Deformity, erosion, lesion, tumor, and parasite (DELT) anomalies in fish communities of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA: A regional assessment and potential landscape drivers
Sara E. Breitmeyer, Paul McLaughlin, Vicki S. Blazer, Gregory E. Noe, Kelly Smalling, Timothy A. Wertz, Tyler Wagner
2025, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (197)
Fish diseases in freshwater ecosystems pose significant ecological and socioeconomic challenges, yet monitoring them in wild populations is complex due to interactions between pathogens, hosts, and environmental conditions. We examine the prevalence and watershed-scale landscape drivers of external deformity, erosion, lesion, tumor, and parasite (DELT) anomalies in 57 riverine fish...
Extracting data from maps: Lessons learned from the artificial intelligence for critical mineral assessment competition
Margaret A. Goldman, Graham W. Lederer, Joshua Mark Rosera, Garth E. Graham, Asitang Mishra, Alice Yepremyan
2025, Applied Computing and Geosciences (27)
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA), NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and MITRE ran a 12-week machine learning competition aimed at accelerating development of AI tools for critical mineral assessments. The Artificial Intelligence for Critical Mineral Assessment Competition solicited innovative solutions for two challenges: 1)...
Estimating drivers and identifying uncertainties in smallmouth bass population dynamics in an invaded river network
Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff, Charles B. Yackulic, Drew Elliot Eppehimer, Kevin R. Bestgen, M. Tildon Jones, Chris Michaud
2025, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (82) 1-24
Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) is an important recreational sportfish and destructive non-native species when introduced into freshwater habitats. There is therefore a need to understand the drivers of, and uncertainties in, smallmouth bass population dynamics for various management objectives. We combined long-term smallmouth bass catch-effort and early life history data...
Evaluation of the effects of sediments contaminated by industrial discharges to a unionid mussel (Fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea) and a common test benthic organism (Amphipod, Hyalella azteca)
Chris D. Ivey, Jeffery A. Steevens, Ning Wang, Kathleen Patnode, James L. Kunz, John M. Besser
2025, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (44) 3202-3211
Freshwater mussels are among the most sensitive species to a variety of chemicals in water exposures. However, few studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect of toxicants in sediments on mussels. Industrial discharges containing polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and metals entered the Kanawha River surrounding Blaine...
Mapping ecological states in the upper Colorado River basin: Implications for fire management
John P. Severson, Tara B. Bishop, Anna C. Knight, Travis W. Nauman, Brandon E. McNellis, Miguel L. Villarreal, Sasha C. Reed, Kristina E. Young, Mark Brunson, Michael C. Duniway
2025, Environmental Research: Ecology (4)
Spatially explicit information on ecosystem dynamics that offers a mechanistic understanding of ecological processes can benefit environmental management. Broad-scale maps based on state-and-transition models provide valuable insight into transitions among ecological states resulting from specific drivers within areas sharing similar climatic and edaphic characteristics ecological sites (ES). We aimed to...
Water-resources inventory and assessment at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
Amanda L. Tudor
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5070
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, prepared a water-resources inventory and assessment for Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument (KAWW). This compilation includes published and publicly accessible hydrologic data and resource assessments of streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, wetlands, vernal pools, and groundwater in and near...
Density dependence and weather drive dabbling duck spatiotemporal distributions and intercontinental migration
Ben D. Golas, Diann J. Prosser, Andrew M. Ramey, Paul K. Link, Wayne E. Thogmartin
2025, Avian Research (16)
Understanding migratory waterfowl spatiotemporal distributions is important because, in addition to their economic and cultural value, wild waterfowl can be infectious reservoirs of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV). Waterfowl migration has been implicated in regional and intercontinental HPAIV dispersal,...
Hydrophone placement yields high variability in detection of Epinephelus striatus calls at a spawning site.
Cameron J. Van Horn, Alli C. Candelmo, Scott A. Heppell, Croy R.M. McCoy, Christine V. Pattengill-Semmens, Lynn Waterhouse, Laurent M. Cherubin, J. Christopher Taylor, William Michaels, James Locascio, Ali K. Ibrahim, Brice X. Semmens
2025, Ecological Applications (35)
Passive acoustic monitoring is a cost-effective, minimally invasive technology commonly used to study behavior and population dynamics of soniferous fish species. To understand the strengths and limitations of acoustic monitoring for this purpose at fish spawning aggregations (FSA) requires an assessment of the variability in aggregation-associated sounds (AAS) as a...
Using imaging spectroscopy and elevation in machine learning to estimate soil salinity in intermittently tidal wetlands
German Silva, Dar Roberts, Kristin B. Byrd, Dana Chadwick, Ian Walker, Jennifer King
2025, Ecosphere (16)
Coastal soil salinization patterns are changing due to drought, sea level rise (SLR), and changing freshwater inflow. These changes are expected to impact coastal wetland plant health and ecosystem function, such as changes to biomass and productivity. These impacts have led to greater interest in how we monitor soil salinization...
Elk personality and anthropogenic food subsidy: Managing conflict and migration loss
Gavin G. Cotterill, Eric K. Cole, Paul C. Cross, Sarah R. Dewey, Ben L. Wise, Tabitha A. Graves
2025, Ecosphere (16)
The continued decline of long-distance ungulate migrations threatens to decouple important ecological processes that increase biodiversity and wildlife abundance. Past research has focused on preserving migration paths where habitat fragmentation and loss disrupt movement corridors. However, shifting residency-migration trade-offs are the stronger driver of migration loss in some populations. Suburban...
Global maps of critical mineral production in 2023
Jaewon Chung, Sean Xun, Steven D. Textoris
2025, Fact Sheet 2025-3038
Introduction The global production of many mineral commodities, especially critical minerals, is concentrated in a few countries that have mineral resources and the infrastructure necessary to mine and process those resources. For this reason, the type and amount of mineral production differ by country. For example, many countries produce such metallic...
Launching into societal benefits from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission
Margaret Srinivasan, Vardis Tsontos, Matthew Bonnema, Santiago Pena-Luque, Alexandre de Amorim-Teixiera, Alexandre Abdalla Araujo, Edward Beighley, Charon Birkett, Curtis Chen, Louise Croneborg-Jones, Cedric David, Shailen Desai, Alain Dib, Bradley Doorn, Robert W. Dudley, Bareerah Fatima, Luciana Fenoglio, Renato Prata de Moraes Frasson, Chandana Gangodagamage, Stephanie Granger, Isabel Houghton, Gregg Jacobs, Indu Jayaluxmi, Pierre-Yves Le Traon, Cassandra Nickles, Nicolas Picot, Guy Schumann, Babette Tchonang, Paula Torre Zaffaroni, Peter Van Oevelen, Jinbo Wang, Jerry Wegiel
2025, Water Resources Research (61)
The 10th Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Applications Meeting, held one year after the satellite's launch, highlighted significant milestones in mission progress and showcased the innovative work of SWOT Early Adopters (EA) using mission data products. Over 100 participants from diverse sectors convened to discuss operational applications leveraging SWOT's...
The U.S. Geological Survey National Atmospheric Deposition Program, National Trends Network, 2023
Ryan C. McCammon, Noel A. Deyette
2025, General Information Product 258
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been a National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) partner agency since 1981. NADP is composed of five atmospheric monitoring networks that verify Clean Air Act effectiveness and provide essential data to protect human health and preserve ecosystems for current and future generations. Stakeholders include land...
Three decades of declines restructure butterfly communities in the Midwestern United States
Wendy Leuenberger, Jeffrey W. Doser, Michael W. Belitz, Leslie Ries, Nick M. Haddad, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Elise F. Zipkin
2025, PNAS (122)
Insects are declining worldwide, yet gaps remain in our understanding of how declines are distributed across species within communities. Using three decades of butterfly monitoring data aggregated from the Midwestern United States, we found that no butterfly species increased in abundance from 1992 to 2023. 59 out of 136 species...
Shrinking channels, growing threats: Habitat degradation from channel narrowing and invasive vegetation in three dryland rivers
Benjamin J. Miller, Mark C. McKinstry, Peter R. Wilcock, William W. Macfarlane, Steven Bassett, Phaedra E. Budy, Casey A. Pennock
2025, Journal of Environmental Management (392)
Water development and the proliferation of invasive riparian vegetation have led to widespread habitat loss and simplification of rivers in the western United States, contributing to the imperilment of native fishes. Here, we quantify channel narrowing and vegetation encroachment, which are conspicuous indicators of riverine habitat alteration,...
Random forest regression models for estimating low-streamflow statistics at ungaged locations in New York, excluding Long Island
Timothy J. Stagnitta, Joshua Woda, Alexander P. Graziano
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5060
Models to estimate low-streamflow statistics at ungaged locations in New York, excluding Long Island and including hydrologically connected basins from bordering States, were developed for the first time by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. A total of 224 basin characteristics...
White-nose syndrome surveillance and bat monitoring activities in North Coast and Cascades Network parks 2016–2024
Tara Chestnut, Jenny Urbina, Michael Elizabeth Hansen, Rebecca M. McCaffery, Dylan J. Rhea-Fournier, Jennifer Allen, Taal Levi
2025, Science Report NPS/SR-2025/340
Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), the causative agent of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats, has caused serious declines in bat populations across North America. We conducted WNS surveillance in five different park units in the North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) from 2016 to 2024, following the initial detection of Pd and...
Representing 3-dimensional fuels for physics-based fire behavior models: A general framework and case study in a type-converted post-fire shrubfield
Niko Tutland, Andreas Paul Wion, Carolina Jasmine May, Grant C. Hutchings, Hope Nowak, James R. Gattiker, J. Kevin Hiers, Rodman R. Linn, Scott M. Pokswinski, Ellis Q. Margolis
2025, Fire Ecology (21)
Background Physics-based three-dimensional (3D) fire behavior models improve planning for prescribed fire application and wildfire mitigation, but require high spatial resolution 3D fuel models as inputs. While multiple methods and data sources for realistically representing 3D, heterogeneous fuels are available, no unifying framework exists to guide the use of these...
Evidence for marine-driven, cyclical fluctuations in burrow-nesting seabird habitat on the Oregon Coast
Carina M. Kusaka, Shawn Stephensen, James T. Peterson, Melanie J. Davis
2025, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (13)
Seabirds are among the most threatened birds globally, with the loss or deterioration of coastal breeding habitats posing a severe threat. Natural and anthropogenic disturbances substantially influence coastal ecosystems through erosion and vegetation loss, altering habitat for the wildlife species that depend on them. In addition to...
Hydrologic budgets and water availability of six bedrock aquifers in the Black Hills area, South Dakota and Wyoming, 1931–2022
Colton J. Medler, Todd M. Anderson, William G. Eldridge
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5067
Population growth and recurring droughts in the Black Hills region raised interest in water resources and future availability. The Black Hills hydrology study (BHHS) was initiated in the early 1990s to address questions regarding water resources. Since completion of the BHHS in the early 2000s, the population of the Black...
The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Tennessee’s economy
George Heleine
2025, Fact Sheet 2025-3037
Introduction The State of Tennessee has an area of approximately 42,100 square miles and includes six physiographic regions: Blue Ridge, Valley and Ridge, Appalachian Plateaus, Highland Rim, Nashville Basin, and the Gulf Coastal Plains. Up-to-date elevation data support key activities across the State, such as economic development, infrastructure and construction management,...
Hydroclimatic and land-use factors affecting peak streamflow in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
Karen R. Ryberg, Mackenzie K. Marti, Nancy A. Barth, Thomas M. Over, Sara B. Levin, Hannah Lee Podzorski, Steven K. Sando, Tara Williams-Sether, Padraic S. O’Shea, Katherine J. Chase
2025, Circular 1557
Flood-frequency analysis provides the basis for flood risk estimates used by water-resource managers in land-use planning, and it informs the design of essential infrastructure such as bridges and culverts. Federal guidelines for flood-frequency analysis do not offer guidance on addressing changing climate and land-use conditions when estimating floods. However, failing...
The influence of human presence and footprint on animal space use in US national parks
Kaitlyn M. Gaynor, Forest Hayes, Kezia R. Manlove, Nathan L. Galloway, John F. Benson, Michael J. Cherry, Clinton W. Epps, Robert J. Fletcher Jr., John L. Orrock, Justine A. Smith, Christina M. Aiello, Jerrold L. Belant, Joel Berger, Mark Biel, Jill Bright, Joseph K. Bump, Michael Burchett, Carson Butler, Jennifer Carlson, Eric K. Cole, Neal Darby, Erin DeGutis, Sarah Dewey, Pete Figura, Tom Gable, Jeff Gagnon, Danielle M. Glass, Jennifer R. Green, Kerry A. Gunther, Mark Haroldson, Kent Hersey, Brandon Holton, Austin T. Homkes, Sarah R. Hoy, Debra Hughson, Kyle Joly, Ryan Leahy, Caitlin Lee-Roney, Rob Lester, Daniel MacNulty, Michael Magnuson, Daniel J. Martin, Rachel Mazur, Seth A. Moore, Elizabeth K. Orning, Katie Patrick, Rolf O. Peterson, Lynette Potvin, Paige Prentice, Seth P.D. Riley, Mark C. Romanski, Annette Roug, Jeff A. Sikich, Nova Simpson, William B. Sloan, Douglas W. Smith, Mathew Sorum, Scott Sprague, Daniel Stahler, John A. Stephenson, Thomas R. Stephenson, Janice Stroud-Settles, Frank T. van Manen, John A. Vucetich, Kate Wilmot, Steve K. Windels, Tiffany Wolf, Paul C. Cross
2025, Proceedings of the Royal Society B (292)
Given the importance of protected areas for biodiversity, the growth of visitation to many areas has raised concerns about the effects of humans on wildlife. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to temporary closure of national parks in the United States, offering a pseudonatural experiment to tease apart the effects...
Toward a near-lossless image compression strategy for the NASA/USGS Landsat Next mission
Rehman S. Eon, Craig De Groot, Jeffrey A. Pedelty, Aaron Gerace, Matthew Montanaro, Richard K. Covington, Amy S. DeLisa, Wen-Ting Hsieh, Joy M. Hengear-leon, Douglas J. Daniels, Christopher Engebretson, Christopher J. Crawford, Thomas R.H. Holmes, Philip Dabney, Bruce D. Cook
2025, Remote Sensing of Environment (329)
As orbiting Earth imaging platforms carry more complex and capable instruments, efficient methods are needed to reduce the time and cost associated with storing and downlinking greater volumes of image data. The upcoming NASA/USGS Landsat Next mission, with an increase in spatial and spectral resolution over previous Landsat missions, is...
Impact of land subsidence on housing sale values: Evidence from the San Joaquin Valley, California
Mehdi Nemati, Michelle Sneed, Ariel Dinar
2025, Land Economics (101)
This study assesses the impact of land subsidence on housing sale values in the San Joaquin Valley, California. The study utilizes home sale transactions and vertical land-surface displacement data from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar techniques. Using fine-scale fixed effects, matching, as well as a repeat-sales approach, our results indicate that...
