean E. Fantle-Lepczyk, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Scott LaPoint, Laura S. Whipple, Helen Ivy Rowe, Kayleigh Mullen, Tori Bird, Adam Zorn, LaRoy Brandt, Richard G. Lathrop, Craig McCain, Anthony P. Crupi, James Clark, Arielle Parsons
2024, Diversity and Distributions (30)
AimThe assembly of species into communities and ecoregions is the result of interacting factors that affect plant and animal distribution and abundance at biogeographic scales. Here, we empirically derive ecoregions for mammals to test whether human disturbance has become more important than climate and habitat resources in...
Factors influencing larval coregonine spatial distribution in Lake Geneva (Europe) and Lake Superior (North America) during a single season near known spawning sites
Jamie A. Dobosenski, Daniel L. Yule, Jean Guillard, Orlane Anneville, Edmund J. Isaac, Jason D. Stockwell, Jared T. Myers, Amanda Susanne Ackiss, Rosaura J. Chapina, Seth A. Moore
2024, International Journal of Limnology (60)
Survival rate of the larval stage is an important driver of fish recruitment. To understand mechanisms regulating larval survival it is important to understand the relative importance of abiotic and biotic factors that shape larval spatial distributions. We studied larval Coregonus distributions in surface waters (surface to 1 m) by repeatedly sampling study...
Representation of surface-water flows using Gradient-Related Discharge in an Everglades Network
E. Swain, T. Adams
2024, Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5041
The Everglades Depth Estimation Network interpolates water-level gage data to produce daily water-level elevations for the Everglades in south Florida. These elevations were used to estimate flow vectors (gradients and directions) and volumetric flow rates using the Gradient-Related Discharge in an Everglades Network (GARDEN) application developed by the U.S....
Unified 200 kyr paleohydrologic history of the Southern Great Basin: Death Valley, Searles Valley, Owens Valley and the Devils Hole cave
Tim Lowenstein, Kristian Olson, Brian W. Stewart, David McGee, Justin Stroup, Adam M. Hudson, Kathleen Wendt, Mark Peaple, Sarah Feakins, Ronald Spencer, Tripti Bhattacharya, Steven P. Lundblad, Ronald Litwin
2024, Quaternary Science Reviews (336)
We present a hydroclimate synthesis of the southern Great Basin over the last two glacial-interglacial cycles focused on paleolakes in Death Valley (core DV93-1), Searles Valley (core SLAPP-SRLS17), Owens Valley (core OL92), and the Devils Hole cave. There is...
Using an adaptive modeling framework to identify avian influenza spillover risk at the wild-domestic interface
Diann Prosser, Cody M. Kent, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Kelly A. Patyk, Mary-Jane McCool, Mia K. Torchetti, Kristina Lantz, Jennifer M. Mullinax
2024, Scientific Reports (14)
The wild to domestic bird interface is an important nexus for emergence and transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses. Although the recent incursion of HPAI H5N1 Clade 2.3.4.4b into North America calls for emergency response and planning given the unprecedented scale, readily available data-driven models are lacking. Here,...
Relatively stable pressure effects and time-increasing thermal contraction control Heber geothermal field deformation
Guoyan Jiang, Andrew J. Barbour, Robert John Skoumal, Kathryn Zerbe Materna, Aren Crandall-Bear
2024, Nature Communications (15)
Due to geological complexities and observational gaps, it is challenging to identify the governing physical processes of geothermal field deformation including ground subsidence and earthquakes. In the west and east regions of the Heber Geothermal Field (HGF), decade-long subsidence was occurring despite injection of heat-depleted brines, along with transient reversals...
Variation in Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) eggshell thickness: DDT, measurement methods, and location
G. M. Santolo, Clint W. Boal
2024, Journal of Raptor Research (58) 1-9
We collected Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) eggshells from nests in the Tucson, Arizona, USA, area in the 1990s incidental to other activities and compared them to pre-DDT Cooper's Hawk eggshells (119 museum specimens from 14 states, 1894–1939) ranging from 0.284–0.402 mm (x̄= 0.348 mm, SD = 0.0243) and we also...
Evaluation of coal mine drainage and associated precipitates for radium and rare earth element concentrations
Bonnie McDevitt, Charles A. III Cravotta, Ryan J. McAleer, John C Jackson, Aaron M. Jubb, Glenn D. Jolly, Benjamin C. Hedin, Nathaniel R. Warner
2024, Journal of International Coal Geology (289)
Coal mine drainage (CMD) and associated metal-rich precipitates have recently been proposed as unconventional sources of rare earth elements (REEs). However, the potential occurrence of radium (Ra), a known carcinogen, with the REE-bearing phases has not been investigated. We hypothesized...
