Colorado River Basin Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology (ASIST) pilot project progress toward an information management and technology plan
Eric D. Anderson, Jennifer R. Erxleben, Sharon L. Qi, Adrian P. Monroe, Katharine G. Dahm
2023, Circular 1510
Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey carries out a wide variety of multidisciplinary science projects through the Bureau’s regions, mission areas, programs, and science centers. However, this structure can limit interactions among individual scientists, segregate data holdings, and make it difficult to apply holistic, interdisciplinary science. In addition, technological advances in...
Spatio-temporal clustering of post-caldera eruptions at Yellowstone caldera: Implications for volcanic hazards and pre-eruptive magma reservoir configuration
Mark E. Stelten, Nicole Thomas, Anthony Francis Pivarunas, Duane Champion
2023, Bulletin of Volcanology (85)
At least 28 rhyolitic lava flows, domes, and tuffs erupted within Yellowstone caldera following its formation 631 ka. Understanding the timing of intracaldera eruptions is essential for characterizing natural hazards posed by Yellowstone volcano. We present 40Ar/39Ar eruption ages for the Mallard Lake Member and Central Plateau Member of the Plateau...
Comment on “A new decade in seismoacoustics (2010–2022)” by Fransiska Dannemann Dugick, Clinton Koch, Elizabeth Berg, Stephen Arrowsmith, and Sarah Albert
Adam T. Ringler, Robert E. Anthony, Brian Shiro, Toshiro Tanimoto, David C. Wilson
2023, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (113) 2746-2752
An increase in seismic stations also having microbarographs has led to increased interest in the field of seismoacoustics. A review of the recent advances in this field can be found in Dannemann Dugick et al. (2023). The goal of this note is to draw the attention of the readers of <a...
Application of a catch multiple survey analysis for Atlantic horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus in the Delaware Bay
Kristen A. Anstead, John A. Sweka, Linda Barry, Eric M. Hallerman, David R. Smith, Natalie Ameral, Michael Schmidtke, Richard A. Wong
2023, Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science (15)
ObjectiveThis paper applies a catch multiple survey analysis (CMSA) to Atlantic horseshoe crabs Limulus polyphemus in the Delaware Bay to generate robust population estimates for harvest management. Currently, horseshoe crabs along the U.S. Atlantic coast are harvested as bait for other fisheries and collected for their blood, which is...
Status, trend, and monitoring effectiveness of Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) at sea abundance and reproductive output off central California, 1999–2021
Jonathan Felis, Josh Adams, Benjamin H. Becker
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1065
Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) have been listed as “endangered” by the State of California and “threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1992 in California, Oregon, and Washington. Information regarding murrelet abundance, distribution, and habitat associations is critical for risk assessment, effective management, evaluation of conservation efficacy, and...
Prioritization of species status assessments for decision support
Ashley B.C. Goode, Erin Rivenbark, Jessica A. Gilbert, Conor P. McGowan
2023, Decision Analysis (20) 311-325
Species status assessments are used to inform U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) decision making for Endangered Species Act (ESA) classification decisions, recovery planning, and more. The large number of species that require assessment and uncertainty in the data available impede the process of assigning and completing the assessments, which...
A synergistic future for AI and ecology
Barbara A. Han, Kush R. Varshney, Shannon L. LaDeau, Ajit Subramaniam, Kathleen C. Weathers, Jacob Aaron Zwart
2023, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (120)
Research in both ecology and AI strives for predictive understanding of complex systems, where nonlinearities arise from multidimensional interactions and feedbacks across multiple scales. After a century of independent, asynchronous advances in computational and ecological research, we foresee a critical need for intentional synergy to meet current societal challenges against...
The diversity of volcanic hazard maps around the world: Insights from map makers
Jan Lindsay, Danielle Charlton, Mary Ann T. Clive, Daniel Bertin, Sarah E. Ogburn, Heather M. Wright, John W. Ewert, Eliza S. Calder, Bastian Steinke
2023, Journal of Applied Volcanology (12)
The IAVCEI Working Group on Hazard Mapping has been active since 2014 and has facilitated several activities to enable sharing of experiences of how volcanic hazard maps are developed and used around the world. One key activity was a global survey of 90 map makers and practitioners to collect data...
Shallow fault slip of the 2020 M5.1 Sparta, North Carolina, earthquake
Frederick Pollitz
2023, Seismological Research Letters (94) 2831-2839
The 2020 M 5.1 Sparta, North Carolina, earthquake is the largest in the eastern United States since the 2011 M 5.8 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake and produced a ∼2.5‐km‐long surface rupture, unusual for an event of this magnitude. A geological field study conducted soon after the...
Pardus in the press: Drivers of leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) attack occurrence on humans in Nepal
Shashank Poudel, Joshua P. Twining, Richard C. Stedman, Shravan Kumar Ghimire, Angela K. Fuller
2023, People and Nature (5) 177-188
The negative impact of large carnivore presence in human-dominated landscapes manifests as livestock depredation and in extreme cases as attacks on humans. In the case of conflict with leopards in Nepal, attacks resulting in human fatality have become more frequent over time, thus creating an urgent socio-ecological and management...
ENSO and NAO linkages to interannual salinity variability in north central Gulf of Mexico estuaries through teleconnections with precipitation
Gregg Snedden
2023, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (293)
Though the importance of Earth's internal climate modes such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) to regional-scale climate variability is well recognized, the degree to which these oscillations are reflected by spatio-temporal salinity variability over interannual timescales in estuaries is less understood. Here an 11-year continuous salinity monitoring dataset spanning 223 stations...
A reference genome assembly for the continentally distributed ring-necked snake, Diadophis punctatus
Erin P. Westeen, Merly Escalona, Eric Beraut, Mohan P. A. Marimuthu, Oanh Nguyen, Robert N. Fisher, Erin Toffelmier, H. Bradley Shaffer, Ian J. Wang
2023, Journal of Heredity (114) 690-697
Snakes in the family Colubridae include more than 2,000 currently recognized species, and comprise roughly 75% of the global snake species diversity on Earth. For such a spectacular radiation, colubrid snakes remain poorly understood ecologically and genetically. Two subfamilies, Colubrinae (788 species) and Dipsadinae (833 species), comprise the bulk...
a-positive: A robust estimator of the earthquake rate in incomplete or saturated catalogs
Nicholas van der Elst, Morgan T. Page
2023, JGR Solid Earth (128)
Detection thresholds in earthquake catalogs frequently change in time due to station coverage improvements and network saturation effects during active periods such as mainshock-aftershock cascades. This presents a challenge to seismicity-rate estimation; there is a tradeoff between using as low a minimum magnitude as possible to maximize...
Summary of the history and research of the U.S. Geological Survey gas hydrate properties laboratory in Menlo Park, California, active from 1993 to 2022
Laura A. Stern, Stephen H. Kirby
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1063
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Clathrate Hydrate Properties Project, active from 1993 to 2022 in Menlo Park, California, stemmed from an earlier project on the properties of planetary ices supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program. We took a material science approach in...
Priority research needs to inform amphibian conservation in the Anthropocene
Evan H. Campbell Grant, Staci M. Amburgey, Brian Gratwicke, Victor Acosta Chaves, Anat M. Belasen, David Bickford, Carsten Bruhl, Natalie E. Calatayud, Nick Clemann, Simon Clulow, Jelka Crnobrnja-Isailovic, Jeff Dawson, David A. De Angelis, C. Kenneth Dodd Jr., Annette Evans, Gentile Francesco Ficetola, Mattia Falaschi, Sergio Gonzalez-Mollinedo, David M. Green, Roseanna Gamlen-Greene, Richard A. Griffiths, Brian J. Halstead, Craig Hassapakis, Geoffrey Heard, Catharina Karlsson, Tom Kirschey, Blake Klocke, Tiffany A. Kosch, Sophia Kusterko Novaes, Luke Linhoff, John C. Maerz, Brittany A. Mosher, Katherine M. O'Donnell, Leticia M. Ochoa-Ochoa, Deanna H. Olson, Kristiina Ovaska, J. Dale Roberts, Aimee J. Silla, Tariq Stark, Jeanne Tarrant, R. Upton, Judit Voros, Erin L. Muths
2023, Conservation Science and Practice (5)
The problem of global amphibian declines has prompted extensive research over the last three decades. Initially, the focus was on identifying and characterizing the extent of the problem, but more recently efforts have shifted to evidence-based research designed to identify best solutions and to improve conservation outcomes. Despite extensive accumulation...
Polar bear's range dynamics and survival in the Holocene
Heikki Seppa, Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz, Beth Elaine Caissie, Marc Macias Fauria
2023, Quaternary Science Reviews (317)
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the apex predator of the Arctic, largely dependent on sea-ice. The expected disappearance of the ice cover of the Arctic seas by the mid 21st century is predicted to cause a dramatic decrease in the global range and population size of the species. To place...
Local topography and streambed hydraulic conductivity influence riparian groundwater age and groundwater-surface water connection
Sara R. Warix, Alexis Navarre-Sitchler, Andrew H. Manning, Kamini Singha
2023, Water Resources Research (59)
The western U.S. is experiencing increasing rain to snow ratios due to climate change, and scientists are uncertain how changing recharge patterns will affect future groundwater-surface water connection. We examined how watershed topography and streambed hydraulic conductivity impact groundwater age and stream discharge at eight sites along a headwater stream...
Testosterone identifies hatchling sex for Mojave desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii)
M. A. Walden, Kevin J. Loope, Elizabeth Ann Hunter, Stephen J. Divers, Jessica R. Comolli, Todd Esque, Kevin T. Shoemaker
2023, Scientific Reports (13)
The threatened Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) exhibits temperature-dependent sex determination, and individuals appear externally sexually monomorphic until sexual maturity. A non-surgical sex identification method that is suitable for a single in situ encounter with hatchlings is essential for minimizing handling of wild animals. We tested...
Development of a volcanic risk management system at Mount St. Helens—1980 to present
Heather M. Wright, Carolyn L. Driedger, John S. Pallister, Christopher G. Newhall, Michael A. Clynne, John W. Ewert
2023, Bulletin of Volcanology (85)
Here, we review volcanic risk management at Mount St. Helens from the perspective of the US Geological Survey’s (USGS) experience over the four decades since its 18 May 1980 climactic eruption. Prior to 1980, volcano monitoring, multidisciplinary eruption forecasting, and interagency coordination for eruption response were...
Characterization of peak streamflows and flooding in select areas of Pennsylvania from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, September 1–2, 2021
Marla H. Stuckey, Matthew D. Conlon, Mitchell R. Weaver
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5086
Pennsylvania experienced heavy rainfall on September 1 and 2, 2021, as the remnants of Hurricane Ida swept over parts of the State. Much of eastern and south-central Pennsylvania received 5 to 10 inches of rain, and most of the rainfall fell within little more than 6 hours. Southeastern Pennsylvania experienced...
Mapping karst groundwater flow paths and delineating recharge areas for Fern Cave, Alabama, through the use of dye tracing
Benjamin Miller, Benjamin Tobin
2023, Scientific Investigations Map 3506
Fern Cave in Jackson County, Alabama, is a 15.6-mile-long (25.1-kilometer) cave system, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Southeastern Cave Conservancy, that has the second highest biodiversity of any cave in the southeastern United States. Groundwater in karst ecosystems is known to be susceptible to impacts from...
Dead-end hollow fiber ultrafiltration capture of environmental DNA for freshwater mussel (Unionidae) species detection with metabarcoding
Anna M. McKee, Katy E. Klymus, Yer Lor, Marissa H Kaminski, Tariq Tajjioui, Nathan Johnson, Matthew Carroll, Christopher Goodson, Stephen Frank Spear
2023, Environmental DNA (5) 1148-1162
Insufficient water sample volumes can be a limiting factor for detecting species with environmental DNA (eDNA) from aquatic habitats. We compared detections of freshwater mussel (Unionidae) communities using large water sample volumes and dead-end hollow fiber ultrafiltration (D-HFUF or DEUF) with traditional eDNA filtration...
Leveraging multimission satellite data for spatiotemporally coherent cyanoHAB monitoring
Kate Colleen Fickas, Ryan O’Shea, Nima Pahlevan, Brandon Smith, Sarah Bartlett, Jennifer L. Wolny
2023, Frontiers in Remote Sensing (4)
Cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) present a critical public health challenge for aquatic resource and public health managers. Satellite remote sensing is well-positioned to aid in the identification and mapping of cyanoHABs and their dynamics, giving freshwater resource managers a tool for both rapid and long-term protection of...
To remediate or not? Source identification in an acid mine drainage stream, Warden Gulch, Colorado
Matthew M. Jones, Robert L. Runkel, Diane M. McKnight
2023, Mine Water and the Environment (42) 383-398
A synoptic water quality study was implemented in Warden Gulch, a headwater stream affected by metals that are contributed by both natural and mining-impacted sources. Warden Gulch is a tributary to Peru Creek (Colorado, USA), where emplacement of a mine tunnel bulkhead and other remedial actions...
California State waters map series—Benthic habitat characterization in the region offshore of Morro Bay, California
Guy R. Cochrane, Rikk Kvitek, Aaron Cole, Meghan Sherrier, Alia Roca-Lezra, Sean Hallahan, Peter Dartnell
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1064
Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard geoform, substrate, and biotic component geographic information system products were developed for the California State waters of south-central California in the region offshore of Morro Bay. The study was motivated by interest in development of offshore wind-energy capacity and infrastructure in Federal waters offshore....
