A machine learning approach to developing ground motion models from simulated ground motions
Kyle Withers, Morgan P. Moschetti, Eric M. Thompson
2020, Geophysical Research Letters (47)
We use a machine learning approach to build a ground motion model (GMM) from a synthetic database of ground motions extracted from the Southern California CyberShake study. An artificial neural network is used to find the optimal weights that best fit the target data (without overfitting), with...
Spatial and temporal variations in SO2 and PM2.5 levels around Kīlauea volcano, Hawai'i during 2007–2018
R.C.W. Whitty, E. Ilyinskaya, E. Mason, P.E. Wieser, E. J. Liu, A. Schmidt, T.J. Roberts, M.A. Pfeffer, Barbara Brooks, T.A. Mather, M. Edmonds, Tamar Elias, David J. Schneider, C. Oppenheimer, A. Dybwad, Patricia A. Nadeau, Christoph Kern
2020, Frontiers in Earth Science (8)
Among the hazards posed by volcanoes are the emissions of gases and particles that can affect air quality and damage agriculture and infrastructure. A recent intense episode of volcanic degassing associated with severe impacts on air quality accompanied the 2018 lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption of Kīlauea volcano,...
An experimental study of longitudinal incisional grooves in a mixed bedrock-alluvial channel
Takuya Inoue, Jonathan M. Nelson
2020, Water Resources Research (56)
Natural bedrock rivers have various bedforms created by erosion. Flow‐parallel incisional grooves formed longitudinally in bedrock are one common example of such bedforms. Although several studies have been conducted regarding these grooves, their formation processes are not well understood. In this study, we conducted a flume experiment to investigate the...
Preparing for geophysical science on the surface of the moon enabled by Artemis
Nicholas Schmerr, Jacob A. Richardson, R. Ghent, Matt Seigler, Molly Wasser, Patrick Wheeley, D. Buczkowski, Lynne Carter, Chuck Connor, Laura Connor, Jacob E. Bleacher, M. Fouch, D. Baker, T. Hurford, L. Jozwiak, Sarah Kruse, V. Lekic, A. Naids, Ryan Porter, L. Montesi, Derek Richardson, M. Elise Rumpf, J. Sunshine, Norbert Schorghofer, S. Goossens, Nicole Whelley, D. Wyrick, W. Zhu, Ernie Bell, J. DeMartini, D. Coan, D. Akin, Barbara Cohen, E. Mazarico, Clive Neal, M. Panning, Noah Petro, B. Strauss, Renee Weber, T. Glotch, A. Hendrix, A. Parker, Sarah Wright
2020, Report, Artemis III Science Definition Team White Papers
Geophysical methods have been extremely successful in identifying resources on Earth as they provide a means of characterizing and mapping the sub-surface using data gathered on and above the target structures. Geophysics on the Moon will be an important tool for identifying key targets for geological prospecting, scientific sampling, assessing...
Long term persistence of aspen in snowdrift-dependent ecosystems
Alec M Kretchun, Robert M Scheller, Douglas J. Shinneman, B Soderquist, Kaitlin C. Maguire, Timothy E Link, Eva K. Strand
2020, Forest Ecology and Management (462)
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) forests throughout the western United States have experienced significant mortality in recent decades, much of which has been influenced by climate variability, especially drought. In the western portion of its range, where most precipitation arrives during winter as snowfall and summers are dry, snowdrifts that persist into the growing season...
Evolving infrasound detections from Bogoslof volcano, Alaska: Insights from atmospheric propagation modeling
Hans Schwaiger, John J. Lyons, Alexandra M. Iezzi, David Fee, Matthew M. Haney
2020, Bulletin of Volcanology (82)
Bogoslof volcano, a back-arc volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian arc, began an eruptive sequence in mid-December 2016 that ended in late August 2017, with 70 individual eruptive episodes. Because there were no local seismic or infrasound stations on the island, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) relied on distant geophysical networks and...
The effects of fire on the thermal environment of sagebrush communities
Christopher R. Anthony, Christian A. Hagen, Katie Dugger, R. Dwayne Elmore
2020, Journal of Thermal Biology (89)
Thermal heterogeneity provides options for organisms during extreme temperatures that can contribute to their fitness. Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) communities exhibit vegetation heterogeneity that creates thermal variation at fine spatial scales. However, fire can change vegetation and thereby variation within the thermal environment...
Characterizing land surface phenology and exotic annual grasses in dryland ecosystems using Landsat and Sentinel-2 data in harmony
Neal Pastick, Devendra Dahal, Bruce K. Wylie, Sujan Parajuli, Stephen P. Boyte, Zhuoting Wu
2020, Remote Sensing (12)
Invasive annual grasses, such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.), have proliferated in dryland ecosystems of the western United States, promoting increased fire activity and reduced biodiversity that can be detrimental to socio-environmental systems. Monitoring exotic annual grass cover and dynamics over large areas requires the use of remote sensing that...
The NASA hydrological forecast system for food and water security applications
Kristi Arsenault, Shraddhanand Shukla, Abheera Hazra, Agusto Getirana, Amy McNally, Sujay Kumar, Randal Koster, Christa Peters-Lidard, Ben Zaitchik, Hamada Badr, Hahn Chul Jung, Bala Narapusetty, Navari, Shugong Wang, David M. Mocko, Chris Funk, Laura Harrison, Gregory J. Husak, Alkhalil Adoum, Gideon Galu, Tamuka Magadzire, Jeanne Roningen, Michael J. Shaw, John Eylander, Karim Bergaoui, Rachael A. McDonnell, James Verdin
2020, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (101) E1007-E1025
Many regions in Africa and the Middle East are vulnerable to drought and to water and food insecurity, motivating agency efforts such as the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) to provide early warning of drought events in the region. Each year these...
Evaluating the mineral commodity supply risk of the U.S. manufacturing sector
Nedal T. Nassar, Jamie Brainard, Andrew L. Gulley, Ross Manley, Grecia R. Matos, Graham W. Lederer, Laurence Bird, David G. Pineault, Elisa Alonso, Joseph Gambogi, Steven M. Fortier
2020, Science Advances (6)
Trade tensions, resource nationalism, and various other factors are increasing concerns regarding the supply reliability of nonfuel mineral commodities. This is especially the case for commodities required for new and emerging technologies ranging from electric vehicles to wind turbines. In this analysis, we utilize a conventional risk-modeling framework to develop...
Seasonal subsurface thaw dynamics of an aufeis feature inferred from geophysical methods
Neil Terry, Elliot Grunewald, Martin A. Briggs, Michael Gooseff, Alexander D. Huryn, M. Andy Kass, Ken Tape, Patrick Hendrickson, John W. Lane Jr.
2020, Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (125)
Aufeis are sheets of ice unique to cold regions that originate from repeated flooding and freezing events during the winter. They have hydrological importance associated with summer flows and possibly winter insulation, but little is known about the seasonal dynamics of the unfrozen sediment layer beneath them. This layer...
U.S. Geological Survey science in support of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)
Brian Reichert, Suzanna C. Soileau
2020, Fact Sheet 2020-3008
Bats make up one-fifth of all mammalian species worldwide and are found on every continent except Antarctica. They contribute to overall ecosystem health by suppressing pest insects and pollinating plants and spreading seeds. Eight North American bat species are listed as federally endangered or threatened, and more than one-half are...
Assessment of soil and water resources in the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, New Mexico
Johanna M. Blake, Aurelia C. Mitchell, Zachary M. Shephard, Grady Ball, Shaleene Chavarria, Kyle R. Douglas-Mankin
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5142
The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument (Monument) in southern New Mexico was established in 2014. Given anticipated future demands in the Monument for recreation, livestock grazing, and maintenance of rights-of-way (for example, pipelines and powerlines), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) needs a better understanding of the current soil and...
Final project memorandum: Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center Project
Michael Osland, Renee C. Collini
2020, Report
Low-lying public lands along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast are vulnerable to sea-level rise. Coastal planners and resource managers in the region have requested customized information that can be used to concisely communicate local sea-level rise scenarios and identify potential impacts to the missions of management agencies.In this project,...
Editorial: Contributions of behavior and physiology to conservation biology
Caitlin R Gabor, Susan C. Walls
2020, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (8)
Conservation biology is a rapidly evolving discipline, with its synthetic, multidisciplinary framework expanding extensively in recent years. Seemingly disparate disciplines, such as behavior and physiology, are being integrated into this discipline's growing portfolio, resulting in diverse tools that can help develop conservation solutions. Behavior and physiology have traditionally been considered...
A call for global action to conserve native trout in the 21st century and beyond
Daniel C. Dauwalter, Antonino Duchi, John Epifanio, A.J. Gandolfi, Robert E. Gresswell, Francis Juanes, Jeffrey L. Kershner, Javier Lobon-Cervia, Philip McGinnity, Andreas Meraner, Pavel Mikheev, Kentaro Morita, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Kurt Pinter, John Post, Gunther Unfer, Leif Asbjørn Vøllestad, Jack E. Williams
2020, Ecology of Freshwater Fish (29) 429-432
Trout and char (hereafter, trout ) represent some of the more culturally, economically and ecologically important taxa of freshwater fishes worldwide (Kershner, Williams, Gresswell, & Lobón‐Cerviá, 2019a). Native to all continents in the Northern Hemisphere (as well as western Mediterranean Africa), trout belong to seven genera (Oncorhynchus , Salvelinus, Salmo , Hucho, Parahucho, Brachymystax and Salvethymus ), which are distributed...
Broad-scale impacts of an invasive native predator on a sensitive native prey species within the shifting avian community of the North American Great Basin
Peter S. Coates, Shawn O'Neil, Brianne E. Brussee, Mark A. Ricca, Pat J. Jackson, Jonathan B. Dinkins, Kristy B. Howe, Ann M. Moser, Lee J. Foster, David J Delahunty
2020, Biological Conservation (243)
Human enterprise has modified ecosystem processes through direct and indirect alteration of native predators’ distribution and abundance. For example, human activities subsidize food, water, and shelter availability to generalist predators whose subsequent increased abundance impacts lower trophic-level prey species. The common raven (Corvus corax; hereafter, raven) is an avian predator,...
Assessment of population genetics and climatic variability can refine climate‐informed seed transfer guidelines
Robert Massatti, Robert K. Shriver, Daniel E. Winkler, Bryce A. Richardson, John B. Bradford
2020, Restoration Ecology (28) 485-493
Restoration guidelines increasingly recognize the importance of genetic attributes in translocating native plant materials (NPMs). However, when species‐specific genetic information is unavailable, seed transfer guidelines use climate‐informed seed transfer zones (CSTZs) as an approximation. While CSTZs may improve how NPMs are developed and/or matched to restoration...
Ichthyophonus sp. Infection in Opaleye (Girella nigricans)
Elise E. B LaDouceur, Judy St. Leger, Alexandria Mena, Ashley MacKenzie, Jacob Gregg, Maureen K. Purcell, William N. Batts, Paul Hershberger
2020, Veterinary Pathology (57) 316-320
Over a 3-year-period, 17 wild-caught opaleye (Girella nigricans) housed in a public display aquarium were found dead without premonitory signs. Grossly, 4 animals had pinpoint brown or black foci on coelomic adipose tissue. Histologically, liver, spleen, heart, and posterior kidney had mesomycetozoan granulomas in all cases; other organs were less...
Local sea level rise information sheets for Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida
Bogdan Chivoiu, Michael J. Osland, Renee C. Collini, Sara Martin, John M. Tirpak, Benjamin Wilson
2020, Report
Two Pagers for Federally Managed Lands The Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative partnered with individuals at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Wetland and Aquatic Research Center and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to produce customized two-pager information sheets for federal coastal refuges, parks, and reserves across the northern Gulf...
Multiple-well monitoring site adjacent to the Lost Hills oil field, Kern County, California
Rhett R. Everett, Adam Kjos, Anthony A. Brown, Janice M. Gillespie, Peter B. McMahon
2020, Open-File Report 2019-1114
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board, is evaluating several questions about oil and gas development and groundwater resources in California, including (1) the location of groundwater resources; (2) the proximity of oil and gas operations and groundwater and the geologic materials...
Movements and habitat use of loons for assessment of conservation buffer zones in the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska
Sharon A. Poessel, Brian D. Uher-Koch, John M. Pearce, Joel A. Schmutz, Todd E. Katzner, David C. Douglas, Vanessa R. von Biela, Autumn-Lynne Harrison
2020, Global Ecology and Conservation (22)
Oil and gas development in the Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska, may pose threats to wildlife. Management guidelines within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska dictate buffer zones for coastal wildlife habitat and for breeding and foraging sites of yellow-billed loons (YBLOs; Gavia adamsii), a species of conservation concern. However, few...
Stormwater quality of infrastructure elements in Rapid City, South Dakota, 2016–18
Galen K. Hoogestraat
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5004
As runoff flows over the land or impervious surfaces (paved streets, parking lots, and building roofs), it accumulates debris, chemicals, sediment, and other contaminants that can adversely affect water quality if the runoff discharge remains untreated. Pathogens, commonly measured using fecal indicator bacteria such as Escherichia coli, enterococci, or fecal...
Hydrogeology and interactions of groundwater and surface water near Mill Creek and the Herring River, Wellfleet, Massachusetts, 2017–18
John R. Mullaney, Janet R. Barclay, Kaitlin L. Laabs, Katherine D. Lavallee
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5145
Groundwater levels and stream stage were monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Friends of Herring River, at 19 sites in the Mill Creek Basin, a tributary of the Herring River in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, on outer Cape Cod, to provide baseline data prior to a proposed restoration...
Paleo-metagenomics of North American fossil packrat middens: Past biodiversity revealed by ancient DNA
Grace Moore, Michael Tessler, Seth Cunningham, Julio L. Betancourt, Robert Harbert
2020, Ecology and Evolution (10) 2530-2544
Fossil rodent middens are powerful tools in paleoecology. In arid parts of western North America, packrat (Neotoma spp.) middens preserve plant and animal remains for tens of thousands of years. Midden contents are so well preserved that fragments of endogenous ancient DNA (aDNA) can be extracted and analyzed across millennia. Here,...
