Assessing ecological uncertainty and simulation model sensitivity to evaluate an invasive plant species’ potential impacts to the landscape
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Nicholas E. Young, Catherine Cullinane Thomas, Perry Grissom, Dana M. Backer, Leonardo Frid
2020, Scientific Reports (10)
Ecological forecasts of the extent and impacts of invasive species can inform conservation management decisions. Such forecasts are hampered by ecological uncertainties associated with non-analog conditions resulting from the introduction of an invader to an ecosystem. We developed a state-and-transition simulation model tied to a fire...
Soil moisture product validation good practices protocol, version 1.0
Carsten Montzka, Michael H. Cosh, Bagher Bayat, Ahmad Al Bitar, Aaron Berg, Rajat Bindlish, Heye Reemt Bogena, John D. Bolton, Francois Cabot, Todd Caldwell, Steven Chan, Andreas Colliander, Wade Crow, Narendra Das, Gabrielle De Lannoy, Wouter Dorigo, Steven R. Evett, Alexander Gruber, Sebastian Hahn, Thomas Jagdhuber, Scott F. Jones, Yann Kerr, Seung-bum Kim, Christian Koyama, Mehmed Kurum, Ernesto Lopez-Baeza, Francesco Mattia, Kaighin A. McColl, Susanne Mecklenburg, Binayak Mohanty, Peggy O’Neill, Dani Or, Thierry Pellarin, George P. Petropoulos, Maria Piles, Rolf H. Reichle, Nemesio Rodriguez-Fernandez, Christoph Rudiger, Tracy Scanlon, Robert C. Schwartz, Daniel Spengler, Prashant K. Srivastava, Swati Suman, Robin van der Schalie, Wolfgang Wagner, Urs Wegmuller, Jean-Pierre Wigneron, Fernando Camacho, Jaime Nickeson
Carsten Montzka, Michael H. Cosh, Fernando Camacho, Jaime Nickeson, editor(s)
2020, Report
The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) included soil moisture in the list of Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) to express its important role in Earth’s water, energy and carbon cycle. Soil moisture has a major impact on agriculture, land surface hydrology, weather, and climate forecasting. This document is a community-based effort to provide recommendations...
Investigation of suitable habitat for the endangered plant Ptilimnium nodosum (Rose) Mathias (harperella) using remote sensing and field analysis—Documentation of methods and results
Jessica D. DeWitt, Kelsey L. O’Pry, Peter G. Chirico, John A. Young
2020, Open-File Report 2020-1088
Ptilimnium nodosum (Rose) Mathias (harperella) is an endangered plant species found in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as in other locations throughout the southeastern United States. The narrow range of habitat characteristics for areas in which harperella has been found makes locating potential occurrence sites difficult and attempts...
Ps-P tomography of a mid-crustal magma reservoir beneath Cleveland Volcano, Alaska
Daniel E. Portner, Lara S. Wagner, H.A. Janiszewski, Diana Roman, John Power
2020, Geophysical Research Letters (47)
Seismic tomography of the crust is an essential tool for studying the three-dimensional structure of magmatic plumbing systems feeding active volcanoes, but it is often limited in resolution by the absence of deep local seismicity. Teleseismic receiver functions can be used to illuminate local structural variations, but typically do not...
More fault connectivity Is needed in seismic hazard analysis
Morgan T. Page
2020, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (111) 391-397
Did the third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF3) go overboard with multifault ruptures? Schwartz (2018) argues that there are too many long ruptures in the model. Here, I address his concern and show that the UCERF3 rupture‐length distribution matches empirical data. I also present evidence that, if...
Effects of snake fungal disease on short‐term survival, behavior, and movement in free‐ranging snakes
Jennifer M. McKenzie, Steven J. Price, Grant M. Connette, Simon J Bonner, Jeffrey M. Lorch
2020, Ecological Applications (31)
Pathogenic fungi are increasingly associated with epidemics in wildlife populations. Snake fungal disease (SFD, also referred to as Ophidiomycosis) is an emerging threat to snakes, taxa that are elusive and difficult to sample. Thus, assessments of the effects of SFD on populations have rarely occurred. We used a field technique...
Development of a submerged aquatic vegetation growth model in the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere–Wave–Sediment Transport (COAWST v3.4) model
Tarandeep S. Kalra, Neil K. Ganju, Jeremy M. Testa
2020, Geoscientific Model Development (13) 5211-5228
The coupled biophysical interactions between submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), hydrodynamics (currents and waves), sediment dynamics, and nutrient cycling have long been of interest in estuarine environments. Recent observational studies have addressed feedbacks between SAV meadows and their role in modifying current velocity, sedimentation, and nutrient cycling. To represent these dynamic...
High-frequency data reveal deicing salts drive elevated specific conductance and chloride along with pervasive and frequent exceedances of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency aquatic life criteria for chloride in urban streams
Joel Moore, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Andrew J. Sekellick
2020, Environmental Science and Technology (54) 778-789
Increasing specific conductance (SC) and chloride concentrations [Cl] negatively affect many stream ecosystems. We characterized spatial variability in SC, [Cl], and exceedances of Environmental Protection Agency [Cl] criteria using nearly 30 million high-frequency observations (2–15 min intervals) for SC and modeled...
Wildfire and landscape change
Paul M. Santi, Francis K. Rengers
2020, Book chapter, Reference module in earth systems and environmental sciences
Wildfire is a worldwide phenomenon that is expected to increase in extent and severity in the future, due to fuel accumulations, shifting land management practices, and climate change. It immediately affects the landscape by removing vegetation, depositing ash, influencing water-repellent soil formation, and physically weathering boulders and bedrock. These changes...
Wildfire and Earth surface processes
Paul M Santi, Francis K. Rengers
2020, Book chapter, Reference module in earth systems and environmental sciences
Wildfire is a worldwide phenomenon that is expected to increase in extent and severity in the future, due to fuel accumulations, shifting land management practices, and climate change. It immediately affects the landscape by removing vegetation, depositing ash, influencing water-repellent soil...
Wetlands in agricultural landscapes—Significant findings and recent advances from CEAP-Wetlands
David M. Mushet, William R. Effland
2020, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (75)
The Wetlands Component of the USDA's Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP-Wetlands) is a multi-agency effort advancing science related to quantifying and interpreting effects and effectiveness of conservation practices and programs on ecosystem services provided by wetlands in agricultural landscapes. This special section originated from a symposium...
Upper Mississippi River system weighted wind fetch analysis (1989, 2000, 2010/2011)
Jason J. Rohweder, James T. Rogala
2020, Report
Wind fetch is defined as the unobstructed distance that wind can travel over water in a constant direction. Fetches are limited by landforms surrounding the body of water. Fetch is an important characteristic of open water because longer fetches can result in larger wind-generated waves. The larger waves, in turn,...
Geochemical assessment of groundwater in the Big Chino subbasin, Arizona, 2011–18
Kimberly R. Beisner, Casey J. R. Jones
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5094
A geochemical characterization of groundwater in the Big Chino subbasin of Arizona was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Prescott, the Town of Prescott Valley, and the Salt River Project, to understand groundwater evolution through the study area and the source of water to...
Hydrologic properties of a highly permeable firn aquifer in the Wilkins Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Lynn Montgomery, C. Miege, Julie MIller, Bruce Wallin, Ted A. Scambos, Olivia L. Miller, D Kip Solomon, Richard Forster, Lora Koenig
2020, Geophysical Research Letters (47)
We present measurements of the density, hydraulic conductivity, and specific discharge of a widespread firn aquifer in Antarctica, within the Wilkins Ice Shelf. At the field site, the aquifer is 16.2 m thick, starting at 13.4 m from the snow surface and transitioning from water‐saturated firn to ice at 29.6 m. Hydraulic conductivity...
Harvester ant seed removal in an invaded sagebrush ecosystem: Implications for restoration
Kelsey E Paolini, Matthew Modlin, Alexis A Suazo, David Pilliod, Robert S. Arkle, Kerri T. Vierling, Joseph D. Holbrook
2020, Ecology and Evolution (10) 13731-13741
A better understanding of seed movement in plant community dynamics is needed, especially in light of disturbance‐driven changes and investments into restoring degraded plant communities. A primary agent of change within the sagebrush‐steppe is wildfire and invasion by non‐native forbs and grasses, primarily cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)....
Detection and assessment of a large and potentially tsunamigenic periglacial landslide in Barry Arm, Alaska
Chunli Dai, Bretwood Higman, Patrick J. Lynett, Mylene Jacquemart, Ian Howat, Anna K. Liljedahl, Anja Dufresne, Jeffery T. Freymueller, Marten Geertsema, Melissa Ward Jones, Peter J. Haeussler
2020, Geophysical Research Letters
The retreat of glaciers in response to global warming has the potential to trigger landslides in glaciated regions around the globe. Landslides that enter fjords or lakes can cause tsunamis, which endanger people and infrastructure far from the landslide itself. Here we document the ongoing movement of an unstable slope...
Nitrate in streams during winter low‐flow conditions as an indicator of legacy nitrate
Henry M. Johnson, Edward G. Stets
2020, Water Resources Research (56)
Winter low‐flow (LF) conditions in streams provide a potential opportunity to evaluate the importance of legacy nitrate in catchments due to the dominance of slow‐flow transport pathways and lowered biotic activity. In this study, the concentration, flux, and trend of nitrate in streams during winter low‐flow...
Estimating the effects of forest structure changes from wildfire on snow water resources under varying meteorological conditions
C. David Moeser, Patrick Borxton, Adrian Harpold, Andrew J. Robertson
2020, Water Resources Research (56)
Modeling forest change effects on snow is critical to resource management. However, many models either do not appropriately model canopy structure or cannot represent fine‐scale changes in structure following a disturbance. We applied a 1 m2 resolution energy budget snowpack model at a forested site in New Mexico,...
Modeling water quality in watersheds: From here to the next generation
Baihua Fu, J. S. Horsburgh, Anthony J. Jakeman, C Gaultieri, Todd W. Arnold, Lucy A. Marshall, Tim R Green, Nigel W. T. Quinn, Martin Volk, Randall J. Hunt, L. Vezzaro, Barry Croke, John Jakeman, Valerie O Snow, Brenda Rashleigh
2020, Water Resources Research (56)
In this synthesis, we assess present research and anticipate future development needs in modeling water quality in watersheds. We first discuss areas of potential improvement in the representation of freshwater systems pertaining to water quality, including representation of environmental interfaces, in‐stream water quality and process interactions, soil health and land...
Keeping up with the times: Mapping range-wide habitat suitability for endangered species in a changing environment
Eamon J. Harrity, Bryan S. Stevens, Courtney J. Conway
2020, Biological Conservation (250)
Biologists and policy-makers have the difficult task of allocating limited resources to habitat conservation and management for endangered species in the face of changing environmental conditions. Satellite remote sensing can inform conservation because it is an efficient means to obtain environmental data over broad spatial and temporal extents. Yet, the...
Modest residual effects of short-term warming, altered hydration, and biocrust successional state on dryland soil heterotrophic carbon and nitrogen cycling
Colin Tucker, Scott Ferrenberg, Sasha C. Reed
2020, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Section Biogeography and Macroecology (8)
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) on the Colorado Plateau may fuel carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling of soil heterotrophic organisms throughout the region. Late successional moss and lichen biocrusts, in particular, can increase soil C and N availability, but some data suggest these biocrust types will be replaced by early...
Mussel community assessment tool for the Upper Mississippi River system
Heidi L. Dunn, Steven J. Zigler, Teresa Newton
2020, Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conservation (23) 109-123
Upper Mississippi River (UMR) resource managers need a quantitative means of evaluating the health of mussel assemblages to measure effects of management and regulatory actions, assess restoration techniques, and inform regulatory tasks. Our objective was to create a mussel community assessment tool (MCAT), consisting of a suite of metrics and...
Ontogenetic shifts in mesohabitat use of young-of-year Rio Grande blue sucker in the Big Bend region of the Rio Grande
Seiji Miyazono, Allison A. Pease, Sarah Fritts, Timothy B. Grabowski
2020, Environmental Biology of Fishes (103) 1471-1480
Alteration of flow regimes by anthropogenic activities is one of the primary environmental problems in riverine systems. Understanding how hydrologic conditions can affect ontogenetic habitat shifts of imperiled fishes is important in order to develop conservation and management strategies for each life-history stage. We examined relationships between the abundance of...
Statistical methods in water resources
Dennis R. Helsel, Robert M. Hirsch, Karen R. Ryberg, Stacey A. Archfield, Edward J. Gilroy
2020, Techniques and Methods 4-A3
This text began as a collection of class notes for a course on applied statistical methods for hydrologists taught at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Training Center. Course material was formalized and organized into a textbook, first published in 1992 by Elsevier as part of their Studies in Environmental...
Water resources in the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal jurisdictional area, west-central Oklahoma, with an analysis of data gaps through 2015
Carol Becker, Matthew S. Varonka
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5105
This report provides an overview of existing hydrologic information describing the quality, quantity, and extent of the major surface-water and groundwater resources in the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal jurisdictional area, west-central Oklahoma. Hydrologic information is provided for five major river systems (Cimarron River, North Canadian River, Canadian River, Washita River,...
