Integrating magnetotellurics, soil gas geochemistry and structural analysis to identify hidden, high enthalpy, extensional geothermal systems
Philip E. Wannamaker, James E Faulds, B. Mack Kennedy, Virginie Maris, Drew L. Siler, Craig Ulrich, Joseph Moore
2019, Conference Paper, Proceedings, 44nd Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering
We applied magnetotellurics (MT), diagnostic structural affiliations, soil gas flux, and fluid geochemistry to assist in identifying hidden, high-enthalpy geothermal systems in extensional regimes of the U.S. Great Basin. We are specifically looking for high-angle, low-resistivity zones and dilatant geologic structures that can carry fluids from magmatic or high-grade metamorphic...
Microclimate influences mangrove freeze damage: Implications for range expansion in response to changing macroclimate
Michael J. Osland, Arik M. Hartmann, Richard H. Day, Michael S. Ross, Courtney T. Hall, Laura C. Feher, William Vervaeke
2019, Estuaries and Coasts (42) 1084-1096
In response to warming winter air temperatures, freeze-sensitive mangrove forests are expected to expand at the expense of freeze-tolerant salt marshes. To better anticipate and prepare for mangrove range expansion, there is a need to advance understanding of the modulating role of microclimate. Here, we synthesized hypotheses regarding the effects...
Hillslope hydrology in global change research and earth system modeling
Ying Fan, Martyn Clark, David M. Lawrence, Sean Swenson, L. E. Band, S. L. Brantley, P. D. Brooks, W. E. Dietrich, A. Flores, G. Grant, J. W. Kirchner, D. S. Mackay, J.J. McDonnell, Paul C. D. Milly, P. L. Sullivan, C. Tague, H. Ajami, N. W. Chaney, A. Hartmann, P. Hazenberg, J. McNamara, J. Pelletier, J. Perket, E. Rouholahnejad-Freund, T. Wagener, X. Zeng, E. Beighley, J. Buzan, M. Huang, B. Livneh, B. P. Mohanty, B. Nijssen, M. Safeeq, C. Shen, W. van Verseveld, J. Volk, D. Yamazaki
2019, Water Resources Research (55) 1737-1772
Earth System Models (ESMs) are essential tools for understanding and predicting global change, but they cannot explicitly resolve hillslope‐scale terrain structures that fundamentally organize water, energy, and biogeochemical stores and fluxes at subgrid scales. Here we bring together hydrologists, Critical Zone scientists, and ESM developers, to explore how hillslope structures...
Spatiotemporal remote sensing of ecosystem change and causation across Alaska
Neal J. Pastick, M. Torre Jorgenson, Scott J. Goetz, Benjamin M. Jones, Bruce K. Wylie, Burke J. Minsley, Hélène Genet, Joseph F. Knight, David K. Swanson, Janet C. Jorgenson
2019, Global Change Biology (25) 1171-1189
Contemporary climate change in Alaska has resulted in amplified rates of press and pulse disturbances that drive ecosystem change with significant consequences for socio‐environmental systems. Despite the vulnerability of Arctic and boreal landscapes to change, little has been done to characterize landscape change and associated drivers across northern high‐latitude ecosystems....
Prediction of ice‐free conditions for a perennially ice‐covered Antarctic lake
Maciej K. Obryk, P. T. Doran, J. C. Priscu
2019, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface (124) 686-694
Although perennially ice‐covered Antarctic lakes have experienced variable ice thicknesses over the past several decades, future ice thickness trends and associated aquatic biological responses under projected global warming remain unknown. Heat stored in the water column in chemically stratified Antarctic lakes that have middepth temperature maxima can significantly influence the...
An improved mechanical owl for efficient capture of nesting raptors
Meghan K. Jensen, Shanti D. Hamburg, Christopher T. Rota, David F. Brinker, Dustin L. Coles, Mark A. Manske, Vincent A. Slabe, Matthew J. Stuber, Amy B. Welsh, Todd E. Katzner
2019, Journal of Raptor Research (53) 14-25
Scientific study of raptors often requires the use of a lure to capture individuals for marking or collecting various data and samples. Live lure owls in the genus Bubo are commonly used with mist nets or dho-gazas to trap nesting raptors, but the use of these live lures presents ethical, logistical, and...
Principles of translational science education
Chris Sutherland, B Padilla, Evan H. Campbell Grant
2019, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (17) 82-84
In a recent special issue in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Enquist et al. (2017) present a welcome streamlining of modern applied ecology emphasizing a collaborative approach to applied ecological research involving resource-managers and scientists to produce actionable science: translational ecology (TE). The authors, including ecologists, social scientists, and conservation professionals, identified six principles...
Factors influencing anuran wetland occupancy in an agricultural landscape
Jennifer E. Swanson, Clay Pierce, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Kelly L. Smalling, Mark W. Vandever, Timothy W. Stewart, Erin L. Muths
2019, Herpetologica (75) 47-56
Habitat disturbance is an important cause of global amphibian declines, with especially strong effects in areas of high agricultural use. Determining the influence of site characteristics on amphibian presence and success is vital to developing effective conservation strategies. We used occupancy analysis to estimate presence of four anuran species at...
Role of recovering river herring population on smallmouth bass diet and growth
Jonathan M. Watson, Stephen M. Coghlan Jr., Joseph D. Zydlewski, Daniel B. Hayes, Daniel S. Stich
2019, Book chapter, Managing centrarchid fisheries in rivers and streams
Fish assemblages in Atlantic coastal rivers have undergone extensive ecological change in the last two and a half centuries due to human influence, including extirpation of many migratory fish species, such as river herring (Alosa spp.) and introduction of nonnative piscivores, notably Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu. Recently, dam removals and...
Adapting a regional water-quality model for local application: A case study for Tennessee, USA
Anne B. Hoos, Sherry H. Wang, Gregory E. Schwarz
2019, Environmental Modelling and Software (115) 187-199
We evaluated whether SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) models calibrated for two adjacent USA regions could be applied at the local scale to support management decisions for streams in Tennessee. Nutrient-source apportionment of load is important for this local-scale application and demands careful consideration of uncertainty in the calibrated coefficients. We used...
Geochemically distinct oil families in the onshore and offshore Santa Maria basins, California
Kenneth E. Peters, Paul G. Lillis, Thomas Lorenson, J. E. Zumberge
2019, AAPG Bulletin (103) 243-271
The purpose of this work is to identify genetic affinities among 48 crude oil samples from the onshore and offshore Santa Maria basins. A total of 21 source-related biomarker and stable carbon isotope ratios among the samples were assessed to assure that they were unaffected by secondary processes. Chemometric analysis...
Lithospheric signature of late Cenozoic extension in electrical resistivity structure of the Rio Grande rift, New Mexico, USA
D. W. Feucht, Paul A. Bedrosian, Anne F Sheehan
2019, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (124) 2331-2351
We present electrical resistivity models of the crust and upper mantle from two‐dimensional (2‐D) inversion of magnetotelluric (MT) data collected in the Rio Grande rift, New Mexico, USA. Previous geophysical studies of the lithosphere beneath the rift identified a low‐velocity zone several hundred kilometers wide, suggesting that the upper mantle...
Satellite-detected forest disturbance forecasts American marten population decline: The case for supportive space-based monitoring
John Clare, Shawn T. McKinney, Erin M. Simons-Legaard, John E. DePue, Cyndy Loftin
2019, Biological Conservation (233) 336-345
Limited monitoring resources often constrain rigorous monitoring practices to species or populations of conservation concern. Insufficient monitoring can induce a tautology as lack of monitoring resources makes it difficult to determine whether a species or population deserves additional monitoring resources. When in-situ monitoring resources are limited, remote habitat monitoring could...
Planetary geologic mapping—Program status and future needs
James A. Skinner Jr., Alexandra E. Huff, Corey M. Fortezzo, Tenielle Gaither, Trent M. Hare, Marc A. Hunter, Holly Buban
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1012
The United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) Planetary Geologic Map Coordination Group (Flagstaff, Ariz.) surveyed planetary geoscience map makers and users to determine the importance, relevance, and usability of such products to their planetary science research and to current and future needs of the planetary science community. This survey was...
Mapping a keystone shrub species, huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum), using seasonal colour change in the Rocky Mountains
Carolyn R. Shores, Nathaniel Mikle, Tabitha A. Graves
2019, International Journal of Remote Sensing (40) 5695-5715
Black huckleberries (Vaccinium membranaceum) provide a critical food resource to many wildlife species, including apex omnivores such as the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), and play an important socioeconomic role for many communities in western North America, especially indigenous peoples. Remote sensing imagery offers the potential for accurate landscape-level mapping of...
Applying concepts of general resilience to large river ecosystems: A case study from the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers
Kristen L. Bouska, Jeffrey N. Houser, Nathan R. De Jager, Molly Van Appledorn, James T. Rogala
2019, Ecological Indicators (101) 1094-1110
Large floodplain-river ecosystems are often highly modified to provide services that society desires, yet these modifications can limit an ecosystem’s ability to adapt to changing conditions. The adaptive capacity of an ecosystem, its general resilience, is a conceptual framework for considering how a system will respond to such changes. We...
Disease‐structured N‐mixture models: A practical guide to model disease dynamics using count data
Graziella V. DiRenzo, Christian Che-Castaldo, Sarah P. Saunders, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Elise F. Zipkin
2019, Ecology and Evolution (9) 899-909
Obtaining inferences on disease dynamics (e.g., host population size, pathogen prevalence, transmission rate, host survival probability) typically requires marking and tracking individuals over time. While multistate mark–recapture models can produce high‐quality inference, these techniques are difficult to employ at large spatial and long temporal scales or in small remnant host...
Catchment-level estimates of nitrogen and phosphorus agricultural use from commercial fertilizer sales for the conterminous United States, 2012
Jana S. Stewart, Gregory E. Schwarz, John W. Brakebill, Stephen D. Preston
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5145
Nutrient inputs from commercial agricultural fertilizer, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, are important factors contributing to the degradation of surface-water quality and the alteration of aquatic ecosystems. Despite this importance, information about the application of fertilizer to agricultural land is not available in a consistent manner across the United States at...
Effects of nest exposure and spring temperatures on golden eagle brood survival: An opportunity for mitigation
Michael N. Kochert, Karen Steenhof, Jessi L. Brown
2019, Journal of Raptor Research (53) 91-97
We examined Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) brood survival in relation to spring temperatures and exposure of nests to afternoon sun in southwestern Idaho from 1970 through 2012. Most (77%) nests classified as shaded in a subset of 96 nests had northwest to east aspects, and most (71%) nests classified as...
Modeling riparian restoration impacts on the hydrologic cycle at the Babacomari Ranch, SE Arizona, USA
Laura M. Norman, James B. Callegary, Laurel Lacher, Natalie R. Wilson, Chloé Fandel, Brandon T. Forbes, Tyson Swetnam
2019, Water (11) 1-20
This paper describes coupling field experiments with surface and groundwater modeling to investigate rangelands of SE Arizona, USA using erosion-control structures to augment shallow and deep aquifer recharge. We collected field data to describe the physical and hydrological properties before and after gabions (caged riprap) were installed in an ephemeral...
Optimizing historic preservation under climate change: Decision support for cultural resource adaptation planning in national parks
Xiao Xiao, Erin Seekamp, Max Post van der Burg, Mitchell J. Eaton, Sandra Fatoric, Allie McCreary
2019, Land Use Policy (83) 379-389
Climate change poses great challenges for cultural resource management, particularly in coastal areas. Cultural resources, such as historic buildings, in coastal areas are vulnerable to climate impacts including inundation, deterioration, and destruction from sea-level rise and storm-related flooding and erosion. However, research that assesses the trade-offs between actions for protecting vulnerable and valuable cultural resources under budgetary constraints is...
Modeling δ18O as an early indicator of regime shift arising from salinity stress in coastal vegetation
Su Yean Teh, Hock Lye Koh, Donald L. DeAngelis, Clifford I. Voss, Leonel da Silveira Lobo Sternberg
2019, Hydrogeology Journal (27) 1257-1276
In many important coastal habitats, a combination of increasing soil salinization due to sea level rise, reduced precipitation and storm surges may induce regime shift from salinity-intolerant glycophytic vegetation to salinity-tolerant halophytic species. Early detection of regime shift due to salinity stress in vegetation may facilitate conservation efforts. It has...
California’s exposure to volcanic hazards
Margaret Mangan, Jessica Ball, Nathan Wood, Jamie L. Jones, Jeff Peters, Nina Abdollahian, Laura Dinitz, Sharon Blankenheim, Johanna Fenton, Cynthia Pridmore
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5159
The potential for damaging earthquakes, landslides, floods, tsunamis, and wildfires is widely recognized in California. The same cannot be said for volcanic eruptions, despite the fact that they occur in the state about as frequently as the largest earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault. At least ten eruptions have taken...
Upgrades to a Fortran program for estimating stream transit losses of reusable water, El Paso and Pueblo Counties, Colorado
Susan J. Colarullo, Lisa D. Miller
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5163
In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority and the Colorado Water Conservation Board, began a study to modernize a Fortran transit-loss accounting program developed by the U.S. Geological Survey to estimate net reusable flows in Fountain and Monument Creeks in El Paso and...
Can’t see the random forest for the decision trees: Selecting predictive models for restoration ecology
David Barnard, Matthew Germino, David S. Pilliod, Robert Arkle, Cara Applestein, Bill Davidson, Matthew Fisk
2019, Restoration Ecology (27) 1053-1063
Improving predictions of restoration outcomes is increasingly important to resource managers for accountability and adaptive management, yet there is limited guidance for selecting a predictive model from the multitude available. The goal of this paper was to identify an optimal predictive framework for restoration ecology using eleven modeling frameworks (including,...
