Contrasting geographic patterns of ignition probability and burn severity in the Mojave Desert
Robert C. Klinger, Emma C Underwood, Randy McKinley, Matthew L. Brooks
2021, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (9)
The extent and frequency of fire has increased in many arid systems over the last century, with a large proportion of area in some regions undergoing transitions to novel conditions. Portions of the Mojave Desert in southwestern North America have undergone such transitions, most often from woody to...
Brittle fragmentation by rapid gas separation in a Hawaiian fountain
Atsuko Namiki, Matthew R. Patrick, Michael Manga, Bruce F. Houghton
2021, Nature Geoscience (14) 242-247
Brittle fragmentation, generating small pyroclasts from magma, is a key process determining eruptive style. How low-viscosity magma fragments within a rising fountain in a brittle manner, however, is not well understood. Here we describe a fragmentation process in Hawaiian fountains on the basis of observations from...
Identifying dominant environmental predictors of freshwater wetland methane fluxes across diurnal to seasonal time scales
Sarah Knox, Sheel Bansal, Gavin McNicol, Karina Schafer, Cove Sturtevant, Masahito Ueyama, Alex Valach, Dennis Baldocchi, Kyle B. Delwiche, Ankur R. Desai, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Jinxun Liu, Annalea Lohila, Avni Malhotra, Lulie Melling, William Riley, Benjamin R. K. Runkle, Jessica Turner, Rodrigo Vargas, Qing Zhu, Tuula Alto, Etienne Fluet-Chouinard, Mathias Goeckede, Joe Melton, Oliver Sonnentag, Timo Vesala, Eric Ward, Zhen Zhang, Sarah Feron, Zutao Ouyang, Angela C I Tang, Pavel Alekseychik, Mika Aurela, Gil Bohrer, David I. Campbell, Jiquan Chen, Housen Chu, Higo Dalmagro, Jordan P. Goodrich, Pia Gottschalk, Takashi Hirano, Hiroki Iwata, Gerald Jurasinski, Minseok Kang, Franziska Koebsch, Ivan Mammarella, Mats B. Nilsson, Keisuke Ono, Matthias Peichl, Olli Peltola, Youngryel Ryu, Torsten Sachs, Ayaka Sakabe, Jed Sparks, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, George Vourlitis, Guan X Wong, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Benjamin Poulter, Robert B. Jackson
2021, Global Change Biology (27) 3582-3604
While wetlands are the largest natural source of methane (CH4) to the atmosphere, they represent a large source of uncertainty in the global CH4 budget due to the complex biogeochemical controls on CH4 dynamics. Here we present, to our knowledge, the first multi-site synthesis of how predictors of CH4 fluxes (FCH4) in freshwater...
Effects of long-term cortisol treatment on growth and osmoregulation of Atlantic salmon and brook trout
Luis Vargas-Chacoff, Amy M. Regish, A. Weinstock, B Th Bjornsson, Stephen D. McCormick
2021, General and Comparative Endocrinology (308)
Cortisol is the final product of the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis and acts as a gluco- and mineralo-corticoid in fish. Long-term elevations of cortisol have been linked to reduced growth in fishes, but the mechanism(s) and relative sensitivities of species are still...
Aquatic ecosystem metabolism as a tool in environmental management
Kathi Jo Jankowski, Francine H. Mejia, Joanna Blaszczak, Gordon W. Holtgrieve
2021, WIREs Water (8)
Recent advances in high-frequency environmental sensing and statistical approaches have greatly expanded the breadth of knowledge regarding aquatic ecosystem metabolism - the measurement and interpretation of gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER). Aquatic scientists are poised to take advantage of widely available datasets and freely-available modeling tools to...
Extreme precipitation across adjacent burned and unburned watersheds reveals impacts of low severity wildfire on debris-flow processes
Luke A. McGuire, Ann M. Youberg, Francis K. Rengers, Nathan S. Abramson, Indujaa Ganesh, Alex N. Gorr, Olivia Hoch, Justin C. Johnson, Patt Lamom, Alexander B. Prescott, Jessica Zanetell, Brendan Fenerty
2021, Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface (126)
In steep landscapes, wildfire-induced changes to soil and vegetation can lead to extreme and hazardous geomorphic responses, including debris flows. The wildfire-induced mechanisms that lead to heightened geomorphic responses, however, depend on many site-specific factors including regional climate, vegetation, soil texture, and soil burn severity. As...
GIS object data properties
Dalia E. Varanka
2021, Book chapter, Geographic Information System & Technology Body of Knowledge
Data properties are characteristics of GIS attribute systems and values whose design and format impacts analytical and computational processing. Geospatial data are expressed at conceptual, logical, and physical levels of database abstraction intended to represent geographical information. The appropriate design of attribute systems...
Ongoing (2015-) magma surge in the upper mantle beneath the Island of Hawaiʻi
Matthew Burgess, Diana Roman
2021, Geophysical Research Letters (48)
“Surges” in magma supply from the mantle can lead to significant changes in eruptive behavior, thus their early identification is critical to long-term eruption forecasting. Here, we document and analyze two order-of-magnitude increases in seismicity in the upper mantle beneath southern Hawaiʻi between 2015 and 2020. We interpret the anomalous...
Brood provisioning rates and fledgling behavior of Cordilleran Flycatchers in southwestern Colorado
Abigail J. Darrah, Charles van Riper III
2021, Journal of Field Ornithology (92) 30-42
The behavior of young songbirds after fledging is one of the least understood phases of the breeding cycle, although parental provisioning rates and movement of fledglings are key to understanding life history evolution. We studied Cordilleran Flycatchers (Empidonax occidentalis) at two sites in southwestern Colorado, USA,...
Transcriptome assembly and differential gene expression of the invasive avian malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum in Hawaiʻi
Elin Videvall, Kristina L. Paxton, Michael G. Campana, Loren Cassin-Sackett, Carter T. Atkinson, Robert C. Fleischer
2021, Ecology and Evolution (11) 4935-4944
The malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum (lineage GRW4) was introduced less than a century ago to the native avifauna of Hawaiʻi, where it has since caused major declines of endemic bird populations. One of the native bird species that is frequently infected with GRW4 is the Hawaiʻi ʻamakihi (Chlorodrepanis...
Rapid phenotypic stock identification of Chinook Salmon in recreational fishery management
Alexander J. Jensen, Carl B. Schreck, James Peterson
2021, Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science (13) 99-112
Rapid phenotypic stock identification in mixed-stock fisheries can provide a useful alternative to more time-intensive methods (e.g., coded wire tags, genetics) in assessing harvest and informing management decisions. We leveraged local ecological knowledge, existing stock identification methods, and understanding of life history differences to develop rapid stock identification tools for...
Glacial dust surpasses both volcanic ash and desert dust in its iron fertilization potential
Bess G. Koffman, Meg F. Yoder, Taylor Methven, Lena Hanschka, Helen B. Sears, Patrick L. Saylor, Kristi L. Wallace
2021, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (35)
The subarctic Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea comprise the second-largest high nitrate, low chlorophyll region in the world, where primary production is limited by the availability of iron (Fe). To estimate the potential impact of different terrestrial aerosol Fe sources on marine ecosystems, we performed a suite of laboratory assessments...
Field methods, quality-assurance, and data management plan for water-quality activities and water-level measurements, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Roy C. Bartholomay, Neil V. Maimer, Amy J. Wehnke, Samuel L. Helmuth
2021, Open-File Report 2021-1004
IntroductionWater-quality activities and water-level measurements conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Project Office coincide with the USGS mission of appraising the quantity and quality of the Nation’s water resources. The activities are conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Idaho Operations...
U.S. Geological Survey Arctic ecosystem assessments
John M. Pearce, Caroline R. Van Hemert
2021, Fact Sheet 2021-3016
The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) conducts natural hazard and resource assessments of the Earth’s ecosystems and the response of those ecosystems to environmental change, human activities, and land use. Arctic regions of Alaska are important for cultural and economic sustainability and host a wide variety of wildlife species, many of...
Implications of model selection: A comparison of publicly available, conterminous US-extent hydrologic component estimates
Samuel Saxe, William H. Farmer, Jessica M. Driscoll, Terri S. Hogue
2021, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (25) 1529-1598
Spatiotemporally continuous estimates of the hydrologic cycle are often generated through hydrologic modeling, reanalysis, or remote sensing (RS) methods and are commonly applied as a supplement to, or a substitute for, in situ measurements when observational data are sparse or unavailable. This study compares estimates of precipitation (P), actual...
Mammal species composition and habitat associations in a commercial forest and mixed-plantation landscape
Wai Pak Ng, Frank T. van Manen, Stuart P. Sharp, Siew Te Wong, Shyamala Ratnayeke
2021, Forest Ecology and Management (491)
Commercial forest plantations of fast-growing species have been established globally to meet increasing demands for timber, pulpwood, and other wood products. Industrial plantations may contribute to tropical forest conservation by reducing exploitation of primary and secondary natural forests. Whether such plantations...
Generic relationships of New World Jerusalem crickets (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatoidea: Stenopelmatinae), including all known species of Stenopelmatus
David B Weissman, Amy G. Vandergast, Hojun Song, Seunggwan Shin, Duane D McKenna, Norihiro Ueshima
2021, Zootaxa (4917)
The New World Jerusalem crickets currently consist of 4 genera: Stenopelmatus Burmeister, 1838, with 33 named entities; Ammopelmatus Tinkham, 1965, with 2 described species; Viscainopelmatus Tinkham, 1970, with 1 described species, and Stenopelmatopterus Gorochov, 1988, with 3 described species. We redefine the generic boundaries of these 4 genera, synonymize Stenopelmatopterus under Stenopelmatus, and synonymize Viscainopelmatus under Ammopelmatus. We then discuss, and illustrate, all the types of the species of Stenopelmatus, all of...
The changes in species composition mediate direct effects of climate change on future fire regimes of boreal forests in northeastern China
Chao Huang, Hong S. He, Yu Liang, Todd Hawbaker, Paul D. Henne, Wenru Xu, Peng Gong, Zhiliang Zhu
2021, Journal of Applied Ecology (58) 1336-1345
Direct effects of climate change (i.e. temperature rise, changes in seasonal precipitation, wind patterns and atmospheric stability) affect fire regimes of boreal forests by altering fire behaviour, fire seasons and fuel moisture. Climate change also alters species composition and fuel characteristics, which subsequently alter fire regimes. However, indirect effects...
Gut microbial ecology of the Critically Endangered Fijian crested iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis): Effects of captivity status and host reintroduction on endogenous microbiomes
Samuel J. Eliades, Josehp C. Brown, Timothy J. Colston, Robert N. Fisher, Jone B. Niukula, Kim Gray, Jhabar Vadada, Sia Rasalato, Cameron D. Siler
2021, Ecology and Evolution (11) 4731-4743
Animals often exhibit distinct microbial communities when maintained in captivity as compared to when in the wild. Such differentiation may be significant in headstart and reintroduction programs where individuals spend some time in captivity before release into native habitats. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we (i)...
Rapid-response unsaturated zone hydrology: Small-scale data, small-scale theory, big problems
John R. Nimmo, Kimberlie Perkins, Michelle R. Plampin, Michelle A. Walvoord, Brian A. Ebel, Benjamin B. Mirus
2021, Frontiers in Earth Science (9)
The unsaturated zone (UZ) extends across the Earth’s terrestrial surface and is central to many problems related to land and water resource management. Flow of water through the UZ is typically thought to be slow and diffusive, such that it could attenuate fluxes and dampen variability between atmospheric...
Comparing sample bias correction methods for species distribution modeling using virtual species
Richard D. Inman, Janet Franklin, Todd Esque, Kenneth E. Nussear
2021, Ecosphere (12)
A key assumption in species distribution modeling (SDM) with presence‐background (PB) methods is that sampling of occurrence localities is unbiased and that any sampling bias is proportional to the background distribution of environmental covariates. This assumption is rarely met when SDM practitioners rely on federated museum...
The species–area relationship for a highly fragmented temperate river system
Leon M. Carl, Peter C. Esselman, Beth L Sparks-Jackson, Christopher C. Wilson
2021, Ecosphere (12)
Despite the importance of species–area relationships (SARs) to conservation, SARs in human‐fragmented rivers have received little attention. Our aim was to test for the presence and strength of SARs for littoral fish assemblages of an extensively dammed river in south‐central Ontario, Canada, and to examine long‐running hypotheses for the drivers...
Coastal wetland resilience, accelerated sea-level rise, and the importance of timescale
Torbjorn Tornquist, Donald Cahoon, James A. Morris Jr., John W. Day
2021, AGU Advances (2)
Recent studies have produced conflicting results as to whether coastal wetlands can keep up with present‐day and future sea‐level rise. The stratigraphic record shows that threshold rates for coastal wetland submergence or retreat are lower than what instrumental records suggest, with wetland extent that shrinks considerably under high rates of...
Drivers of methane flux differ between lakes and reservoirs, complicating global upscaling efforts
Bridget Deemer, Meredith A. Holgerson
2021, Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences (126)
Methane is an important greenhouse gas with growing atmospheric concentrations. Freshwater lakes and reservoirs contribute substantially to atmospheric methane concentrations, but the magnitude of this contribution is poorly constrained. Uncertainty stems partially from whether the sites currently sampled represent the global population as well as incomplete knowledge of which environmental...
Evaluation and application of the Purge Analyzer Tool (PAT) to determine in-well flow and purge criteria for sampling monitoring wells at the Stringfellow Superfund site in Jurupa Valley, California, in 2017
Philip T. Harte, Tomas Perina, Kent Becher, Herb Levine, Daewon Rojas-Mickelson, Lesley Walther, Anthony A. Brown
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5140
The U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are developing analytical tools to assess the representativeness of groundwater samples from fractured-rock aquifers. As part of this effort, monitoring wells from the Stringfellow Superfund site in Jurupa Valley in Riverside County, California, approximately 50 miles east of Los Angeles, were...
