Determination of vadose zone and saturated zone nitrate lag times using long-term groundwater monitoring data and statistical machine learning
Martin J. Wells, Troy E. Gilmore, Natalie Nelson, Aaron Mittelstet, J.K. Bohlke
2021, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (25) 811-829
In this study, we explored the use of statistical machine learning and long-term groundwater nitrate monitoring data to estimate vadose zone and saturated zone lag times in an irrigated alluvial agricultural setting. Unlike most previous statistical machine learning studies that sought to predict groundwater nitrate concentrations within aquifers, the focus...
National-scale reservoir thermal energy storage pre-assessment for the United States
Jeffrey D. Pepin, Erick R. Burns, Jesse E. Dickinson, Leslie L. Duncan, Eve L. Kuniansky, Howard W. Reeves
2021, Conference Paper, Proceedings, 46th workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering
The U.S. Geological Survey is performing a pre-assessment of the cooling potential for reservoir thermal energy storage (RTES) in five generalized geologic regions (Basin and Range, Coastal Plains, Illinois Basin, Michigan Basin, Pacific Northwest) across the United States. Reservoir models are developed for the metropolitan areas of eight cities (Albuquerque,...
An attention U-Net model for detection of fine-scale hydrologic streamlines
Zewei Xu, Shaowen Wang, Larry Stanislawski, Zhe Jiang, Nattapon Jaroenchai, Arpan Man Sainju, Ethan J. Shavers, E. Lynn Usery, Li Chen, Zhiyu Li, Bin Su
2021, Environmental Modelling & Software (140)
Surface water is an irreplaceable resource for human survival and environmental sustainability. Accurate, finely detailed cartographic representations of hydrologic streamlines are critically important in various scientific domains, such as assessing the quantity and quality of present and future water resources, modeling...
Detecting shrub recovery in sagebrush steppe: Comparing Landsat-derived maps with field data on historical wildfires
Cara Applestein, Matthew J. Germino
2021, Fire Ecology (17)
BackgroundThe need for basic information on spatial distribution and abundance of plant species for research and management in semiarid ecosystems is frequently unmet. This need is particularly acute in the large areas impacted by megafires in sagebrush steppe ecosystems, which require frequently updated information about increases in exotic...
A 100-km wide slump along the upper slope of the Canadian Arctic was likely preconditioned for failure by brackish pore water flushing
C. K. Paull, S.R. Dallimore, D.W. Caress, R. Gwiazda, E. Lundsten, K. Anderson, H. Melling, Y.K. Jin, M.J. Duchesne, Kang S-G., S. Kim, M. Riedel, E.L. King, Thomas Lorenson
2021, Marine Geology (435)
Exploration of the continental slope of the Canadian Beaufort Sea has revealed a remarkable coalescence of slide scars with headwalls between 130 and 1100 m water depth (mwd). With increased depth, the scars widen and merge into one gigantic regional slide...
A structured approach to remediation site assessment: Lessons from 15 years of fish spawning habitat creation in the St. Clair‐Detroit River system
J. Fischer, Edward F. Roseman, Christine Mayer, Todd Wills, Lynn Vaccaro, Jennifer Read, Bruce A. Manny, Gregory W. Kennedy, Roseanne Ellison, Richard Drouin, Robin DeBruyne, Aline Cotel, Justin A. Chiotti, James C. Boase, David H. Bennion
2021, Restoration Ecology (29)
Ideally, restoration re‐establishes natural processes in degraded habitats (e.g., flow and sediment regimes). However, in altered systems where process‐based restoration is not feasible, habitat construction is another approach to mitigate degradation. Because habitat construction does not directly focus on restoring processes that build and maintain desired habitats, projects must be...
Ungaged inflow and loss patterns in urban and agricultural sub‐reaches of the Logan River Observatory
Hyrum Tennant, Bethany Neilson, Matthew P. Miller, Tianfang Xu
2021, Hydrological Processes (35)
Streams in semi‐arid urban and agricultural environments are often heavily diverted for anthropogenic purposes. However, they simultaneously receive substantial inflows from a variety of ungaged sources including stormwater returns, tile drainage, and irrigation runoff that help sustain flow during dry periods. Due to the inability to...
Subsurface characterization and machine learning predictions at Brady Hot Springs
Koenraad F. Beckers, Dmitry Duplyakin, Michael J. Martin, Henry E. Johnston, Drew L. Siler
2021, Conference Paper, Proceedings 46th Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering
Subsurface data analysis, reservoir modeling, and machine learning (ML) techniques have been applied to the Brady Hot Springs (BHS) geothermal field in Nevada, USA to further characterize the subsurface and assist with optimizing reservoir management. Hundreds of reservoir simulations have been conducted in TETRAD-G and CMG STARS to explore different...
Long-term changes in kelp forests in an inner basin of the Salish Sea
H.D. Berry, T.F. Mumford, M. Calloway, L. Ferrier, B. Christiaen, P. Dowty, Eric E. Grossman, Nathan R. vanArendonk
2021, PLoS (16)
Kelp forests form an important biogenic habitat that responds to natural and human drivers. Global concerns exist about threats to kelp forests, yet long-term information is limited and research suggests that trends are geographically distinct. We examined distribution of the bull kelp Nereocystis luetkeana over 145 years in South Puget Sound (SPS),...
Stewardship and management of freshwater ecosystems: From Leopold's land ethic to a freshwater ethic
Steven J. Cooke, Abigail J. Lynch, John J. Piccolo, Julian D. Olden, Andrea J. Reid, Steve J. Ormerod
2021, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (6) 1499-1511
In 1949, Aldo Leopold formalized the concept of the ‘land ethic’, in what emerged as a foundational and transformational way of thinking about natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, and stewardship in terrestrial systems. Yet, the land ethic has inherent linkages to aquatic ecosystems; Leopold himself conducted research on rivers...
Community attachment and stewardship identity influence responsibility to manage wildlife
Adam C. Landon, David C. Fulton, Amit Pradhananga, Lou Cornicelli, Mae A. Davenport
2021, Society & Natural Resources: An International Journal (34) 571-584
Managing wildlife in landscapes under private ownership requires partnership between landowners, resource users, and governing agencies. Agencies often call on landowners to voluntarily change their practices to achieve collective goals. Landowner support for management action is partially a function of normative beliefs about managing wildlife. Understanding factors that support development...
Drought stress and hurricane defoliation influence mountain clouds and moisture recycling in a tropical forest
Martha A. Scholl, Maoya Bassiouni, Angel J. Torres-Sanchez
2021, PNAS (118)
Mountain ranges generate clouds, precipitation, and perennial streamflow for water supplies, but the role of forest cover in mountain hydrometeorology and cloud formation is not well understood. In the Luquillo Experimental Forest of Puerto Rico, mountains are immersed in clouds nightly, providing a steady precipitation source to support the tropical...
Shade, light, and stream temperature responses to riparian thinning in second-growth redwood forests of northern California
David Roon, Jason B. Dunham, Jeremiah D Groom
2021, PLoS ONE (16)
Resource managers in the Pacific Northwest (USA) actively thin second-growth forests to accelerate the development of late-successional conditions and seek to expand these restoration thinning treatments into riparian zones. Riparian forest thinning, however, may impact stream temperatures–a key water quality parameter often regulated to protect stream habitat and aquatic organisms....
Modeling how to achieve localized areas of reduced white-tailed deer density
Amanda N. Van Buskirk, Christopher S. Rosenberry, Bret D. Wallingford, Emily Just Domoto, Marc E. McDill, Patrick Drohan, Duane R. Diefenbach
2021, Ecological Modelling (442)
Localized management of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) involves the removal of matriarchal family units with the intent to create areas of reduced deer density. However, application of this approach has not always been successful, possibly because of female dispersal and high deer densities. We developed a spatially explicit, agent-based model...
Geologic assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Cherokee Platform area of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri
Ronald M. Drake II, Joseph R. Hatch
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5110
In 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey completed a geology-based assessment to estimate the volumes of undiscovered, technically recoverable petroleum resources in the Cherokee Platform Province area of southeastern Kansas, northeastern Oklahoma, and southwestern Missouri. The U.S. Geological Survey identified four stratigraphic intervals that contain petroleum source rocks: (1) thin shales...
Improving the ability of a BACI design to detect impacts within a kelp‐forest community
Andrew Rassweiler, Daniel K Okamoto, Daniel C. Reed, David J Kushner, Donna M Schroeder, Kevin D. Lafferty
2021, Ecological Applications (31)
Distinguishing between human impacts and natural variation in abundance remains difficult because most species exhibit complex patterns of variation in space and time. When ecological monitoring data are available, a before‐after‐control‐impact (BACI) analysis can control natural spatial and temporal variation to better identify an impact and estimate its magnitude. However,...
The role of hydrates, competing chemical constituents, and surface composition on CLNO2 formation
Haley M. Royer, Dhruv Mitroo, Sarah M. Hayes, Savannah Haas, Kerri A Pratt, Patricia Blackwelder, Thomas E. Gill, Cassandra J. Gaston
2021, Environmental Science Technology (55) 2869-2877
Atomic chlorine (Cl•) affects air quality and atmospheric oxidizing capacity. Nitryl chloride (ClNO2) – a common Cl• source–forms when chloride-containing aerosols react with dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5). A recent study showed that saline lakebed (playa) dust is an inland source of particulate chloride (Cl–)...
Estimating the survival of unobservable life stages for a declining frog with a complex life-history
Jonathan P. Rose, Sarah Kupferberg, Clara A Wheeler, Patrick M. Kleeman, Brian J. Halstead
2021, Ecosphere (12)
Demographic models enhance understanding of drivers of population growth and inform conservation efforts to prevent population declines and extinction. For species with complex life histories, however, parameterizing demographic models is challenging because some life stages can be difficult to study directly. Integrated population models (IPMs) empower...
Would you like to know more? The effect of personalized wildfire risk information and social comparisons on information-seeking behavior in the wildland–urban interface
James R. Meldrum, Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Patricia A. Champ, Jamie Gomez, Hilary Byerly, Lilia C. Falk, Christopher M. Barth
2021, Natural Hazards (106) 2139-2161
Private landowners are important actors in landscape-level wildfire risk management. Accordingly, wildfire programs and policy encourage wildland–urban interface homeowners to engage with local organizations to properly mitigate wildfire risk on their parcels. We investigate whether parcel-level wildfire risk assessment data, commonly used to inform community-level planning...
Months-long spike in aqueous Arsenic following domestic well installation and disinfection: Short- and long-term drinking water quality implications
Melinda L. Erickson, Elizabeth D. Swanner, Brady A. Ziegler, Jeffrey R. Havig
2021, Journal of Hazardous Materials (414)
Exposure to high concentration geogenic arsenic via groundwater is a worldwide health concern. Well installation introduces oxic drilling fluids and hypochlorite (a strong oxidant) for disinfection, thus inducing geochemical disequilibrium. Well installation causes changes in geochemistry lasting 12 + months, as illustrated in a recent study of 250 new...
Estimates of energy partitioning, evapotranspiration, and net ecosystem exchange of CO2 for an urban lawn and a tallgrass prairie in the Denver metropolitan area under contrasting conditions
Thomas Thienelt, Dean E. Anderson
2021, Urban Ecosystems (24) 1201-1220
Lawns as a landcover change substantially alter evapotranspiration, CO2, and energy exchanges and are of rising importance considering their spatial extent. We contrast eddy covariance (EC) flux measurements collected in the Denver, Colorado, USA metropolitan area in 2011 and 2012 over a lawn and a xeric...
Patterns and processes of pathogen exposure in gray wolves across North America
E. E. Brandell, Paul C. Cross, Meggan E. Craft, Douglas W. Smith, E. J. Dubovi, Marie L. J. Gilbertson, Tyler Wheeldon, John A. Stephenson, Shannon Barber-Meyer, B. L. Borg, Mathew Sorum, Daniel R. Stahler, Allicia P Kelly, Morgan Anderson, H. D. Cluff, Daniel R. MacNulty, David L. Watts, G. Roffler, Helen M. Schwantje, Mark Hebblewhite, K. Beckman, P. J. Hudson
2021, Scientific Reports (11) 3722
The presence of many pathogens varies in a predictable manner with latitude, with infections decreasing from the equator towards the poles. We investigated the geographic trends of pathogens infecting a widely distributed carnivore: the gray wolf (Canis lupus). Specifically, we investigated which variables best explain and predict geographic trends in...
Indicators of volcanic eruptions revealed by global M4+ earthquakes
Jeremy D. Pesicek, Sarah E. Ogburn, Stephanie G. Prejean
2021, Journal of Geophysical Research (126)
Determining whether seismicity near volcanoes is due primarily to tectonic or magmatic processes is a challenging but critical endeavor for volcanic eruption forecasting and detection, especially at poorly monitored volcanoes. Global statistics on the occurrence and timing of earthquakes near volcanoes both within and outside of eruptive periods reveal patterns...
Airborne geophysical imaging of weak zones on Iliamna Volcano, Alaska: Implications for slope stability
Dana E. Peterson, Carol A. Finn, Paul A. Bedrosian
2021, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth (126)
Water‐saturated, hydrothermally altered rocks reduce the strength of volcanic edifices and increase the potential for sector collapses and far‐traveled mass flows of unconsolidated debris. Iliamna Volcano is an andesitic stratovolcano located on the western side of the Cook Inlet, ∼225 km southwest of Anchorage and is a...
Timing and amount of southern Cascadia earthquake subsidence over the past 1700 years at northern Humboldt Bay, California, USA
Jason S. Padgett, Simon E. Engelhart, Harvey M. Kelsey, Robert C. Witter, Niamh Cahill, Eileen Hemphill-Haley
2021, GSA Bulletin (133) 2137-2156
Stratigraphic, lithologic, foraminiferal, and radiocarbon analyses indicate that at least four abrupt mud-over-peat contacts are recorded across three sites (Jacoby Creek, McDaniel Creek, and Mad River Slough) in northern Humboldt Bay, California, USA (∼44.8°N, −124.2°W). The stratigraphy records subsidence during past megathrust earthquakes at the southern Cascadia subduction zone ∼40...
