Wildfire probability models calibrated using past human and lightning ignition patterns can inform mitigation of post-fire hydrologic hazards
Miguel L. Villarreal, Laura M. Norman, Erika Yao, Caroline Rose Conrad
2022, Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk (13) 568-590
Most wildfires are started by humans, however, geographic variation of potential ignition sources is not often explicitly accounted for in wildfire simulation modelling or risk assessments. In this study, we investigated how patterns of human and lightning ignitions can influence modelled fire simulations and demonstrate how these...
Conflicts among protected native birds and valuable sport fishes: Potential pelican predation effects
Phaedra E. Budy, Gary P. Thiede, Kevin Chapman, Frank P. Howe
2022, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (79) 1361-1376
Reservoirs are examples of novel ecosystems that have developed into popular sport fisheries; these systems are also becoming seasonal refuges for migratory birds, including the piscivorous American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). We (1) investigated the proportion of cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah) and other species consumed by pelicans, (2) compared whether pelicans...
How similar was the 1983 Mw 6.9 Borah Peak earthquake rupture to its surface-faulting predecessors along the northern Lost River fault zone (Idaho, USA)?
Christopher DuRoss, Richard W. Briggs, Ryan D. Gold, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Austin John Elliott, Jaime Delano, Ivan Medina-Cascales, Harrison J. Gray, Shannon A. Mahan, Sylvia Nicovich, Zachery Lifton, Emily J. Kleber, Greg N. McDonald, Adam Hiscock, Mike Bunds, Nadine G. Reitman
2022, Geological Society of America Bulletin (134) 2767-2789
We excavated trenches at two paleoseismic sites bounding a trans-basin bedrock ridge (the Willow Creek Hills) along the northern Lost River fault zone to explore the uniqueness of the 1983 Mw 6.9 Borah Peak earthquake compared to its prehistoric predecessors. At the Sheep Creek site on the southernmost Warm Springs section, two...
Mapping benthic algae and cyanobacteria in river channels from aerial photographs and satellite images: A proof-of-concept investigation on the Buffalo National River, AR, USA
Carl J. Legleiter, Shawn W Hodges
2022, Remote Sensing (14)
Although rivers are of immense practical, aesthetic, and recreational value, these aquatic habitats are particularly sensitive to environmental changes. Increasingly, changes in streamflow and water quality are resulting in blooms of bottom-attached (benthic) algae, also known as periphyton, which have become widespread in many water bodies of US national parks....
Managing multiple species with conflicting needs in the Greater Everglades
Stephanie Romanach, Saira Haider, Caitlin E. Hackett, Mark McKelvy, Leonard G. Pearlstine
2022, Ecological Indicators (136)
Given limited funding, natural resources decision making is riddled with tradeoffs, including which species or landscapes to prioritize for management action. Florida’s Everglades wetland is home to numerous indicator species, some of which are endangered. But with a multitude of species...
MASTREE+: Time-series of plant reproductive effort from six continents
Andrew Hacket-Pain, Jessie Foest, Ian S. Pearse, Jalene M. LaMontagne, Walter D. Koenig, Giorgio Vacchiano, Michal Bogdziewicz, Thomas Caignard, Paulina Celebias, Joep Van Dormolen, Marcos Fernandez-Martinez, Jose V. Moris, Ciprian Palaghianu, Mario B. Pesendorfer, A. Satake, Eliane Schermer, A. Tanentzap, Peter A. Thomas, Davide Vecchio, Andreas P. Wion, T. Wohlgemuth, Tingting Xue, Katherine Abernethy, Marie-Claire Aravena Acuna, Marcelo Daniel Barrera, Jessica H. Barton, Stan Boutin, Emma R. Bush, Sergio Donoso Calderon, Felipe Carevic, Carolina Volkmer de Castilho, Juan Manuel Cellini, Colin A. Chapman, Hazel Chapman, Francesco Chianucci, Patricia da Costa, Luc Croise, Andrea Cutini, Ben Dantzer, R. Justin DeRose, Jean-Thoussaint Dikangadissi, Edmond Dimoto, Fernanda Lopes da Fonseca, Leonardo Gallo, Georg Gratzer, David F. Greene, Martin A. Hadad, Alejandro Huertas Herrera, Kathryn J. Jeffery, Jill F. Johnstone, Urs Kalbitzer, Wladyslaw Kantorowicz, Christie A. Klimas, Jonathan G. A. Lageard, Jeffrey Lane, Katharina Lapin, Mateusz Ledwon, Abigail C. Leeper, Maria Vanessa Lencinas, Ana Claudia Lira-Guedes, Michael Lordon, Paula Marchelli, Shealyn Marino, Harald Schmidt Van Marle, A. McAdam, Ludovic R. W. Momont, Manuel Nicolas, Lucia Helena de Oliveira Wadt, Parisa Panahi, Guillermo Martinez Pastur, T. Patterson, Pablo Luis Peri, Lukasz Piechnik, Mehdi Pourhashemi, Claudia Espinoza Quezada, Fidel A. Roig, Karen Pena Rojas, Yamina Micaela Rosas, Silvio Schueler, Barbara Seget, Rosina Soler, Michael A. Steele, Monica Toro-Manriquez, Caroline E. G. Tutin, Tharcisse Ukizintambara, Lee White, Biplang Yadok, John L. Willis, Anita Zolles, Magdalena Zywiec, Davide Ascoli
2022, Global Change Biology (28) 3066-3082
Significant gaps remain in understanding the response of plant reproduction to environmental change. This is partly because measuring reproduction in long-lived plants requires direct observation over many years and such datasets have rarely been made publicly available. Here we introduce MASTREE+, a data set that collates reproductive time-series data from...
Genomically diverse carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae from wild birds provide insight into global patterns of spatiotemporal dissemination
Christina Ahlstrom, Hanna Woksepp, Linus Sandegren, Mashkoor Mohsin, Badrul Hasan, Denys Muzyka, Jorge Hernandez, Filip Aguirre, Atalay Tok, Jan Soderman, Bjorn Olsen, Andrew M. Ramey, Jonas Bonnedahl
2022, Science of the Total Environment (824)
Carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are a threat to public health globally, yet the role of the environment in the epidemiology of CRE remains elusive. Given that wild birds can acquire CRE, likely from foraging in anthropogenically impacted areas, and may aid in the maintenance and dissemination...
Quantitative meta-analysis reveals no association between mercury contamination and body condition in birds
Alice Carravieri, Orsolya Vincze, Paco Bustamante, Josh T. Ackerman, Evan M. Adams, Frederic Angelier, Olivier Chastel, Yves Cherel, Olivier Gilg, Elena Golubova, Alexander Kitaysky, Katelyn Luff, Chad L. Seewagen, Hallvard Strom, Alexis P. Will, Glenn Yannic, Mathieu Giraudeau, Jerome Fort
2022, Biological Reviews (97) 1253-1271
Mercury contamination is a major threat to the global environment, and is still increasing in some regions despite international regulations. The methylated form of mercury is hazardous to biota, yet its sublethal effects are difficult to detect in wildlife. Body condition can vary in response to...
Conterminous United States land-cover change (1985-2016): New insights from annual time series
Roger F. Auch, Danika Fay Wellington, Janis L. Taylor, Stephen V. Stehman, Heather J. Tollerud, Jesslyn F. Brown, Thomas Loveland, Bruce Pengra, Josephine Horton, Zhe Zhu, Alemayehu Midekisa, Kristi Sayler, George Z. Xian, Christopher Barnes, Ryan R. Reker
2022, Land (11)
Sample-based estimates augmented by complete coverage land-cover maps were used to estimate area and describe patterns of annual land-cover change across the conterminous United States (CONUS) between 1985 and 2016. Most of the CONUS land cover remained stable in terms of net class change over this time,...
Rocky Mountain Region Science Exchange 2020—EarthMAP and the Colorado River Basin
Anne C. Tillery, Patrick J. Anderson, William J. Andrews, Katharine Dahm, Seth S. Haines, Robert Horton, David O’Leary, Ryan D. Taylor, Kathryn A. Thomas, Alicia A. Torregrosa
2022, Circular 1483
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Rocky Mountain Region (RMR) hosted USGS scientists, managers, program coordinators, and leadership team members for a virtual Science Exchange during September 15–17, 2020. The Science Exchange had 216 registered participants and included 48 talks over the 3-day period. Invited speakers presented information about the novel...
Effects of seasonal hypoxia on macroinvertebrate communities in a small reservoir
David O. Lucchesi, Steven R. Chipps, David A. Schumann
2022, Lakes & Reservoirs (37)
Localized hypoxia can reduce available habitat, restrict movement and limit the abundance of aquatic invertebrates. Cultural eutrophication coupled with the effects of climate change is likely to increase the frequency and extent of hypoxia in aquatic ecosystems, yet little is known about how oxygen gradients in small reservoirs influence spatial...
Hydrologic modification and channel evolution degrades connectivity on the Atchafalaya River floodplain
Daniel Kroes, Charles R Demas, Yvonne A. Allen, Richard Day, Steve W Roberts, Jeff Varisco
2022, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (47) 1790-1807
The Atchafalaya River Basin is the largest remaining forested wetland in the contiguous United States. Since 1960, dredging and channel erosion in the Basin have resulted in changes to the hydrologic connectivity that have not been quantified. Analyses were conducted to determine the hydraulic and geomorphic factors that have changed...
Premature mortality observations among Alaska’s Pacific salmon during record heat and drought in 2019
Vanessa R. von Biela, Christopher J. Sergeant, Michael P. Carey, Zachary Liller, Charles M. Russell, Stephanie Quinn-Davidson, Peter S. Rand, P. A. H. Westley, Christian E. Zimmerman
2022, Fisheries (47) 157-168
Widespread mortality of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. returning to spawn in Alaska coincided with record-breaking air temperatures and prolonged drought in summer 2019. Extreme environmental conditions are expected to happen more frequently with rapid climate change and challenge the notion that Alaska could indefinitely provide abundant, cool freshwater habitat for Pacific salmon....
Potential effects of climate change on snail kites (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) in Florida
Marta P. Lyons, Olivia E. LeDee, Ryan Boyles
2022, Open-File Report 2021-1104-A
The snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus), an endangered, wetland-dependent raptor, is highly sensitive to changes in hydrology. Climate-driven changes in water level will likely affect snail kite populations—altering reproductive success and survival rates. Identifying the mechanisms mediating the direct and indirect effects of climate on snail kite populations and the...
Effects of climate change on fish and wildlife species in the United States
2022, Open-File Report 2021-1104
About this volumeThis U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report provides brief syntheses of the direct and indirect effects of climate change to priority species and ecosystems in the United States. Each chapter focuses on <span class="NormalTextRun SCXW199727287...
Molecular mechanisms of solid bitumen and vitrinite reflectance suppression explored using hydrous pyrolysis of artificial source rock
Margaret M. Sanders, Aaron M. Jubb, Paul C. Hackley, Kenneth E. Peters
2022, Organic Geochemistry (165)
The most commonly used parameter for thermal maturity calibration in basin modelling is mean random vitrinite reflectance (Ro). However, Ro suppression has been noted in samples containing a high proportion of liptinite macerals. This phenomenon has been demonstrated empirically using hydrous...
Integration of vegetation classification with land cover mapping: Lessons from regional mapping efforts in the Americas
Patrick J. Comer, Jon C Hak, Daryn Dockter, Jim Smith
2022, Vegetation Classification and Survey 29-43
Aims: Natural resource management and biodiversity conservation rely on inventories of vegetation that span multiple management or political jurisdictions. However, while remote sensing data and analytical tools have enabled production of maps at increasing spatial resolution and reliability, there are limited examples where national or continental-scaled maps are produced to...
High abundance of a single taxon (amphipods) predicts aquatic macrophyte biodiversity in prairie wetlands
Danelle M. Larson, Demmey DeJong, Michael J. Anteau, Megan J. Fitzpatrick, Breanna R. Keith, Emily G. Schilling, Barry Thoele
2022, Conservation Biology (31) 1073-1093
Conservation programs often aim to protect the abundance of individual species and biodiversity simultaneously. We quantified relations between amphipod densities and aquatic macrophyte (large plants and algae) diversity to test a hypothesis that biodiversity can support high abundance of a single taxonomic group. Amphipods (Gammarus lacustris and Hyalella...
Genetic assignment of fisheries bycatch reveals disproportionate mortality among Alaska Northern Fulmar breeding colonies
Diana S. Baetscher, Jessie Beck, Eric C. Anderson, Kristen Ruegg, Andrew M. Ramey, Scott Hatch, HannahRose M. Nevins, Shannon Fitzgerald, J Carlos Garza
2022, Evolutionary Applications (15) 447-458
Global fisheries kill millions of seabirds annually through bycatch, but little is known about population-level impacts, particularly in species that form metapopulations. U.S. North Pacific groundfish fisheries catch thousands of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii) each year, making fulmars the most frequently caught seabird in federally...
Fishway Entrance Palisade
Kevin Mulligan, Richard Palmer, Brett Towler, Alexander Haro, Bjorn Lake, Marcia Rojas, Elizabeth Lotter
2022, Report
This technical report summarizes the work that was conducted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), along with other project partners, on the Fishway Entrance Palisade (EP), a projected funded through the Department of Energy’s (DOE) funding opportunity titled ‘Innovative Solutions for Fish Passage...
A statistical framework for integrating nonparametric proxy distributions into geological reconstructions of relative sea level
Erica L. Ashe, Nicole S. Khan, Lauren Toth, Andrea Dutton, Robert E. Kopp
2022, Advances in Statistical Climatology, Meteorology and Oceanography (8) 1-29
Robust, proxy-based reconstructions of relative sea-level (RSL) change are critical to distinguishing the processes that drive spatial and temporal sea-level variability. The relationships between individual proxies and RSL can be complex and are often poorly represented by traditional methods that assume Gaussian likelihood distributions. We develop a new statistical framework...
Three Mw ≥ 4.7 earthquakes within the Changning (China) shale gas field ruptured shallow faults intersecting with hydraulic fracturing wells
Shuai Wang, Guoyan Jiang, Xinglin Lei, Andrew J. Barbour, Xibin Tan, Caijun Xu, Xiwei Xu
2022, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (127)
From 2017 to 2019, three destructive earthquakes (27 January 2017 Mw 4.7, 16 December 2018 Mw 5.2, and 3 January 2019 Mw 4.8) occurred in the Changning shale gas field in the southwest Sichuan Basin, China. Previous seismological studies attributed these events to hydraulic fracturing (HF), but were unable to...
Fast rupture of the 2009 Mw 6.9 Canal de Ballenas earthquake in the Gulf of California dynamically triggers seismicity in California
Wenyuan Fan, Ryo Okuwaki, Andrew J. Barbour, Yihe Huang, Guoqing Lin, Elizabeth S. Cochran
2022, Geophysical Journal International (230) 528-541
In the Gulf of California, Mexico, the relative motion across the North America-Pacific boundary is accommodated by a series of marine transform faults and spreading centers. About 40 M>6 earthquakes have occurred in the region since 1960. On 3 August 2009, an Mw 6.9 earthquake occurred near Canal de Ballenas...
Experimental evaluation of predator exclosures on nest, chick, and adult survival of piping plovers
Michael J. Anteau, Rose J. Swift, Mark H. Sherfy, David N. Koons, Kristen S. Ellis, Terry L. Shaffer, Dustin L. Toy, Megan M. Ring
2022, Journal of Wildlife Management (86) 1-21
Species of conservation concern often receive intensive management to improve vital rates and facilitate recovery. Piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) are federally listed in the United States and concerns over nest depredation have prompted widespread use of plover-permeable predator exclosures placed around nests (0.5–2-m radius). While effectiveness of exclosures for improving...
NWTOPT — A hyperparameter optimization approach for selection of environmental model solver settings
Max William Newcomer, Randall J. Hunt
2022, Environmental Modelling and Software (147) 1-7
Hyperparameter optimization approaches were applied to improve performance and accuracy of groundwater flow models. Freely available new software, NWTOPT, is described that uses Tree of Parzen Estimators (TPE) and Random Search algorithms to optimize MODFLOW-NWTs solver settings. We ran 3500 trials on a steady-state and transient model. To quantify the...
