Implementation plan for the southern Pacific Border and Sierra-Cascade Mountains provinces
Victoria E. Langenheim, Russell W. Graymer, Robert E. Powell, Kevin M. Schmidt, Donald S. Sweetkind
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1012
IntroductionThe National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP) is publishing a strategic plan titled Renewing the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program as the Nation’s Authoritative Source for Modern Geologic Knowledge (Brock and others, in press). The plan provides a vision, mission, and goals for the program during the years 2020–2030, which...
Non-native Pond Sliders cause long-term decline of native Sonora Mud Turtles: A 33-year before-after study in an undisturbed natural environment
Charles A. Drost, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Philip C. Rosen, Matthew Malone, Steven D. Garber
2021, Aquatic Invasions (16) 542-570
Using a before-after study design in a stable, largely undisturbed pond habitat and a dataset spanning 33 years, we document and describe the decline of native Sonora mud turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) after the introduction of non-native pond sliders (Trachemys scripta). The Sonora mud turtle population in Montezuma Well in central...
Climate change may cause shifts in growth and instantaneous natural mortality of American Shad throughout their native range
Erin K. Gilligan, Daniel S. Stich, Katherine E. Mills, Michael M. Bailey, Joseph D. Zydlewski
2021, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (150) 407-421
American Shad Alosa sapidissima is an anadromous species with populations ranging along the U.S. Atlantic coast. Past American Shad stock assessments have been data limited and estimating system-specific growth parameters or instantaneous natural mortality (M) was not possible. This precluded system-specific stock assessment and management due to reliance...
Abiotic stress and biotic factors mediate range dynamics on opposing edges
Alexej P. K. Siren, Christopher Sutherland, Chris Bernier, Kimberly Royar, Jillian R. Kilborn, Catherine Callahan, Rachel Cliche, Leighlan S. Prout, Toni Lyn Morelli
2021, Journal of Biogeography (48) 1758-1772
AimIn the face of global change, understanding causes of range limits are one of the most pressing needs in biogeography and ecology. A prevailing hypothesis is that abiotic stress forms cold (upper latitude/altitude) limits, whereas biotic interactions create warm (lower) limits. A new framework – Interactive Range-Limit...
Improving paleoseismic earthquake magnitude estimates with rupture length information: Application to the Puget Lowland, Washington State, U.S.A.
Richard Styron, Brian L. Sherrod
2021, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (111) 1139-1153
Both earthquake displacement and rupture length correlate with magnitude, and therefore observations of each from past earthquakes can be used to estimate the magnitude of those earthquakes in the absence of instrumental records. We extend the Bayesian inversion method of Biasi and Weldon (2006), which estimates paleoearthquake magnitude from displacement...
Graph-based reinforcement learning for active learning in real time: An application in modeling river networks
Xiaowei Jia, Beiyu Lin, Jacob Aaron Zwart, Jeffrey Michael Sadler, Alison P. Appling, Samantha K. Oliver, Jordan Read
2021, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 2021 SIAM International Conference on Data Mining
Effective training of advanced ML models requires large amounts of labeled data, which is often scarce in scientific problems given the substantial human labor and material cost to collect labeled data. This poses a challenge on determining when and where we should deploy measuring instruments (e.g., in-situ sensors) to collect...
Exploring strategies for investigating the mechanisms linking climate and individual-level child health outcomes: An analysis of birth weight in Mali
Kathryn Grace, Andrew Verdin, Audrey Dorélien, Frank Davenport, Chris Funk, Gregory Husak
2021, Demography (58) 499-526-526
The goal of this article is to consider data solutions to investigate the differential pathways that connect climate/weather variability to child health outcomes. We apply several measures capturing different aspects of climate/weather variability to different time periods of in utero exposure. The measures are designed to capture the complexities of climate-related risks...
Embracing ensemble species distribution models to inform at-risk species status assessments
C. Ramirez-Reyes, M. Nazeri, Garrett Street, D. T. Jones-Ferrand, Francisco Vilella, K. O. Evans
2021, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (12) 98-111
Conservation planning depends on reliable information regarding the geographic distribution of species. However, our knowledge of species' distributions is often incomplete, especially when species are cryptic, difficult to survey, or rare. The use of species distribution models has increased in recent years and proven a valuable tool to evaluate habitat...
An integrated population model for harvest management of Atlantic brant
A.J. Roberts, J.L. Dooly, Beth Ross, T.C. Nichols, J.O. Leafloor, K.W. Dufour
2021, Journal of Wildlife Management (85) 897-908
Atlantic brant (Branta bernicla hrota) are important game birds in the Atlantic Flyway and several long-term monitoring data sets could assist with harvest management, including a count-based survey and demographic data. Considering their relative strengths and weaknesses, integrated analysis to these data would likely improve harvest management, but tools for...
Predicting the spatiotemporal exposure of aquatic species to intrusions of fire retardant in streams with limited data
Chris R. Rehmann, P. Ryan Jackson, Holly J. Puglis
2021, Science of the Total Environment (782)
Because fire retardant can enter streams and harm aquatic species including endangered fish, agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) must estimate the downstream extent of toxic effects every time fire retardant enters streams (denoted as an “intrusion”). A challenge in estimating the length of stream...
Identifying sources of contaminants in urban stormwater and evaluation of their removal efficacy across a continuum of urban best management practices
Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Richard L. Kiesling, Sarah M. Elliott, Satomi Kohno
2021, Report
Precipitation events in urban areas often result in stormwater runoff containing a diverse array of chemical contaminants. Although many traditional contaminants, such as nutrients, heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been studied extensively, only recently has evidence emerged showing that trace organic compounds (TrOCs), including pharmaceuticals, personal care products...
Vegetation community monitoring: Species composition and biophysical gradients in Klamath Network parks
Sean B. Smith, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Dennis Odion
2021, Natural Resource Report NPS/KLMN/NRR—2021/2236
The Klamath Network of the National Park Service consists of six park units located in northern California and southern Oregon. The Network began implementing a vegetation monitoring protocol in 2011 to identify ecologically significant vegetation trends in the parks. The premise of the protocol is that multivariate analyses of species...
Regional-scale variability in the movement ecology of marine fishes revealed by an integrative acoustic tracking network
Claudia Friess, Susan K. Lowerre-Barbieri, Gregg R. Poulakis, Neil Hammerschlag, Jayne M. Gardiner, Andrea M. Kroetz, Kim Bassos-Hull, Joel Bickford, Erin C. Bohaboy, Robert D. Ellis, Hayden Menendez, William F. Patterson III, Melissa E. Price, Jennifer S. Rehage, Colin P. Shea, Matthew J. Smukall, Sarah Walters Burnsed, Krystan A. Wilkinson, Joy Young, Angela B. Collins, Breanna C. DeGroot, Cheston T. Peterson, Caleb Purtlebaugh, Michael T. Randall, Rachel M. Scharer, Ryan W. Schloesser, Tonya R. Wiley, Gina A. Alvarez, Andy J. Danylchuk, Adam G. Fox, Ashley Hill, R. Dean Grubbs, James V. Locascio, Patrick M. O’Donnell, Gregory B. Skomal, Fred G. Whoriskey, Lucas P. Griffin
Susan K. Lowerre-Barbieri, editor(s)
2021, Marine Ecology Progress Series (663) 157-177
Marine fish movement plays a critical role in ecosystem functioning and is increasingly studied with acoustic telemetry. Traditionally, this research has focused on single species and small spatial scales. However, integrated tracking networks, such as the Integrated Tracking of Aquatic Animals in the Gulf of Mexico (iTAG) network, are building...
Habitat suitability index model improvement recommendations
Shaye E. Sable, David C. Lindquist, Laura D’Acunto, Ann Hijuelos, Megan K. LaPeyre, Ann M. O'Connell, Elizabeth M. Robinson
2021, Report, 2023 Coastal Master Plan
As part of the model improvement effort for the 2023 Coastal Master Plan, the Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) models used during previous master plans were reevaluated to assess how the model relationships could be improved, and to determine what species should be included in the master plan analyses. This process...
Habitat suitability index model improvements
David C. Lindquist, Shaye E. Sable, Laura D’Acunto, Ann Hijuelos, Erik I. Johnson, Summer R.M Langlois, Nicole L. Michel, Lindsay Nakashima, Ann M. O’Connell, Katie L. Percy, Elizabeth M. Robinson
2021, Report, 2023 Coastal Master Plan
Habitat suitability index (HSI) models were developed for the 2023 Coastal Master Plan to evaluate the potential effects of coastal restoration and protection projects on habitat for key coastal fish, shellfish, and wildlife species. These species included: eastern oyster, brown shrimp, white shrimp, blue crab, crayfish, gulf menhaden, spotted seatrout,...
A review of timing accuracy across the Global Seismographic Network
Adam T. Ringler, Robert Anthony, David C. Wilson, D. Auerbach, S. Bargabus, P.W. Davis, M. Gunnels, K. Hafner, James Holland, A. Kearns, E. Klimczak
2021, Seismological Research Letters (92) 2270-2281
The accuracy of timing across a seismic network is important for locating earthquakes as well as studies that use phase‐arrival information (e.g., tomography). The Global Seismographic Network (GSN) was designed with the goal of having reported timing be better than 10 ms. In this work, we...
Shift of potential natural vegetation against global climate change under historical, current and future scenarios
Zhengchao Ren, Huazhong Zhu, Hua Shi, Xiaoni Liu
2021, Rangeland Journal (43) 309-319
Potential natural vegetation (PNV), the final successional stage of vegetation, plays a key role in ecological restoration, the design of nature reserves, and development of agriculture and livestock production. Meteorological data from historical and current periods including the last inter-glacial (LIG), last glacial maximum (LGM), mid Holocene (MH)...
Regional ensemble modeling reduces uncertainty for digital soil mapping
Colby C. Brungard, Travis W. Nauman, Michael C. Duniway, Kari E. Veblen, Kyle C. Nehring, David S. White, Shawn W. Salley, Julius Anchang
2021, Geoderma (397)
Recent country and continental-scale digital soil mapping efforts have used a single model to predict soil properties across large regions. However, different ecophysiographic regions within large-extent areas are likely to have different soil-landscape relationships so models built specifically for these regions may more accurately capture these relationships relative to...
Texas and Landsat
U.S. Geological Survey
2021, Fact Sheet 2021-3017
The State of Texas has the largest land area of any in the contiguous United States, and its sprawling landscapes show rich geographic diversity. The Lone Star State has cactus flats in the high plains of its far western panhandle, rolling hills in its western Trans-Pecos region, farms and ranchlands...
Range-wide greater sage-grouse hierarchical monitoring framework—Implications for defining population boundaries, trend estimation, and a targeted annual warning system
Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Michael S. O’Donnell, Cameron L. Aldridge, David R. Edmunds, Adrian P. Monroe, Mark A. Ricca, Gregory T. Wann, Steve E. Hanser, Lief A. Wiechman, Michael P. Chenaille
2021, Open-File Report 2020-1154
Incorporating spatial and temporal scales into greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) population monitoring strategies is challenging and rarely implemented. Sage-grouse populations experience fluctuations in abundance that lead to temporal oscillations, making trend estimation difficult. Accounting for stochasticity is critical to reliably estimate population trends and investigate variation related to deterministic factors...
Renewing the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program as the Nation’s authoritative source for modern geologic knowledge
John Brock, Karen Berry, James Faulds, Richard Berg, Kyle House, Michael Marketti, Darcy McPhee, Kevin M. Schmidt, James Schmitt, David R. Soller, David Spears, Ren A. Thompson, Harvey Thorleifson, Gregory J. Walsh
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1013
This document presents the renewed vision, mission, and goals for the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP). The NCGMP, as authorized by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-285, 106 Stat. 166 and its reauthorizations), is tasked with expediting the production of a geologic database for...
Rayleigh wave amplitude uncertainty across the Global Seismographic Network and potential implications for global tomography
Adam T. Ringler, Robert Anthony, C. A. Dalton, David C. Wilson
2021, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (111) 1273-1292
The Global Seismographic Network (GSN) is a multiuse, globally distributed seismic network used by seismologists, to both characterize earthquakes and study the Earth’s interior. Most stations in the network have two collocated broadband seismometers, which enable network operators to identify potential metadata and sensor issues. In this study, we investigate...
Considerations of variability and power for long-term monitoring of stream fish assemblages
Scott D. George, Daniel Stich, Barry P. Baldigo
2021, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (78) 301-311
Little attention has been given to optimizing statistical power for monitoring stream fish assemblages. We explored the relationship between temporal variability and statistical power using 34 metrics from fish community data collected annually at six sites over 10 years via electrofishing. Metric variability differed by the life stage and group...
Groundwater-quality and select quality-control data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, January 2017 through December 2019
James A. Kingsbury, Laura M. Bexfield, Terri Arnold, MaryLynn Musgrove, Melinda L. Erickson, James R. Degnan, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Bruce D. Lindsey, Kenneth Belitz
2021, Data Series 1136
Groundwater-quality environmental data were collected from 983 wells as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Program and are included in this report. The data were collected from six types of well networks: principal aquifer study networks, which are used to assess...
Landscape evolution in eastern Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, California
Amy E. East, Harrison J. Gray, Margaret Hiza Redsteer, Matthew Ballmer
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5017
This study investigates sedimentary and geomorphic processes in eastern Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, California, a region of arid, basin-and-range terrain where extensive solar-energy development is planned. The objectives of this study were to (1) measure local weather parameters and use them to model aeolian sediment-transport potential; (2) identify surface sedimentary...
