Snow sublimation in mountain environments and its sensitivity to forest disturbance and climate warming
Graham A. Sexstone, David W. Clow, Steven R. Fassnacht, Glen E. Liston, Christopher A. Hiemstra, John F. Knowles, Colin A. Penn
2018, Water Resources Research (54) 1191-1211
Snow sublimation is an important component of the snow mass balance, but the spatial and temporal variability of this process is not well understood in mountain environments. This study combines a process‐based snow model (SnowModel) with eddy covariance (EC) measurements to investigate (1) the spatio‐temporal variability of simulated snow sublimation...
Regional variability of nitrate fluxes in the unsaturated zone and groundwater, Wisconsin, USA
Christopher T. Green, Lixia Liao, Bernard T. Nolan, Paul F. Juckem, Christopher L. Shope, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Bryant C. Jurgens
2018, Water Resources Research (54) 301-322
Process-based modeling of regional NO3− fluxes to groundwater is critical for understanding and managing water quality, but the complexity of NO3− reactive transport processes make implementation a challenge. This study introduces a regional vertical flux method (VFM) for efficient estimation of reactive transport of NO3− in the vadose zone and...
Maturity of nearby faults influences seismic hazard from hydraulic fracturing
Maria Kozlowska, Michael R. Brudzinski, Paul A. Friberg, Robert J. Skoumal, Nicholas Baxter, Brian S. Currie
2018, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (115) E1720-E1729
Understanding the causes of human-induced earthquakes is paramount to reducing societal risk. We investigated five cases of seismicity associated with hydraulic fracturing (HF) in Ohio since 2013 that, because of their isolation from other injection activities, provide an ideal setting for studying the relations between high-pressure...
The Colorado River and its deposits downstream from Grand Canyon in Arizona, California, and Nevada
Ryan S. Crow, Debra L. Block, Tracey J. Felger, Kyle House, Philip A. Pearthree, Brian F. Gootee, Ann M. Youberg, Keith A. Howard, L. Sue Beard
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1005
Understanding the evolution of the Colorado River system has direct implications for (1) the processes and timing of continental-scale river system integration, (2) the formation of iconic landscapes like those in and around Grand Canyon, and (3) the availability of groundwater resources. Spatial patterns in the position and type of...
Hydrogeophysics at societally relevant scales: Airborne electromagnetic applications and model structural uncertainty quantification
Burke J. Minsley, Nathan Leon Foks, Wade Kress, James R. Rigby
2018, Conference Paper, SEG technical program expanded abstracts 2018
There is a critical and growing need for information about subsurface geological properties and processes over sufficiently large areas that can inform key scientific and societal studies. Airborne geophysical methods fill a unique role in Earth observation because of their ability to detect deep subsurface properties at regional scales and...
Geomorphic identification of physical habitat features in a large, altered river system
L. Guertault, G. Fox, Shannon K. Brewer
2018, Conference Paper, River flow 2018 - Ninth international conference on fluvial hydraulics
Altered flow regimes in streams can significantly affect ecosystems and disturb ecological processes, leading to species loss and extinction. Many river management projects use stream classification and habitat assessment approaches to design practical solutions to reverse or mitigate adverse effects of flow regime alteration on stream systems. The objective of...
Development of a species status assessment process for decisions under the U.S. Endangered Species Act
David R. Smith, Nathan L. Allan, Conor P. McGowan, Jennifer A. Szymankski, Susan R. Oetker, Heather M. Bell
2018, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (9) 302-320
Decisions under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) require scientific input on the risk that the species will become extinct. A series of critiques on the role of science in ESA decisions have called for improved consistency and transparency in species risk assessments and clear distinctions between science input and...
Case study comparing multiple irrigated land datasets in Arizona and Colorado, USA
Hua Shi, Roger F. Auch, James Vogelmann, Min Feng, Matthew B. Rigge, Gabriel B. Senay, James Verdin
2018, Journal of American Water Resources Association (54) 505-526
While there are currently a number of irrigated land datasets available for the western United States (U.S.), there is uncertainty regarding in how they relate to each other. To help understand the characteristics of available irrigated datasets, we compared (1) the Cropland Data Layer (CDL), (2)...
Satellite psychrometric formulation of the operational simplified surface energy balance (SSEBop) model for quantifying and mapping evapotranspiration
Gabriel B. Senay
2018, Applied Engineering in Agriculture (34) 555-566
Remote sensing-based evapotranspiration (ET) can be derived using various methods, from soil moisture accounting to vegetation-index based approaches to simple and complex surface energy balance techniques. Due to the complexity of fully representing and parameterizing ET sub-processes, different models tend to diverge in their estimations. However, most models appear to...
Euler-vector clustering of GPS velocities defines microplate geometry in southwest Japan
James C. Savage
2018, JGR Solid Earth (123) 1954-1968
I have used Euler-vector clustering to assign 469 GEONET stations in southwest Japan to k clusters (k = 2, 3,..., 9) so that, for any k, the velocities of stations within each cluster are most consistent with rigid-block motion on a sphere. That is, I attempt to explain the raw (i.e., uncorrected for strain accumulation),...
Unifying concepts linking dissolved organic matter composition to persistence in aquatic ecosystems
Anne M. Kellerman, Francois Guillemette, David C. Podgorski, George R. Aiken, Kenna D. Butler, Robert G. M. Spencer
2018, Environmental Science & Technology (52) 2538-2548
The link between composition and reactivity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) is central to understanding the role aquatic systems play in the global carbon cycle; yet, unifying concepts driving molecular composition have yet to be established. We characterized 37 DOM isolates from diverse aquatic ecosystems, including their stable and radiocarbon...
Remote sensing and modeling to fill the “gap” in missing natural capital
Kenneth J. Bagstad, Simon Willcock, Glenn-Marie Lange
2018, Book chapter, The changing wealth of nations 2018 : Building a sustainable future
This chapter reviews recent advances in remote sensing and environmental modeling that address the first step in ecosystem accounting: biophysical quantification of ecosystem services. The chapter focuses on those ecosystem services in which the most rapid advances are likely, including crop pollination, sediment regulation, carbon sequestration and storage, and coastal...
Potential for western US seasonal snowpack prediction
Sarah B. Kapnick, Xiaosong Yang, Gabriel A. Vecchi, Thomas L. Delworth, Rich Gudgel, Sergey Malyshev, Paul C. D. Milly, Elena Shevliakova, Seth Underwood, Steven A. Margulis
2018, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (115) 1180-1185
Western US snowpack—snow that accumulates on the ground in the mountains—plays a critical role in regional hydroclimate and water supply, with 80% of snowmelt runoff being used for agriculture. While climate projections provide estimates of snowpack loss by the end of th ecentury and weather forecasts provide predictions of weather...
Patterns of circulating corticosterone in a population of rattlesnakes afflicted with snake fungal disease: Stress hormones as a potential mediator of seasonal cycles in disease severity and outcomes
Craig M. Lind, Ignacio T. Moore, Caglar Akcay, Ben J. Vernasco, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Terence M. Farrell
2018, Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (91) 765-775
Snake fungal disease (SFD) is an emerging threat to snake populations in the United States. Fungal pathogens are often associated with a physiological stress response mediated by the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA), and afflicted individuals may incur steep coping costs. The severity of SFD can vary seasonally; however, little is known...
A surrogate regression approach for computing continuous loads for the tributary nutrient and sediment monitoring program on the Great Lakes
Dale M. Robertson, Laura E. Hubbard, David L. Lorenz, Daniel J. Sullivan
2018, Journal of Great Lakes Research (44) 26-42
Water quality (WQ) in many Great Lake tributaries has been degraded (increased nutrient and sediment concentrations) due to changes in their watersheds, resulting in downstream eutrophication. As part of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, specific goals were established for loading of specific constituents (e.g., phosphorus)....
High‐elevation evapotranspiration estimates during drought: Using streamflow and NASA Airborne Snow Observatory SWE observations to vlose the upper Tuolumne River Basin eater balance
Brian Henn, Thomas H. Painter, Kathryn J. Bormann, Bruce McGurk, Alan L. Flint, Lorraine E. Flint, Vince White, Jessica D. Lundquist
2018, Water Resources Research (54) 746-766
Hydrologic variables such as evapotranspiration (ET) and soil water storage are difficult to observe across spatial scales in complex terrain. Streamflow and lidar‐derived snow observations provide information about distributed hydrologic processes such as snowmelt, infiltration, and storage. We use a distributed streamflow data set across eight basins in the upper...
Life‐history tradeoffs revealed by seasonal declines in reproductive traits of Arctic‐breeding shorebirds
Emily L. Weiser, Stephen C. Brown, Richard B. Lanctot, H. River Gates, Kenneth F. Abraham, Rebecca L. Bentzen, Joël Bêty, Rodney W. Brook, Megan L. Boldenow, Tyrone F. Donnelly, Willow B. English, Scott A. Flemming, Samantha E. Franks, H. Grant Gilchrist, Marie-Andree Giroux, Andrew C. Johnson, Lisa V. Kennedy, Laura Koloski, Eunbi Kwon, Jean-François Lamarre, David B. Lank, Nicolas Lecomte, Joseph R. Liebezeit, Laura McKinnon, Erica Nol, Johanna Perz, Jennie Rausch, Martin D. Robards, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Nathan R. Senner, Paul A. Smith, Mikhail Soloviev, Diana V. Solovyeva, David H. Ward, Paul F. Wood, Brett K. Sandercock
2018, Journal of Avian Biology (49) 1-16
Seasonal declines in breeding performance are widespread in wild animals, resulting from temporal changes in environmental conditions or from individual variation. Seasonal declines might drive selection for early breeding, with implications for other stages of the annual cycle. Alternatively, selection on the phenology of nonbreeding stages could constrain timing of...
Monitoring global tree mortality patterns and trends. Report from the VW symposium ‘Crossing scales and disciplines to identify global trends of tree mortality as indicators of forest health’
Henrik Hartmann, Bernhard Schuldt, Tanja G. M. Sanders, Cate Macinnis-Ng, Hans Juergen Boehmer, Craig D. Allen, Andreas Bolte, Thomas W. Crowther, Matthew C. Hansen, Belinda E. Medlyn, Nadine K. Ruehr, William R. L. Anderegg
2018, New Phytologist (217) 948-987
From the 21stto the 23rdJune 2017, the Herrenhausen castle inHannover/Germany hosted a diverse and large crowd with morethan 70 tree physiologists, forest ecologists, forest inventoryexperts, remote-sensing scientists, and vegetation modele rs. Par-ticipants from six continent s and from more...
Poroelastic stress changes associated with primary oil production in the Los Angeles Basin, California
Susan E. Hough, Roger G. Bilham
2018, The Leading Edge (37) 108-116
While recent investigations of induced earthquakes have focused on earthquakes associated with wastewater injection and unconventional recovery methods, the potential for earthquakes to be induced by primary production has long been recognized. We use boundary element methods to quantify the predicted geometry and amplitude of stress and strain changes associated...
Evaluating the “Gradual Entrainment Lake Inverter” (GELI) artificial mixing technology for lake and reservoir management
Colin A Smith, Jordan Read, M Jake Vander Zanden
2018, Land and Reservoir Management (34) 232-243
Thermal stratification is important to the structure and function of lake and reservoir ecosystems. Yet when lakes undergo eutrophication, thermal stratification can exacerbate water quality problems. As a result, lake management has sometimes involved artificial mixing and destratification, though the available technologies are few and costly. It...
Fine-scale heterogeneity drives forest use by spring migrant landbirds across a broad, contiguous forest matrix
Theodore J. Zenzal Jr., Robert J. Smith, David N. Ewert, Robert H. Diehl, Jeffrey J. Buler
2018, Ornithological Applications (120) 166-184
Much of our understanding of en route landbird habitat use comes from research performed at local scales, ignoring effects at larger spatial scales. We used a multiscale approach to investigate stopover habitat use by landbirds using transect surveys in 68 forested sites in southwestern Michigan, USA, during the springs...
Spatial patterns in occupancy and reproduction of Golden Eagles during drought: Prospects for conservation in changing environments
David Wiens, Patrick Kolar, W. Grainger Hunt, Teresa Hunt, Mark R. Fuller, Douglas A. Bell
2018, The Condor (120) 106-124
We used a broad-scale sampling design to investigate spatial patterns in occupancy and breeding success of territorial pairs of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in the Diablo Range, California, USA, during a period of exceptional drought (2014–2016). We surveyed 138 randomly selected sample sites over 4 occasions each year and identified...
Nonbreeding home‐range size and survival of lesser prairie‐chickens
Samantha G. Robinson, David A. Haukos, Reid T. Plumb, Joseph M. Lautenbach, Daniel S. Sullins, John D. Kraft, Jonathan D. Lautenbach, Christian A. Hagen, James C. Pitman
2018, Journal of Wildlife Management (82) 413-423
The lesser prairie‐chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus), a species of conservation concern with uncertain regulatory status, has experienced population declines over the past century. Most research on lesser prairie‐chickens has focused on the breeding season, with little research conducted during the nonbreeding season, a period that exerts a strong influence on demography...
A molecular investigation of soil organic carbon composition across a subalpine catchment
Hsiao-Tieh Hsu, Corey R. Lawrence, Matthew J. Winnick, John R. Bargar, Katharine Maher
2018, Soil Systems (2) 1-23
The dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and turnover are a critical component of the global carbon cycle. Mechanistic models seeking to represent these complex dynamics require detailed SOC compositions, which are currently difficult to characterize quantitatively. Here, we address this challenge by using a novel approach that combines...
Variabilities in probabilistic seismic hazard maps for natural and induced seismicity in the central and eastern United States
S. Mostafa Mousavi, Gregory C. Beroza, Susan M. Hoover
2018, The Leading Edge (37) 141a1-141a9
Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) characterizes ground-motion hazard from earthquakes. Typically, the time horizon of a PSHA forecast is long, but in response to induced seismicity related to hydrocarbon development, the USGS developed one-year PSHA models. In this paper, we present a display of the variability in USGS hazard curves...
