Variation in metal concentrations across a large contamination gradient is reflected in stream but not linked riparian food webs
Johanna M. Kraus, Richard B. Wanty, Travis S. Schmidt, David Walters, Ruth E. Wolf
2021, Science of the Total Environment (769)
Aquatic insects link food web dynamics across freshwater-terrestrial boundaries and subsidize terrestrial consumer populations. Contaminants that accumulate in larval aquatic insects and are retained across metamorphosis can increase dietary exposure for riparian insectivores. To better understand potential exposure of terrestrial insectivores to aquatically-derived trace...
Trends in precipitation chemistry across the U.S. 1985–2017: Quantifying the benefits from 30 years of Clean Air Act amendment regulation
Michael McHale, Amy Ludtke, Gregory A. Wetherbee, Douglas A. Burns, Mark A. Nilles, Jason S. Finkelstein
2021, Atmospheric Environment (247)
Acid rain was first recognized in the 1970s in North America and Europe as an atmospheric pollutant that was causing harm to ecosystems. In response, the U.S. Congress enacted Title IV of the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAA) in 1990 to reduce sulfur and nitrogen emissions from fossil fuel...
U.S. Geological Survey 21st-Century science strategy 2020–2030
U.S. Geological Survey
2021, Circular 1476
Today’s Earth system challenges are far more complex and urgent than those that existed in 1879 when the USGS was established. Society’s greatest challenges are directly or indirectly linked to major areas of USGS science. Increased pressures on natural resources continue with consequences for national security, food and water availability,...
Wildfires: Identification of a new suite of aromatic polycarboxylic acids in ash and surface water
Imma Ferrer, E. Michael Thurman, Jerry A. Zweigenbaum, Sheila F. Murphy, Jackson P. Webster, Fernando L. Rosario-Ortiz
2021, Science of the Total Environment (770)
Ash and surface water samples collected after wildfires in four different geographical locations (California, Colorado, Kansas and Alberta) were analyzed. The ash samples were leached with deionized water, and leachates were concentrated by solid phase extraction and analyzed by liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In...
Editorial: Advances in hydrology and the water environment in the karst critical zone under the impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities
Barbara Mahler, Jiang Yongjun, Junbing Pu, Jonathan Martin
2021, Journal of Hydrology (595)
No abstract available....
An integrated geochemical approach for defining sources of groundwater salinity in the southern Rio Grande Valley of the Mesilla Basin, New Mexico and west Texas, USA
Christopher Kubicki, Kenneth C. Carroll, James C. Witcher, Andrew J. Robertson
2021, Report, New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute Technical Reports
A significantly elevated groundwater salinity zone was identified in the southern part of the Mesilla Valley. This investigation characterized the occurrence, spatial extent, and source of the plume of elevated groundwater salinity using a wide range of geochemical and geophysical data and methods....
Groundwater development leads to decreasing arsenic concentrations in the San Joaquin Valley, California
Emily A. Haugen, Bryant C. Jurgens, Jose Alfredo Arroyo-Lopez, George L. V Bennett V
2021, Science of the Total Environment (771)
In the San Joaquin Valley (SJV), California, about 10% of drinking water wells since 2010 had arsenic concentrations above the US maximum contaminant level of 10 μg/L. High concentrations of arsenic are often associated with high pH (greater than 7.8) or reduced geochemical conditions. Although most wells have low arsenic (<3 μg/L)...
Migration of injected wastewater with high levels of ammonia in a saline aquifer in south Florida
Nicasio Sepulveda, Melinda A. Lohmann
2021, Groundwater (59) 597-613
Treated wastewater with high levels of ammonia has been injected, since March 1983 into the deep saline units of the Lower Floridan aquifer (LFA) from a treatment plant near the east coast of Miami-Dade County in southeastern Florida. Monitoring wells in the plant recorded ammonia concentrations above ambient levels at...
Poecivirus is present in individuals with beak deformities in seven species of North American birds
Maxine Zylberberg, Caroline R. Van Hemert, Colleen M. Handel, Rachel Liu, Joseph L. DeRisi
2021, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (57) 273-281
Avian keratin disorder (AKD), a disease of unknown etiology characterized by debilitating beak overgrowth, has increasingly affected wild bird populations since the 1990s. A novel picornavirus, poecivirus, is closely correlated with disease status in Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in Alaska. However, our knowledge of the relationship between poecivirus and beak...
Field trials to test new trap technologies for monitoring Culex populations and the efficacy of the biopesticide formulation VectoMax® FG for control of larval Culex quinquefasciatus in the Alaka'i Plateau, Kaua'i, Hawaii
Dennis A. LaPointe, Theodore V. Black, Michael Riney, Grace Tredinnick, Lisa H. Crampton, Justin Hite
2021, Hawaii Cooperative Studies Unit Technical Report Series 96
Mosquito-borne avian malaria Plasmodium relictum is a key limiting factor for endemic Hawaiian forest birds. In the past decade, populations of Kaua‘i’s endemic forest birds have been in a steep decline due to an increase in malaria transmission. To evaluate the use of available biopesticides for short-term mosquito control we...
Mars: Abundant recurring slope lineae (RSL) following the planet-encircling dust event (PEDE) of 2018
Alfred S. McEwen, Ethan I Schaefer, Colin M. Dundas, Sarah S. Sutton, Leslie K Tamppari, Matthew Chojnacki
2021, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (126)
Recurring slope lineae (RSL) are dark linear markings on Mars that regrow annually and likely originate from the flow of either liquid water or granular material. Following the great dust storm (or planet-encircling dust event, PEDE) of Mars year (MY) 34, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter/High Resolution Imaging Science...
Assessing the feasibility of managed aquifer recharge in California
Nicola Ulibarri, Nataly Escobedo Garcia, Rebecca L Nelson, Amanda E. Cravens, Ryan J McCarty
2021, Water Resources Research (57)
With aquifers around the world stressed by over-extraction, water managers are increasingly turning to managed aquifer recharge (MAR), directly replenishing groundwater resources through injection wells, recharge basins, or other approaches. While there has been progress in understanding the geological and infrastructure-related considerations to make MAR more effective,...
Nearshore water quality and coral health indicators along the west coast of the Island of Hawaiʻi, 2010–2014
Eric E. Grossman, Lisa Marrack, Nathan R. vanArendonk
2021, Open-File Report 2020-1128
Coral reefs worldwide are experiencing rapid degradation in response to climate and land-use change, namely effects of warming sea-surface temperatures, contaminant runoff, and overfishing. Extensive coral bleaching caused by the steady rise of sea-surface temperatures is projected to increase, but our understanding and ability to predict where corals may be...
Seed production patterns of surviving Sierra Nevada conifers show minimal change following drought
Micah C. Wright, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Nathan L. Stephenson, Adrian Das, Jon Keeley
2021, Forest Ecology and Management (480)
Reproduction is a key component of ecological resilience in forest ecosystems, so understanding how seed production is influenced by extreme drought is key to understanding forest recovery trajectories. If trees respond to mortality-inducing drought by preferentially allocating resources for reproduction, the...
Development and application of surrogate models, calculated loads, and aquatic export of carbon based on specific conductance, Big Cypress National Preserve, south Florida, 2015–17
Amanda Booth
2021, Open-File Report 2020-1136
Understanding the carbon transport within aquatic environments is crucial to quantifying global and local carbon budgets, yet limited empirical data currently (2021) exist. This report documents methodology and provides data for quantifying the aquatic export of carbon from a cypress swamp within Big Cypress National Preserve and is part of...
Water-quality change following remediation using structural bulkheads in abandoned draining mines, upper Arkansas River and upper Animas River, Colorado USA
Katherine Walton-Day, M. Alisa Mast, Robert L. Runkel
2021, Applied Geochemistry (127)
Water-quality effects after remediating abandoned draining mine tunnels using structural bulkheads were examined in two study areas in Colorado, USA. A bulkhead was installed in the Dinero mine tunnel in 2009 to improve water quality in Lake Fork Creek, a tributary to the upper Arkansas River....
Assessing the impact of drought on arsenic exposure from private domestic wells in the conterminous United States
Melissa A. Lombard, Johnni Daniel, Zuha Jeddy, Lauren Hay, Joseph D. Ayotte
2021, Environmental Science & Technology (55) 1822-1831
This study assesses the potential impact of drought on arsenic exposure from private domestic wells by using a previously developed statistical model that predicts the probability of elevated arsenic concentrations (>10 μg per liter) in water from domestic wells located in the conterminous United States (CONUS). The application of the...
Monitoring wetland water quality related to livestock grazing in amphibian habitats
Kelly L. Smalling, Jennifer Rowe, Christopher Pearl, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Carrie E. Givens, Chauncey W. Anderson, Brome McCreary, Michael J. Adams
2021, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (193)
Land use alteration such as livestock grazing can affect water quality in habitats of at-risk wildlife species. Data from managed wetlands are needed to understand levels of exposure for aquatic life stages and monitor grazing-related changes afield. We quantified spatial and temporal variation in water quality...
Widespread use of the nitrification inhibitor nitrapyrin: Assessing benefits and costs to agriculture, ecosystems, and environmental health
Emily E. Woodward, Thea M. Edwards, Carrie E. Givens, Dana W. Kolpin, Michelle L. Hladik
2021, Environmental Science and Technology (55) 1345-1353
Agricultural production and associated applications of nitrogen (N) fertilizers have increased dramatically in the last century, and current projections to 2050 show that demands will continue to increase as the human population grows. Applied in both organic and inorganic fertilizer forms, N is an essential nutrient in crop productivity. Increased...
Three-dimensional distribution of residence time metrics in the glaciated United States using metamodels trained on general numerical models
J. Jeffrey Starn, Leon J. Kauffman, Carl S. Carlson, James E. Reddy, Michael N. Fienen
2021, Water Resources Research (57)
Residence time distribution (RTD) is a critically important characteristic of groundwater flow systems; however, it cannot be measured directly. RTD can be inferred from tracer data with analytical models (few parameters) or with numerical models (many parameters). The second approach permits more variation in system properties but...
Eroding Cascadia— Sediment and solute transport and landscape denudation in western Oregon and northwestern California
Jim E. O'Connor, Joseph F. Mangano, Daniel R. Wise, Joshua R. Roering
2021, Geological Society of America Bulletin (133) 1851-1874
Riverine measurements of sediment and solute transport give empirical basin-scale estimates of bed-load, suspended-sediment, and silicate-solute fluxes for 100,000 km2 of northwestern California and western Oregon. This spatially explicit sediment budget shows the multifaceted control of geology and physiography on the rates and processes of fluvial...
Globally prevalent land nitrogen memory amplifies water pollution following drought years
Minjin Lee, Charles A. Stock, Elena Shevliakova, Sergey Malyshev, Paul C. D. Milly
2021, Environmental Research Letters (16)
Enhanced riverine delivery of terrestrial nitrogen (N) has polluted many freshwater and coastal ecosystems, degrading drinking water and marine resources. An emerging view suggests a contribution of land N memory effects—impacts of antecedent dry conditions on land N accumulation that disproportionately increase subsequent river N loads. To...
Upland burning and grazing as strategies to offset climate-change effects on wetlands
Owen P. McKenna, David A. Renton, David M. Mushet, Edward S. DeKeyser
2021, Wetlands Ecology and Management (29) 208
Wetland ecosystems perform a multitude of services valued by society and provide critical habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife. Despite their importance, wetlands have been lost to different local, regional, and global drivers. Remaining wetlands are extremely sensitive to changing temperature and precipitation regimes. Management...
Thermal constraints on energy balance, behaviour and spatial distribution of grizzly bears
Savannah A. Rogers, Charlie T. Robbins, Paul D. Mathewson, Anthony M. Carnahan, Frank T. van Manen, Mark A. Haroldson, Warren P. Porter, Taylor R. Rogers, Terrence Soule, Ryan A. Long
2021, Functional Ecology (35) 398-410
1. Heat dissipation limit theory posits that energy available for growth and reproduction in endotherms is limited by their ability to dissipate heat. In mammals, endogenous heat production increases markedly during gestation and lactation, and thus female mammals may be subject to greater thermal constraints on energy expenditure than males....
Quality of surface water in Missouri, water year 2019
Robert T. Kay
2021, Data Series 1132
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, designed and operates a network of monitoring stations on streams and springs throughout Missouri known as the Ambient Water-Quality Monitoring Network (AWQMN). During water year 2019 (October 1, 2018, through September 30, 2019), water-quality data were collected...
