Integrating animal movement with habitat suitability for estimating dynamic migratory connectivity
Marielle L. van Toor, Bart Kranstauber, Scott H. Newman, Diann J. Prosser, John Y. Takekawa, Georgios Technitis, Robert Weibel, Martin Wikelski, Kamran Safi
2018, Landscape Ecology (33) 879-893
ContextHigh-resolution animal movement data are becoming increasingly available, yet having a multitude of empirical trajectories alone does not allow us to easily predict animal movement. To answer ecological and evolutionary questions at a population level, quantitative estimates of a species’ potential to link patches or populations are of...
Harnessing big data to rethink land heterogeneity in Earth system models
Nathaniel W. Chaney, Marjolein H. J. Van Huijgevoort, Elena Shevliakova, Sergey Malyshev, Paul C. D. Milly, Paul P. G. Gauthier, Benjamin N. Sulman
2018, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (22) 3311-3330
The continual growth in the availability, detail, and wealth of environmental data provides an invaluable asset to improve the characterization of land heterogeneity in Earth system models – a persistent challenge in macroscale models. However, due to the nature of these data (volume and complexity) and computational constraints, these data...
Thresholds and hotspots for shrub restoration following a heterogeneous megafire
Matthew Germino, David Barnard, Bill Davidson, Robert Arkle, David S. Pilliod, Matthew Fisk, Cara Applestein
2018, Landscape Ecology (33) 1177-1194
ContextReestablishing foundational plant species through aerial seeding is an essential yet challenging step for restoring the vast semiarid landscapes impacted by plant invasions and wildfire-regime shifts. A key component of the challenge stems from landscape variability and its effects on plant recovery.ObjectivesWe assessed landscape correlates, thresholds,...
A guide to processing bat acoustic data for the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)
Brian E. Reichert, Cori Lausen, Susan Loeb, Ted Weller, Ryan Allen, Eric Britzke, Tara Hohoff, Jeremy Siemers, Braden Burkholder, Carl Herzog, Michelle Verant
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1068
The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) aims to improve the state of conservation science for all species of bats shared by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. To accomplish this goal, NABat offers guidance and standardized protocols for acoustic monitoring of bats. In this document, “A Guide to Processing...
Bedrock geologic map of the Littleton and Lower Waterford quadrangles, Essex and Caledonia Counties, Vermont, and Grafton County, New Hampshire
Douglas W. Rankin
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1087
The bedrock geologic map of the Littleton and Lower Waterford quadrangles covers an area of approximately 107 square miles (277 square kilometers) north and south of the Connecticut River in east-central Vermont and adjacent New Hampshire. This map was created as part of a larger effort to produce a new...
Preface to the Focus Section on the Collaboratory for the Study of Earthquake Predictability (CSEP): New results and future directions
Andrew J. Michael, Maximillian J. Werner
2018, Seismological Research Letters (89) 1226-1228
The Collaboratory for the Study of Earthquake Predictability (CSEP; Jordan, 2006) carries out fully prospective tests of earthquake forecasts, using fixed and standardized statistical tests and authoritative data sets, to assess the predictive skill of forecast models and to make objective comparisons between models. CSEP conducts...
Multistate models of bigheaded carps in the Illinois River reveal spatial dynamics of invasive species
Alison A. Coulter, Marybeth K. Brey, Matthew Lubejko, Jahn L. Kallis, David P. Coulter, David C. Glover, James E. Garvey, Gregory W. Whitledge
2018, Biological Invasions (20) 3255-3270
Knowledge of the spatial distributions and dispersal characteristics of invasive species is necessary for managing the spread of highly mobile species, such as invasive bigheaded carps (Bighead Carp [Hypophthalmichthys nobilis] and Silver Carp [H. molitrix]). Management of invasive bigheaded carps in the Illinois River has focused...
Reexamination of the subsurface fault structure in the vicinity of the 1989 moment-magnitude-6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake, central California, using steep-reflection, earthquake, and magnetic data
Edward Zhang, Gary S. Fuis, Rufus D. Catchings, Daniel S. Scheirer, Mark Goldman, Klaus Bauer
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1093
We reexamine the geometry of the causative fault structure of the 1989 moment-magnitude-6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake in central California, using seismic-reflection, earthquake-hypocenter, and magnetic data. Our study is prompted by recent interpretations of a two-part dip of the San Andreas Fault (SAF) accompanied by a flower-like structure in the Coachella...
Nonbreeding duck use at Central Flyway National Wildlife Refuges
Kent Andersson, Craig A. Davis, Grant Harris, David A. Haukos
2018, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (9) 45-64
Within the U.S. portion of the Central Flyway, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages waterfowl on numerous individual units (i.e., Refuges) within the National Wildlife Refuge System. Presently, the extent of waterfowl use that Refuges receive and the contribution of Refuges to waterfowl populations (i.e., the proportion of the...
A distributed pipeline for DIDSON data processing
Liling Li, Tyler Danner, Jesse Eickholt, Erin L. McCann, Kevin Pangle, Nicholas S. Johnson
2018, Conference Paper, 2017 IEEE International Conference on Big Data
Technological advances in the field of ecology allow data on ecological systems to be collected at high resolution, both temporally and spatially. Devices such as Dual-frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON) can be deployed in aquatic environments for extended periods and easily generate several terabytes of underwater surveillance data which may need...
Characterization of Sea Lamprey stream entry using dual‐frequency identification sonar
Erin L. McCain, Nicholas S. Johnson, Peter J. Hrodey, Kevin L. Pangle
2018, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (147) 514-524
Effective methods to control invasive Sea Lampreys Petromyzon marinus in the Laurentian Great Lakes often rely on knowledge of the timing of the Sea Lamprey spawning migration, which has previously been characterized using data gathered from traps. Most assessment traps are located many kilometers upstream from the river mouth, so less is...
Rapid 3-D analysis of rockfalls
Greg M. Stock, A. Guerin, Nikita N. Avdievitch, Brian D. Collins, Michel Jaboyedoff
2018, GSA Today (28)
Recent fatal and damaging rockfalls in Yosemite National Park indicate the need for rapid response data collection methods to inform public safety and assist with management response. Here we show the use of multiple-platform remote sensing methods to rapidly capture pertinent data needed to inform management and the public...
National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive
John Faundeen, Ryan Longhenry
2018, Fact Sheet 2018-3027
The National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive is managed on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earth Resources Observation and Science Center. The Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992 (51 U.S.C. §601) directed the U.S. Department of the Interior to establish a...
Large-scale variation in density of an aquatic ecosystem indicator species
Chris Sutherland, Angela K. Fuller, J. Andrew Royle, Matthew P. Hare, Sean Madden
2018, Scientific Reports (8) 1-10
Monitoring indicator species is a pragmatic approach to natural resource assessments, especially when the link between the indicator species and ecosystem state is well justified. However, conducting ecosystem assessments over representative spatial scales that are insensitive to local heterogeneity is challenging. We examine the link between polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination...
Looking beyond wildlife: Using remote cameras to evaluate accuracy of gridded snow data
Alexej P.K. Siren, Marcelo Somos-Valenzuela, Catherine Callahan, Jillian R. Kilborn, Timothy Duclos, Cassie Tragert, Toni Lyn Morelli
2018, Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation (4) 375-386
The use of remote cameras is widespread in wildlife ecology, yet few examples exist of their utility for collecting environmental data. We used a novel camera trap method to evaluate the accuracy of gridded snow data in a mountainous region of the northeastern US. We were specifically interested in assessing...
GIS-based method for estimating surficial groundwater levels in coastal Virginia using limited information
R.D. Johnson, David J. Sample, Kurt J. McCoy
2018, Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering (144) 1-14
In many coastal areas, high water tables are present, complicating installation of some stormwater best management practices (BMPs) that rely on infiltration. Regional estimates of the seasonal high water table (SHWT) often rely on sources such as soil surveys taken over a decade ago; these data are static and do...
Voyageurs National Park: Water-level regulation and effects on water quality and aquatic biology
Victoria G. Christensen, Ryan P. Maki, Jaime F. LeDuc
2018, Conference Paper, World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2018
Following dam installations in the remote Rainy Lake Basin during the early 1900s, water-level fluctuations were considered extreme (1914–1949) compared to more natural conditions. In 1949, the International Joint Commission (IJC), which sets rules governing dam operation on waters shared by the United States and Canada, established the...
Acoustic telemetry observation systems: challenges encountered and overcome in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Charles C. Krueger, Christopher M. Holbrook, Thomas R. Binder, Christopher Vandergoot, Todd A. Hayden, Darryl W. Hondorp, Nancy Nate, Kelli Paige, Stephen Riley, Aaron T. Fisk, Steven J. Cooke
2018, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (75) 1755-1763
The Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS), organized in 2012, aims to advance and improve conservation and management of Great Lakes fishes by providing information on behavior, habitat use, and population dynamics. GLATOS faced challenges during establishment, including a funding agency-imposed urgency to initiate projects, a lack of telemetry...
Ground-nesting great horned owl in Suisun Marsh, California
Shannon Skalos, Matthew J. Falcon, Olivia Wang, Andrea Lynn Mott, Melissa Hunt, Orlando Rocha, Joshua T. Ackerman, Michael L. Casazza, Joshua M. Hull
2018, California Fish and Game (104) 164-172
Great horned owls (Bubo virginianus) are widespread throughout North, Central, and parts of South America (Artuso et al. 2013). Across this range, great horned owls are generalists, occupying a diverse range of habitats including deciduous and coniferous forests, wetlands, and agricultural landscapes. Within these habitats, great horned owls are generally...
Preliminary geologic framework developed for a proposed environmental monitoring study of a deep, unconventional Marcellus Shale drill site, Washington County, Pennsylvania
Robert G. Stamm
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1057
BackgroundIn the fall of 2011, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was afforded an opportunity to participate in an environmental monitoring study of the potential impacts of a deep, unconventional Marcellus Shale hydraulic fracturing site. The drill site of the prospective case study is the “Range Resources MCC Partners L.P. Units...
On the feasibility of real-time mapping of the geoelectric field across North America
Jeffrey J. Love, E. Joshua Rigler, Anna Kelbert, Carol A. Finn, Paul A. Bedrosian, Christopher C. Balch
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1043
A review is given of the present feasibility for accurately mapping geoelectric fields across North America in near-realtime by modeling geomagnetic monitoring and magnetotelluric survey data. Should this capability be successfully developed, it could inform utility companies of magnetic-storm interference on electric-power-grid systems. That real-time mapping of geoelectric fields is...
Flooding alters plant-mediated carbon cycling independently of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations
Scott F. Jones, Camille L. Stagg, Ken W. Krauss, Mark W. Hester
2018, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (123) 1976-1987
Plant‐mediated processes determine carbon (C) cycling and storage in many ecosystems; how plant‐associated processes may be altered by climate‐induced changes in environmental drivers is therefore an essential question for understanding global C cycling. In this study, we hypothesize that environmental alterations associated with near‐term climate change can exert strong control...
Water-quality observations of the San Antonio segment of the Edwards aquifer, Texas, with an emphasis on processes influencing nutrient and pesticide geochemistry and factors affecting aquifer vulnerability, 2010–16
Stephen P. Opsahl, MaryLynn Musgrove, Barbara Mahler, Rebecca B. Lambert
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5060
As questions regarding the influence of increasing urbanization on water quality in the Edwards aquifer are raised, a better understanding of the sources, fate, and transport of compounds of concern in the aquifer—in particular, nutrients and pesticides—is needed to improve water management decision-making capabilities. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation...
Three visualization approaches for communicating and exploring PIT tag data
Benjamin H. Letcher, Jeffrey D. Walker, Matthew O'Donnell, Andrew R. Whiteley, Keith Nislow, Jason Coombs
2018, Fisheries (43) 241-248
As the number, size and complexity of ecological datasets has increased, narrative and interactive raw data visualizations have emerged as important tools for exploring and understanding these large datasets. As a demonstration, we developed three visualizations to communicate and explore passive integrated transponder tag data from two long-term field studies....
2017 National Park visitor spending effects : Economic contributions to local communities, states, and the Nation
Catherine M. Cullinane Thomas, Lynne Koontz, Egan Cornachione
2018, Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NRSS/EQD/NRR—2018/1616
The National Park Service (NPS) manages the Nation’s most iconic destinations that attract millions of visitors from across the Nation and around the world. Trip-related spending by NPS visitors generates and supports a considerable amount of economic activity within park gateway communities. This economic effects analysis measures how NPS visitor...
