Development of a submerged aquatic vegetation growth model in the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere–Wave–Sediment Transport (COAWST v3.4) model
Tarandeep S. Kalra, Neil K. Ganju, Jeremy M. Testa
2020, Geoscientific Model Development (13) 5211-5228
The coupled biophysical interactions between submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), hydrodynamics (currents and waves), sediment dynamics, and nutrient cycling have long been of interest in estuarine environments. Recent observational studies have addressed feedbacks between SAV meadows and their role in modifying current velocity, sedimentation, and nutrient cycling. To represent these dynamic...
Seasonality of biological and physical systems as indicators of climatic variation and change
Jake Weltzin, Julio L. Betancourt, Benjamin I. Cook, Theresa Crimmins, Carolyn Armstrong Enquist, Michael D. Gerst, JE Gross, GM Henebry, RA Hufft, Melissa A. Kenney, John S. Kimball, Bradley C. Reed, SW Running
2020, Climatic Change (163) 1755-1771
Evidence-based responses to climate change by society require operational and sustained information including biophysical indicator systems that provide up-to-date measures of trends and patterns against historical baselines. Two key components linking anthropogenic climate change to impacts on socio-ecological systems are the periodic inter- and intra-annual variations...
COVID-19 pandemic impacts on global inland fisheries
Gretchen L. Stokes, Abigail Lynch, Benjamin S. Lowe, Simon Funge-Smith, John Valbo-Jorgensen, Samuel J. Smidt
2020, PNAS (117) 29419-29421
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to environmental recovery in some ecosystems from a global “anthropause,” yet such evidence for natural resources with extraction or production value (e.g., fisheries) is limited. This brief report provides a data-driven global snapshot of expert-perceived impacts of COVID-19 on inland fisheries. We distributed an online...
High-frequency data reveal deicing salts drive elevated specific conductance and chloride along with pervasive and frequent exceedances of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency aquatic life criteria for chloride in urban streams
Joel Moore, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Andrew J. Sekellick
2020, Environmental Science and Technology (54) 778-789
Increasing specific conductance (SC) and chloride concentrations [Cl] negatively affect many stream ecosystems. We characterized spatial variability in SC, [Cl], and exceedances of Environmental Protection Agency [Cl] criteria using nearly 30 million high-frequency observations (2–15 min intervals) for SC and modeled...
Ratios of methylmercury to total mercury in predator and primary consumer insects from Adirondack streams in New York State
Karen Riva-Murray
2020, Summary Report 20-32
Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that affects aquatic biota in otherwise pristine settings such as the Adirondack region of New York State. Bioaccumulation of Hg is especially problematic in sensitive landscapes, where inorganic mercury from atmospheric deposition is readily converted, via natural processes, to methylmercury (MeHg), the toxic form...
Mixotrophic iron-oxidizing Thiomonas isolates from an acid mine drainage-affected creek
Denise M. Akob, Michelle Hallenbeck, Felix Beulig, Maria Fabisch, Kirsten Kusel, Jessica L Keffer, Tanja Woyke, Nicole Shapiro, Alla Lapidus, Hans-Peter Klenk, Clara Chan
Shuang-Jiang Liu, editor(s)
2020, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (86)
Natural attenuation of heavy metals occurs via coupled microbial iron cycling and metal precipitation in creeks impacted by acid mine drainage (AMD). Here, we describe the isolation, characterization, and genomic sequencing of two iron-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) species: Thiomonas ferrovorans FB-6 and Thiomonas metallidurans FB-Cd, isolated from slightly acidic...
Winter versus summer habitat selection in a threatened ground squirrel
Amanda R. Goldberg, Courtney J. Conway, Diane Evans Mack, Greg Burak
2020, Journal of Wildlife Management (84) 1548-1559
Hibernation is a strategy many species employ to survive periods of thermal stress or resource shortage (e.g., harsh thermal conditions, food limitations) and habitat requirements of hibernating species may differ between summer (the active season) and winter (during hibernation). Accounting for seasonal differences in habitat affinities...
Brown Bear (Ursus arctos; North America)
Mark A. Haroldson, Melanie Clapham, Cecily M. Costello, Kerry A. Gunther, Kate Kendall, Sterling Miller, Karine Pigeon, Michael F. Proctor, Karyn D. Rode, Christopher Servheen, Gordon Stenhouse, Frank T. van Manen
2020, Book chapter, Bears of the world: Ecology, conservation and management
This chapter comprises the following sections: names, taxonomy, subspecies and distribution, descriptive notes, habitat, movements and home range, activity patterns, feeding ecology, reproduction and growth, behavior, parasites and diseases, status in the wild, and status in captivity....
Ecological and social dimensions of sloth bear conservation in Sri Lanka
Shyamala Ratnayeke, Frank T. van Manen
2020, Book chapter, Bears of the world: Ecology, conservation and management
Balancing the needs of humans and wildlife in Sri Lanka presents enormous socioeconomic and conservation challenges. Sloth bears are legally protected, but attacks on humans generate intense fear, which increases the potential for human-caused bear mortality and local extirpation of bears. In this chapter, what is known about the ecology...
Wildfire and Earth surface processes
Paul M Santi, Francis K. Rengers
2020, Book chapter, Reference module in earth systems and environmental sciences
Wildfire is a worldwide phenomenon that is expected to increase in extent and severity in the future, due to fuel accumulations, shifting land management practices, and climate change. It immediately affects the landscape by removing vegetation, depositing ash, influencing water-repellent soil...
Council monitoring and assessment program (CMAP): A framework for using the monitoring program inventory to conduct gap assessments for the Gulf of Mexico Region
Julie Bosch, Heidi B Burkart, Bogdan Chivoiu, Randy Clark, Chris Clement, Nicholas Enwright, Steve Giordano, Chris Jeffrey, Ed Johnson, Rheannon Hart, Sarah D Hile, Jacob S Howell, Claudia Laurenzano, Michael Lee, Terrance McCloskey, Terry McTigue, Michelle B Meyers, Katie E Miller, Scott Mize, Mark E. Monaco, Kevin Owen, Richard Rebich, Samuel H. Rendon, Ali Robertson, Thomas Sample, Kelly Marie Sanks, Gregory Steyer, Kevin Suir, Christopher M. Swarzenski, Hana Rose Thurman
2020, NOAA Technical Memorandum 284
Executive Summary Under the Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act), the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council or Council) is required to report on the progress of funded projects and programs. Systematic monitoring of restoration at...
Wetlands in agricultural landscapes—Significant findings and recent advances from CEAP-Wetlands
David M. Mushet, William R. Effland
2020, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (75)
The Wetlands Component of the USDA's Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP-Wetlands) is a multi-agency effort advancing science related to quantifying and interpreting effects and effectiveness of conservation practices and programs on ecosystem services provided by wetlands in agricultural landscapes. This special section originated from a symposium...
Upper Mississippi River system weighted wind fetch analysis (1989, 2000, 2010/2011)
Jason J. Rohweder, James T. Rogala
2020, Report
Wind fetch is defined as the unobstructed distance that wind can travel over water in a constant direction. Fetches are limited by landforms surrounding the body of water. Fetch is an important characteristic of open water because longer fetches can result in larger wind-generated waves. The larger waves, in turn,...
Thamnophis elegans--Terrestrial gartersnake
Charles A. Drost
2020, Book chapter, Snakes of Arizona
No abtract available....
Lampropeltis californiae—California kingsnake
Charles A. Drost
2020, Book chapter, Snakes of Arizona
No abstract available....
Lampropeltis splendida—Desert kingsnake
Charles A. Drost
2020, Book chapter, Snakes of Arizona
No abstract available....
Coluber constrictor-North American racer
Trevor Persons, Charles A. Drost
2020, Book chapter, Snakes of Arizona
No abstract available....
Using hair cortisol to assess physiological stress in Alaska polar bears
George M. Durner
2020, Report
The concentration of cortisol in hair (HCC) of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) may provide a retrospective view of physiological stress they experience and a link to their response to environmental change. To understand this relationship, we assayed HCC from polar bears captured in the Alaska Beaufort, Bering and Chukchi...
On the robustness of annual daily precipitation maxima estimates over Monsoon Asia
Phuong-Loan Nguyen, Margot Bador, Lisa Alexander, Todd P. Lane, Chris Funk
2020, Frontiers in Climate Services (2)
Understanding precipitation extremes over Monsoon Asia is vital for water resource management and hazard mitigation, but there are many gaps and uncertainties in observations in this region. To better understand observational uncertainties, this study uses a high-resolution validation dataset to assess the consistency of the representation of annual daily precipitation...
Characterizing spatiotemporal patterns of crop phenology across North America during 2000–2016 using satellite imagery and agricultural survey data
Yanjun Yang, Wei Ren, Bo Tao, Lei Ji, Liang Liang, Alex C. Ruran, J. B. Fisher, Jiangui Liu, Michael Sama, Zhe Li, Qingjiu Tian
2020, ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (170) 156-173
Crop phenology represents an integrative indicator of climate change and plays a vital role in terrestrial carbon dynamics and sustainable agricultural development. However, spatiotemporal variations of crop phenology remain unclear at large scales. This knowledge gap has hindered our ability to...
Farmer behavior under groundwater management scenarios: Implications for groundwater conservation in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain
Mustapha Alhassan, Emily Pindilli, Collin B Lawrence
2020, Water Economics and Policy (6)
Concern about sustained availability of fresh groundwater for agricultural use in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP) mounts as groundwater levels decline. We evaluate elasticities of demand for groundwater and other agricultural inputs, as well as overall and output specific economies of scale for four major irrigated commodities (rice, corn, soybeans,...
Quarterly wildlife mortality report October 2020
Bryan J. Richards, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Daniel A. Grear
2020, Newsletter
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) Quarterly Mortality Report provides brief summaries of epizootic mortality and morbidity events by quarter. The write-ups, highlighting epizootic events and other wildlife disease topics of interest, are published in the Wildlife Disease Association quarterly newsletter. A link is provided in this WDA newsletter...
Wind River Subbasin Restoration annual report of U.S. Geological Survey activities January 2019 through December 2019
Ian Jezorek
2020, Report
No abstract available....
Riparian plant communities remain stable in response to a second cycle of Tamarix biocontrol defoliation
Eduardo Gonzalez, Patrick B. Shafroth, Steven R. Lee, Sasha C. Reed, Jayne Belnap
2020, Wetlands (40) 1863-1875
Reduced abundance of non-native Tamarix shrubs in western U.S. riparian systems following biological control by a defoliating beetle has led to concerns that replacement plant communities could be dominated by other invasive species and/or not provide some of the ecosystem services that Tamarix was providing. In previous studies, Tamarix decline following biocontrol...
Geochemical assessment of groundwater in the Big Chino subbasin, Arizona, 2011–18
Kimberly R. Beisner, Casey J. R. Jones
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5094
A geochemical characterization of groundwater in the Big Chino subbasin of Arizona was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Prescott, the Town of Prescott Valley, and the Salt River Project, to understand groundwater evolution through the study area and the source of water to...
