Evaluating habitat use and relative abundance of Iowa's river otter with harvest data
Bridget A. Nixon, Vince Evelsizer, Robert W. Klaver
2024, Wildlife Society Bulletin (48)
The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) was extirpated from much of the United States in the early 20th century due to habitat loss, pollution of waterways, and overharvesting. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources began a river otter reintroduction effort in 1985, which placed otters in 14 sites across...
Anthropogenic and environmental risk factors of salmonid predation in a tidal freshwater delta
T. Reid Nelson, Brendan Lehman, Nicholas J. Demetras, Lance Takata, Matthew J. Young, Frederick V. Feyrer, Cyril Michel
2024, Freshwater Biology (69) 1494-1510
Water diversions that support agricultural and municipal use result in fish mortality through entrainment and impingement. Additionally, this infrastructure may attract both predators and prey fishes, thereby increasing predation rates and prey mortality near these anthropogenic contact points. The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (the Delta) in California's Central Valley is...
Refuge identification as a climate adaptation strategy to promote fish persistence during drought
Annika W. Walters, Niall G. Clancy, Thomas P. Archdeacon, Songyan Yu, Jane S. Rogosch, E.A. Reiger
2024, Fish and Fisheries (25) 997-1008
Climate change is leading to global increases in extreme events, such as drought, that threaten the persistence of freshwater biodiversity. Identification and management of drought refuges, areas that promote resistance and resilience to drought, will be critical for preserving and recovering aquatic biodiversity in the face of climate change and...
Estimating the benefits of floodplain restoration to juvenile Chinook salmon in the upper San Francisco Estuary, United States, under future climate scenarios
Brock M. Huntsman, Marissa L. Wulff, Noah Knowles, Ted Sommer, Frederick V. Feyrer, Larry R. Brown
2024, Restoration Ecology (32)
Many river systems within the Central Valley of California have been disconnected from their floodplains, hypothesized to be partially responsible for declining Chinook salmon populations (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). The primary floodplain of the system, Yolo By-Pass (known regionally as “Yolo Bypass”), offered an opportunity to examine whether improved connectivity between the...
Winter is not coming: Evaluating impacts of changing winter conditions on coregonine reproductive phenology
Taylor R. Stewart, Juha Karjalainen, Matteo Zucchetta, Chloé Goulon, Orlane Anneville, Mark R. Vinson, Josef Wanzenböck, Jason D. Stockwell
2024, International Journal of Limnology (60)
Fishes in northern latitude lakes are at risk from climate-induced warming because the seasonality in water temperature is degrading, which can change ecosystem properties and the phenology of life-history events. Temperature-dependent embryo development models were developed for a group of cold, stenothermic fishes (Salmonidae Coregoninae) to assess...
U.S. Geological Survey climate science plan—Future research directions
Tamara Wilson, Ryan P. Boyles, Nicole DeCrappeo, Judith Z. Drexler, Kevin D. Kroeger, Rachel A. Loehman, John M. Pearce, Mark P. Waldrop, Peter D. Warwick, Anne M. Wein, Sara L. Zeigler, Beard Jr.
2024, Circular 1526
Executive Summary Climate is the primary driver of environmental change and is a key consideration in defining science priorities conducted across all mission areas in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Recognizing the importance of climate change to its future research agenda, the USGS’s Climate Science Steering Committee requested the development of...
Design, development, and implementation of IsoBank: A centralized repository for isotopic data
Oliver N. Shipley, Anna J. Dabrowski, Gabriel J. Bowen, Brian Hayden, Jonathan N. Pauli, Christopher Jordan, Lesleigh Anderson, Adriana Bailey, Clement P. Bataille, Carla Cicero, Hilary G. Close, Craig Cook, Joseph A. Cook, Ankur R. Desai, Jaivime Evaristo, Tim R. Filley, Christine France, Sora Lee Kim, Sebastian H. Kopf, Julie Loisel, Philip J. Manlick, Jamie M. McFarlin, Bailey C. McMeans, Tamsin C. O’Connel, Brice X. Semmens, Chris Stantis, Paul Szejner, Suzanne E. Pilaar Birch, Annie L. Putman, Craig A. Stricker, Tara L.E. Trammell, Mark D. Uhen, Samantha Weintraub-Leff, Matthew J. Wooller, John W. Williams, Christopher T. Yarnes, Hanna B. Vander Zanden, Seth D. Newsome
2024, PLoS ONE (19)
Stable isotope data have made pivotal contributions to nearly every discipline of the physical and natural sciences. As the generation and application of stable isotope data continues to grow exponentially, so does the need for a unifying data repository to improve accessibility and promote collaborative engagement....
Impacts of wildfire runoff on giant kelp in Malibu, California
Lori A Berberian, Christine M. Lee, Erin L. Hestir, Kyle C. Cavanaugh, Amanda M Lopez, Carmen Blackwood, Dulcinea Marie Avouris
2024, Conference Paper
This study investigates the effects of post-wildfire sediment runoff on giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) populations in Malibu, California, following the 2018 Woolsey Fire. The research utilizes satellite data and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to assess changes in sediment delivery and its correlation with reduced kelp abundance. Findings...
Chloride concentrations in groundwater from the western part of the Southern Hills regional aquifer system, Louisiana, 2021–22
M.A. Lindaman
2024, Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5057
Groundwater is heavily used for public supply and industrial uses in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, area. Lowered water levels resulting from groundwater withdrawals have induced the movement of saltwater towards wells in East Baton Rouge and West Baton Rouge Parishes. Saltwater intrusion has the potential to affect water supply infrastructure,...
Life on land needs fresh water (SDG 15)
Gretchen L. Stokes, Abigail J. Lynch, Samuel J. Smidt, E. Ashley Steel, Scott Dowd, Robert Britton, Xue Bai, Trista Brophy Cerquera, Genaro Guerrero, Jeantel Cheramy, Aaron A. Koning, Fatemeh F. Maghsood, Ashley M. Piccillo, Grace Schuppie
2024, Book chapter, Water matters: Achieving the sustainable development goals
Terrestrial ecosystems, such as forests, and the inland waters within them, such as bogs, floodplains, lakes, rivers, springs, and wetlands, are foundational for life on earth. They provide critical ecosystem services such as carbon storage and sequestration, clean water, primary production, pollination, soil fertility, and erosion control. The human footprint...
Three-dimensional geologic framework model of the Rio San Jose groundwater basin and adjacent areas, New Mexico
Donald S. Sweetkind, Amy E. Galanter
2024, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5038
As part of a U.S. Geological Survey study in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico, and the Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico, a digital three-dimensional geologic framework model was constructed for the Rio San Jose and its surface-water drainage basin in west-central New...
Water-quality monitoring strategy for Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River Estuary, southeastern Massachusetts
David S. Armstrong
2024, Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5049
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), began a study in 2018 to develop a water-quality monitoring strategy (WQMS) for Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River Estuary in southeastern Massachusetts. MassDEP is interested in water-quality data in Mount Hope Bay and the...
Combining storm flood water level and topography to prioritize inter-basin transfer of non-native aquatic species in the United States
Ian Pfingsten, Kristen M. Reaver, Emily Marie Dean, Matthew Neilson, Bogdan Chivoiu, Wesley Daniel
2024, Biological Invasions (26) 4105-4120
Flooded areas can create temporary connections between adjacent drainages and are a relatively understudied pathway for the spread of aquatic invasive species. The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database’s Flood and Storm Tracker maps were developed to help natural resource managers with post-storm aquatic invasive species detection and assessment efforts. As of...
A novel surface energy balance method for thermal inertia studies of terrestrial analogs
Ari Koeppel, Christopher S. Edwards, Lauren A. Edgar, Scott A Nowicki, Kristen A. Bennett, Amber L. Gullikson, Sylvain Piqueux, Helen A. Eifert, Daphne Chapline, A. Deanne Rogers
2024, Earth and Space Science (11)
Surface thermal inertia derived from satellite imagery offers a valuable tool for remotely mapping the physical structure and water content of planetary regolith. Efforts to quantify thermal inertia using surface temperatures on Earth, however, have consistently yielded large uncertainties and suffered from a lack of reproducibility. Unlike dry or airless...
Chronic effects of metal releases from historical mining on threatened crayfish in Madison County Missouri, USA
Ann Allert, Danielle M. Cleveland, Robert J. DiStefano, Mark L. Wildhaber, Leslie K. Lueckenhoff
2024, Ecotoxicology (33) 1096-1121
The Little St. Francis River and its tributaries drain metals-contaminated areas of the Madison County Mines National Priority List Superfund site (MCM) which was designated in 2003 to facilitate remediation of metals contamination within the MCM. One concern for natural resource trustees in the MCM is the potential effects of...
Flooding and dam operations facilitate rapid upstream migrations of native and invasive fish species on a regulated large river
Mark W. Fritts, Daniel Gibson-Reinemer, Douglas Appel, Katharine Lieder, Cody Henderson, Amanda S. Milde, Marybeth K. Brey, James T. Lamer, Dominque Turney, Zachary Witzel, Emily Szott, Grace Loppnow, Joel Stiras, Kayla Zankle, Devon Oliver, John Hoxmeier, Andrea K. Fritts
2024, Scientific Reports (14)
Dams commonly restrict fish movements in large rivers but can also help curtail the spread of invasive species, such as invasive bigheaded carps (Hypophthalmichthys spp). To determine how dams in the upper Mississippi River (UMR) affect large-scale invasive and native fish migrations, we tracked American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) and bigheaded carp...
Streamflow timing and magnitude during snow drought depend on snow drought type and regional hydroclimate
John C. Hammond, Annie L. Putman, Theodore B. Barnhart, Graham A. Sexstone, Gregory J. McCabe, David M. Wolock, Aaron Joseph Heldmyer, Stephanie K. Kampf
2024, Hydrological Sciences Journal
Communities around the world rely on snowmelt to meet water demands, and periods of lower than normal snow accumulation, snow droughts, can decrease water supplies. Leveraging 172 minimally disturbed and seasonally snow-covered watersheds, we developed an approach to examine the effects of cool & dry, warm & dry,...
Current and future potential net greenhouse gas sinks of existing, converted, and restored marsh and mangrove forest habitats
Melissa Millman Baustian, Hoonshin Jung, Bingqing Liu, Leland C. Moss, Madeline R. Foster-Martinez, Christopher R. Esposito, Ioannis Y. Georgiou, Martijn C. Bregman, Diana R. Di Leonardo, Brett McMann, Scott A. Hemmerling, Michael D. Miner
2024, Restoration Ecology (32)
Marsh and mangrove forest habitats are productive at capturing and storing carbon, thus actions to protect and create coastal blue carbon sinks could help mitigate global warming. Dredged material is often used to create coastal habitats and evaluating the carbon impact of placement alternatives...
Modelling effects of flow withdrawal scenarios on riverine and riparian features of the Yampa River in Dinosaur National Monument
Rebecca Diehl, Jonathan M. Friedman
2024, Science Report NPS/SR-2024-178
The National Park Service (NPS) is charged with maintaining natural riverine resources and processes in its parks along the Yampa River and downstream along the Green River. This mission requires information on how proposed water withdrawals would affect resources. We present a methodology that quantifies the impact on natural riverine...
Scale‐dependent population drivers inform avian management in a declining saline lake ecosystem
Aimee M. Van Tatenhove, John Neill, Russell E. Norvell, Erica Francis Stuber, Clark S. Rushing
2024, Ecological Applications (34)
Shrinking saline lakes provide irreplaceable habitat for waterbird species globally. Disentangling the effects of wetland habitat loss from other drivers of waterbird population dynamics is critical for protecting these species in the face of unprecedented changes to saline lake ecosystems, ideally through decision-making frameworks that identify effective management options and...
6PPD & 6PPD-quinone
Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council, Kelly Grant, Tanya Williams, Steven Brauner, Jose Zambrana, Christine Nancarrow, Michael Garland, Dana McCue, Rhea Smith, Rachael F. Lane, Madison Rose Bristol, Sigrida Reinis
2024, Report
No abstract available....
June 2022 floods in the Upper Yellowstone River Basin
Katherine J. Chase, DeAnn Dutton, William B. Hamilton, Seth A. Siefken, Cassidy Vander Voort, Aroscott Whiteman
2024, Fact Sheet 2024-3035
Extraordinary floods surged down the Yellowstone River and its tributaries in northwestern Wyoming and south-central Montana on June 13–15, 2022. During the flood, U.S. Geological Survey staff worked to maintain real-time data from streamgages by making field measurements of streamflow and repairing damaged equipment while communicating the latest streamflow information...
Estimated reductions in phosphorus loads from removal of leaf litter in the Lake Champlain drainage area, Vermont
Jason R. Sorenson, James M. Pease, Jeremy K. Foote, Ann T. Chalmers, David H. Ainley, Clayton J. Williams
2024, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5104
Excess nutrient loading and other factors are driving eutrophication and other negative effects on water-quality conditions in Lake Champlain and other receiving waters in Vermont. Two common best management practices were evaluated to determine how these practices can be optimized by targeting maintenance and operation to align better with seasonally...
U.S. Geological Survey Mississippi River Science Forum—Summary of data and science needs and next steps
John C. Nelson, Richard A. Rebich, Kathi Jo Jankowski, Thea M. Edwards, James H. Larson, Dale M. Robertson, Lori A. Sprague, Sarah M. Stackpoole, Katherine M. Summers, Peter J. Cinotto, Paul H. Rydlund Jr., Christopher J. Churchill, Wesley M. Daniel, Owen P. McKenna, Beth A. Middleton, Jacoby Carter, Stephen B. Hartley, Jeffrey W. Frey, Kelly L. Warner
2024, Open-File Report 2024-1053
The U.S. Geological Survey hosted a Mississippi River Science Forum with Federal agencies; Tribal, State, and local governments located in States that border the Mississippi River; academia; and other interested stakeholders. The purpose of the forum was to share current (2023) science; identify data gaps and areas of concern; and...
Freshwater mussel viromes increase rapidly in diversity and abundance when hosts are released from captivity into the wild
Jordan C. Richard, Tim W. Lane, Rose E. Agbalog, Sarah Colletti, Tiffany Leach, Christopher D. Dunn, Nathan Roy Bollig, Addison R. Plate, Joseph T. Munoz, Eric M. Leis, Susan Knowles, Isaac Standish, Diane L. Waller, Tony L. Golberg
2024, Animals (14)
Freshwater mussels create habitat, filter water, and enhance food webs, but they are also among the world’s most imperiled taxa. Conservation efforts largely rely on captive propagation in which mussels are grown in protected aquaculture environments (hatcheries) for later release. Recent evidence has highlighted the importance of pathogens in...
