Nutrient and suspended-sediment concentrations, loads, and yields in upper Macoupin Creek, Illinois, 2017–21
Luis A. Garcia, Paul J. Terrio, Adam E. Manaster
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2022-5131
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Macoupin County Soil and Water Conservation District and the American Farmland Trust, undertook a monitoring effort from 2017 to 2021 in the upper Macoupin Creek watershed. The monitoring effort was to determine and characterize nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended-sediment concentrations, loads, and yields...
Data summary report: Unregulated contaminants monitoring project
Jane de Lambert, Alycia Overbo, Steve Robertson, Sarah M. Elliott
2023, Report
The Drinking Water Protection Section of the Minnesota Department of Health conducted reconnaissance monitoring of selected public water systems in Minnesota. Funding was obtained primarily from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Sampling was conducted in 2019 and 2021. Laboratory analysis of samples was conducted for a variety of...
Vulnerability of estuarine systems in the contiguous United States to water quality change under future climate and land-use
Lise R. Montefiore, Natalie Nelson, Michelle Staudinger, Adam J. Terando
2023, Earth's Future (11)
Changes in climate and land-use and land-cover (LULC) are expected to influence surface water runoff and nutrient characteristics of estuarine watersheds, but the extent to which estuaries are vulnerable to altered nutrient loading under future conditions is poorly understood. The present work aims to address this gap...
Functional stability of vegetation following biocontrol of an invasive riparian shrub
Annie L. Henry, Eduardo Gonzalez-Sargas, Patrick B. Shafroth, Alexander R.B. Goetz, Anna A. Sher
2023, Biological Invasions (25) 1133-1147
Understanding plant community response to environmental change is a crucial aspect of biological conservation and restoration, but species-based approaches are limited in that they do not reveal the underlying mechanisms driving vegetation dynamics. An understanding of trait-environment relationships is particularly important in the case of invasive...
Juvenile salmonid monitoring to assess natural recolonization following removal of Condit Dam on the White Salmon River, Washington, 2016–21
Ian G. Jezorek, Jill M. Hardiman
2023, Open-File Report 2022-1117
Condit Dam was removed from river kilometer (rkm) 5.3 of the White Salmon River, Washington, in 2011 and 2012 after blocking upstream passage of anadromous fish for nearly 100 years. The dam removal opened habitat upstream and improved habitat downstream with addition of cobble and gravel to a reach depauperate...
The water cycle
Hayley R. Corson-Dosch, Cee S. Nell, Rachel E. Volentine, Althea A. Archer, Ellen Bechtel, Jennifer L. Bruce, Nicole Felts, Tara A. Gross, Dianne Lopez-Trujillo, Charlotte E. Riggs, Emily Read
2023, General Information Product 221
An illustrated diagram of the water cycle. This is a modern, updated version of the widely used diagram featured on the USGS Water Science School. Notably, this new water cycle diagram depicts humans and major categories of human water use as key components of the water cycle, in addition to...
National map of focus areas for potential critical mineral resources in the United States
Jane M. Hammarstrom, Douglas C. Kreiner, Connie L. Dicken, Laurel G. Woodruff
2023, Fact Sheet 2023-3007
Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) launched the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) to modernize the surface and subsurface geologic mapping of the United States, with a focus on identifying areas that may have the potential to contain critical mineral resources. EarthMRI can inform strategies to ensure secure and reliable...
The ties that bind the sagebrush biome: Integrating genetic connectivity into range-wide conservation of greater sage-grouse
Todd B. Cross, Jason D. Tack, David E. Naugle, Michael D. Schwartz, Kevin E. Doherty, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Ronald D. Pritchert, Brad C. Fedy
2023, Royal Society Open Science (10)
Conserving genetic connectivity is fundamental to species persistence, yet rarely is made actionable into spatial planning for imperilled species. Climate change and habitat degradation have added urgency to embrace connectivity into networks of protected areas. Our two-step process integrates a network model with a functional connectivity model, to identify population...
Unstructured-grid approach to develop high-fidelity groundwater model to understand groundwater flow and storage responses to excessive groundwater withdrawals in the Southern Hills aquifer system in southeastern Louisiana (USA)
Ye-Hong Chen, Hamid Vahdat-Aboueshagh, Frank T.-C. Tsai, Alyssa Dausman, Michael C. Runge
2023, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies (46)
Study regionThe Southern Hills aquifer system in the Louisiana Capital Area Groundwater Conservation District (CAGCD), USA.Study focusThe Southern Hills aquifer system provides abundant groundwater for public and industrial supplies in the CAGCD. Groundwater depletion, saltwater intrusion, and land subsidence are potential concerns due to prolonged excessive groundwater withdrawals. This study...
Observations of coastal circulation, waves, and sediment transport along West Maui, Hawaiʻi (November 2017– March 2018), and modeling effects of potential watershed restoration on decreasing sediment loads to adjacent coral reefs
Curt D. Storlazzi, Olivia M. Cheriton, Katherine M. Cronin, Luuk H. van der Heijden, Gundula Winter, Kurt J. Rosenberger, Joshua B. Logan, Robert T. McCall
2023, Open-File Report 2022-1121
Terrestrial sediment discharging from watersheds off West Maui, Hawaiʻi, has been documented as a primary stressor to local coral reefs, causing coral reef health to decline. The U.S. Geological Survey acquired and analyzed physical oceanographic and sedimentologic field data off the coast of West Maui to calibrate and validate physics-based,...
Modeling post-wildfire hydrologic response: Review and future directions for applications of physically based distributed simulation
Brian A. Ebel, Zachary M. Shephard, Michelle A. Walvoord, Sheila F. Murphy, Trevor Fuess Partridge, Kimberlie Perkins
2023, Earth's Future (11)
Wildfire is a growing concern as climate shifts. The hydrologic effects of wildfire, which include elevated hazards and changes in water quantity and quality, are increasingly assessed using numerical models. Post-wildfire application of physically based distributed models provides unique insight into the underlying processes that affect water...
Geothermal energy production adversely affects a sensitive indicator species within sagebrush ecosystems in western North America
Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Shawn T. O’Neil, Sarah C. Webster, Shawn Espinosa, Mark A. Ricca, Steven R. Mathews, Michael L. Casazza, David J. Delehanty
2023, Biological Conservation (280)
Growing demand for renewable energy has resulted in expansion of energy infrastructure across sagebrush ecosystems of western North America. Geothermal power is an increasingly popular renewable energy source, especially within remote areas, but little is known about the impacts it may have on local wildlife populations. Investigations are warranted given...
Tracking status and trends in seven key indicators of stream health in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Samuel H. Austin, Matthew J. Cashman, John W. Clune, James E. Colgin, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Kevin P. Krause, Emily H. Majcher, Kelly O. Maloney, Christopher A. Mason, Douglas L. Moyer, Tammy M. Zimmerman
2023, Fact Sheet 2023-3003
“The Bay Connects us, the Bay reflects us” writes Tom Horton in the book “Turning the Tide—Saving the Chesapeake Bay”. The Chesapeake Bay watershed contains the largest estuary in the United States. The watershed stretches north to Cooperstown, New York, south to Lynchburg and Virginia Beach, Virginia, west to Pendleton...
Vulnerability to climate change of managed stocks in the California Current large marine ecosystem
Michelle M McClure, Melissa A. Haltuch, Ellen Willis-Norton, David D. Huff, Elliott L. Hazen, Lisa G. Crozier, Michael G. Jacox, Mark W. Nelson, Kelly S. Andrews, Lewis A. K. Barnett, Aaron M. Berger, Sabrina Beyer, Joe Bizzarro, David A. Boughton, Jason M. Cope, Mark H. Carr, Heidi Dewar, Edward Dick, Dorval Emmanis, Jason B. Dunham, Vladlena Gertseva, Correigh M. Greene, Richard G. Gustafson, Hamel Owen S., Chris J. Harvey, Mark J. Henderson, Chris E. Jordan, Isaac C. Kaplan, Steven T. Lindley, Nathan J. Mantua, Sean E. Matson, Melissa H. Monk, Peter B. Moyle, Colin L Nicol, John Pohl, Ryan R. Rykaczewski, Jameal F. Samhouri, Susan Sogard, Nick Tolimieri, John Wallace, Chantel Wetzel, Steven J. Bograd
2023, Frontiers in Marine Science (10)
Introduction: Understanding how abundance, productivity and distribution of individual species may respond to climate change is a critical first step towards anticipating alterations in marine ecosystem structure and function, as well as developing strategies to adapt to the full range of potential changes.Methods: This study applies the NOAA (National Oceanic and...
Qualitative value of information provides a transparent and repeatable method for identifying critical uncertainty
Michelle L Stantial, Abigail Jean Lawson, Auriel Fournier, Peter J. Kappes, Chelsea S. Kross, Michael C. Runge, Mark S. Woodrey, James E. Lyons
2023, Ecological Applications (33)
Conservation decisions are often made in the face of uncertainty because the urgency to act can preclude delaying management while uncertainty is resolved. In this context, adaptive management is attractive, allowing simultaneous management and learning. An adaptive program design requires the identification of critical uncertainties that impede the choice of...
An examination of soil crusts on the floor of Jezero crater, Mars
E.M. Hausrath, C. T. Adcock, A. Bechtold, P.S.A. Beck, K. Benison, A.J. Brown, E. L. Cardarelli, N. A. Carman, B. Chide, J. Christian, B. C. Clark, E. Cloutis, A. Cousin, O. Forni, Travis S.J. Gabriel, O. Gasnault, M. P. Golombek, F. Gomez, M. H. Hecht, T. L. J. Henley, J. Huidobro, J. C. Johnson, M. W. M. Jones, P. B. Kelemen, A. Knight, J. A. Lasue, S. Le Mouelic, J. M. Madariaga, J. N. Maki, L. Mandon, G. Martinez, J. Martinez-Frias, T. H. McConnochie, P. #NAME? Meslin, M. #NAME? Zorzano, H. Newsom, G. Paar, N. Randazzo, C. Royer, S. Siljestroem, M. E. Schmidt, S. Schroeder, M. A. Sephton, R. Sullivan, N. Turenne, A. Udry, S. VanBommel, A. Vaughan, R. C. Wiens, N. Williams
2023, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (128)
Martian soils are critically important for understanding the history of Mars, past potentially habitable environments, returned samples, and future human exploration. This paper examines soil crusts on the floor of Jezero crater encountered during initial phases of the Mars 2020 mission. Soil surface crusts have been observed...
Spatial and temporal analysis of geologic slip rates, Cucamonga Fault, California, USA: Implications for along-strike applications and multi-fault rupture
Devin McPhillips, Katherine M. Scharer
2023, Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth (128)
To constrain fault processes and hazard, fault slip rates may be extrapolated over different fault lengths or time intervals. Here, we investigate slip rates for the Cucamonga Fault (CF). The CF is located at the junction of the Transverse Range fault system with the San Andreas and...
Low Kirtland’s Warbler fledgling survival in Wisconsin plantations relative to Michigan plantations
Ashley Olah, Christine Ribic, Kim Grveles, Sarah Warner, Davin Lopez, Anna M. Pidgeon
2023, Ornithological Applications (125)
The Kirtland’s Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) is a formerly endangered habitat specialist that breeds mainly in young jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forests in northern Lower Michigan, USA. The species is conservation-reliant and depends on habitat management. Management actions have primarily focused on creating jack pine plantations, but the...
The 2013−2020 seismic activity at Sabancaya Volcano (Peru): Long lasting unrest and eruption
Roger Machacca, P. Lesage, H. Tavera, J.D. Pesicek, C. Caudron, J.L. Torres, N. Puma, K. Vargas, I. Lazarte, M. Rivera, Alain Burgisser
2023, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (435)
Sabancaya volcano is the youngest and second most active volcano in Peru. It is part of the Ampato-Sabancaya volcanic complex which sits to the south of the ancient Hualca Hualca volcano and several frequently active faults, thus resulting in complex volcano-tectonic interactions. After 15 years of repose, in 2013, a...
Pelagic food web interactions in a large invaded ecosystem: Implications for reintroducing a native top predator
Adam G. Hansen, Allison McCoy, Gary P. Thiede, David Beauchamp
2023, Ecology of Freshwater Fish (32) 552-570
A series of species introductions, overexploitation, and habitat modification preceded the extirpation of Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi; LCT), historically the apex predator, from Lake Tahoe, California-Nevada, USA. Studies evaluating limiting factors for LCT emphasise the need to elucidate food web interactions, yet important knowledge gaps regarding trophic interactions among...
Flow–recruitment relationships for Shoal Chub and implications for managing environmental flows
Joshuah S. Perkin, Matthew Ross Acre, Johnathan K. Ellard, Anthony W. Rodger, Joe Trungale, Kirk O. Winemiller, Lauren E. Yancy
2023, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (43) 1260-1275
ObjectiveRegulation of river flow regimes by dams and diversions impacts aquatic biota and ecosystems globally. However, our understanding of the ecological consequences of flow alteration and ecological benefits of flow restoration lags behind our ability to manipulate flows, and there is a need for broader development of...
Predicting probabilities of late summer surface flow presence in a glaciated mountainous headwater region
Kristin Jaeger, Roy Sando, Sarah B. Dunn, Andrew S. Gendaszek
2023, Hydrological Processes (37)
Accurate mapping of streams that maintain surface flow during annual baseflow periods in mountain headwater streams is important for informing water availability for human consumption and is a fundamental determinant of in-channel conditions for stream-dwelling organisms. Yet accurate mapping that captures local spatial variability and associated local controls on surface...
Survival rates of band-tailed pigeons estimated using passive integrated transponder tags
Daniel P. Collins, Guthrie S. Zimmerman, Scott A. Carleton, William L. Kendall, Christopher L. Coxen
2023, Journal of Wildlife Management (87)
Obtaining survival estimates on the Interior population of band-tailed pigeons (Patagioenas fasciata) is challenging because they are trap shy, but the joint use of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and bands is a potential solution. We investigated the use of PIT tags to passively recapture...
Conservation genomics reveals low connectivity among populations of threatened roseate terns (Sterna dougallii) in the Atlantic Basin
Paige A. Byerly, R. Terry Chesser, Robert C. Fleischer, Nancy McInerney, Natalia Przelomska, Paul S Leberg
2023, Conservation Genetics (24) 331-345
While the effects of barriers to dispersal such as population declines, habitat fragmentation, and geographic distance have been well-documented in terrestrial wildlife, factors impeding the dispersal of highly vagile taxa such as seabirds are less well understood. The roseate tern (Sterna dougallii) is a globally...
An evaluation of avian influenza virus whole-genome sequencing approaches using nanopore technology
Hon S. Ip, Sarah Uhm, Mary Lea Killian, Mia K. Torchetti
2023, Microorganisms (11)
As exemplified by the global response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, whole-genome sequencing played an important role in monitoring the evolution of novel viral variants and provided guidance on potential antiviral treatments. The recent rapid and extensive introduction and spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in Europe, North America,...
