Effect of fluvial discharges and remote non-tidal residuals on compound flood forecasting in San Francisco Bay
Babak Tehranirad, Liv M. Herdman, Kees Nederhoff, Li H. Erikson, Rob Cifelli, Greg Pratt, Michael Leon, Patrick L. Barnard
2020, Water (12)
Accurate and timely flood forecasts are critical for making emergency-response decisions regarding public safety, infrastructure operations, and resource allocation. One of the main challenges for coastal flood forecasting systems is a lack of reliable forecast data of large-scale oceanic and watershed processes and the combined effects of multiple hazards, such...
Wave-resolving Shoreline Boundary Conditions for Wave-Averaged Coastal Models
Francesco Memmola, Alessandro Coluccelli, Aniello Russo, John C. Warner, Maurizio Brocchini
2020, Ocean Modeling (153)
Downscaling broadscale ocean model information to resolve the fine-scale swash-zone dynamics has a number of applications, such as improved resolution of coastal flood hazard drivers, modeling of sediment transport and seabed morphological evolution. A new method is presented, which enables wave-averaged models for the nearshore circulation to include short-wave induced...
Unifying advective and diffusive descriptions of bedform pumping in the benthic biolayer of streams
Stanley Grant, Ahmed Monofy, Fulvio Boano, Jesus Gomez-Velez, Ian Guymer, Judson Harvey, Marco Ghisalberti
2020, Water Resources Research (56)
Many water quality and ecosystem functions performed by streams occur in the benthic biolayer, the biologically active upper (~5 cm) layer of the streambed. Solute transport through the benthic biolayer is facilitated by bedform pumping, a physical process in which dynamic and static pressure variations over the surface of stationary bedforms...
Flow‐ecology modelling to inform reservoir releases for riparian restoration and management
John T Hickey, Patrick B. Shafroth, Woodrow L Fields
2020, Hydrological Processes (34) 4576-4591
Linked hydrologic, hydraulic, and ecological models can facilitate planning and implementing water releases from reservoirs to achieve ecological objectives along rivers. We applied a flow‐ecology model, the Ecosystem Functions Model (HEC‐EFM), to the Bill Williams River in southwestern USA to estimate areas suitable for recruitment of...
A one‐dimensional model for turbulent mixing in the benthic biolayer of stream and coastal sediments
Stanley Grant, Jesus Gomez-Velez, Marco Ghisalberti, Ian Guymer, Fulvio Boano, Kevin Roche, Judson Harvey
2020, Water Resources Research (56)
In this paper, we develop and validate a rigorous modeling framework, based on Duhamel's Theorem, for the unsteady one-dimensional vertical transport of a solute across a flat sediment-water interface (SWI) and through the benthic biolayer of a turbulent stream. The modeling framework is novel in capturing the...
Minimizing the spread of aquatic herpetofaunal pathogens by decontaminating construction equipment
James T. Julian, Paula F. P. Henry, James M. Drasher, Kathy Michell, Scott A. Smith
2020, Herpetological Review (51) 472-483
Some problems have relatively simple solutions compared to the cost of neglect. Preventing the spread of invasive species and harmful pathogens clinging to construction equipment is one such solution. Here we explain how resource managers and contractors can decontaminate construction and field equipment by cleaning, disinfecting, and drying, thus minimizing...
Building adaptive capacity in a coastal region experiencing global change
Fred A. Johnson, Mitchell J. Eaton, Jessica Mikels-Carrasco, David J. Case
2020, Ecology & Society (25)
Coastal ecosystems in the eastern U.S. have been severely altered by human development, and climate change and other stressors are now further degrading the capacity of those ecological and social systems to remain resilient in the face of such disturbances. We sought to identify potential ways in which local conservation...
Distance effects of gas field infrastructure on pygmy rabbits in southwestern Wyoming
Stephen S. Germaine, Timothy Assal, Aaron Freeman, Sarah K. Carter
2020, Ecosphere (11)
As domestic energy development activity continues in the western United States, wildlife conservation planning in affected regions is increasingly important. The geologic basins where oil and gas energy exploration is occurring are primarily sagebrush steppe rangelands. Sagebrush steppe habitats may support more than 20 vertebrate species of conservation concern, and...
Combined seismic and geodetic analysis before, during and after the 2018 Mt. Etna eruption
M. Mattia, V. Bruno, Emily K. Montgomery-Brown, D. Patane, G. Barberi, M. Coltelli
2020, Journal of Geophysical Research (21)
In December 2018, Etna volcano experienced one of the largest episodes of unrest since the installation of geophysical monitoring networks in 1970. The unrest culminated in a short eruption with a small volume of lava erupted, a significant seismic crisis and deformation of the entire volcanic...
Immune and sex-biased gene expression in the threatened Mojave desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii
Cindy Xu, Greer A. Dolby, K. Kristina Drake, Todd Esque, Kenro Kusumi
2020, PLoS ONE (15)
The immune system of ectotherms, particularly non-avian reptiles, remains poorly characterized regarding the genes involved in immune function, and their function in wild populations. We used RNA-Seq to explore the systemic response of Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) gene expression to three levels of Mycoplasma infection to better understand the host response...
Reducing water scarcity by improving water productivity in the United States
Landon Marston, Gambhir Lamsal, Zachary H. Ancona, Peter V Caldwell, Brian Richter, Benjamin Ruddell, Richard Rushforth, Kyle F. Davis
2020, Environmental Research Letters (15)
Nearly one-sixth of U.S. river basins are unable to consistently meet societal water demands while also providing sufficient water for the environment. Water scarcity is expected to intensify and spread as populations increase, new water demands emerge, and climate changes. Improving water productivity by meeting realistic benchmarks for all water...
Measuring basal force fluctuations of debris flows using seismic recordings and empirical green's functions
Kate E. Allstadt, Maxime Farin, Richard M. Iverson, Maciej K. Obryk, Jason W. Kean, Victor C. Tsai, Thomas D Rapstine, Matthew Logan
2020, Journal of Geophysical Research Earth Surface (125)
We present a novel method for measuring the fluctuating basal normal and shear stresses of debris flows by using along‐channel seismic recordings. Our method couples a simple parameterization of a debris flow as a seismic source with direct measurements of seismic path effects using empirical Green's functions generated with a...
Identifying sustainable winter habitat for whooping cranes
Kristine L. Metzger, Sarah E. Lehnen, Steven Sesnie, Matthew J Butler, Aaron T. Pearse, Grant Harris
2020, Journal of Nature Conservation (57)
The only self-sustaining population of endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) requires a network of conservation lands for wintering along the Texas Gulf Coast (USA), so that this increasing population can reach downlisting under the Endangered Species Act (1,000 birds). We identify locations...
Identifying reliable indicators of fitness in polar bears
Karyn D. Rode, Todd C. Atwood, Gregory Thiemann, Michelle St. Martin, Ryan H. Wilson, George M. Durner, Eric V. Regehr, Sandra L. Talbot, Kevin Sage, Anthony M. Pagano, Kristin S. Simac
2020, PLoS ONE (15)
Animal structural body size and condition are often measured to evaluate individual health, identify responses to environmental change and food availability, and relate food availability to effects on reproduction and survival. A variety of condition metrics have been developed but relationships between these metrics and vital rates are...
A multi-state occupancy modelling framework for robust estimation of disease prevalence in multi-tissue disease systems
Vratika Chaudhary, Samantha M Wisely, Felipe A Hernandez, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols, Madan K. Oli
2020, Journal of Applied Ecology (57) 2463-2474
Given the public health, economic and conservation implications of zoonotic diseases, their effective surveillance is of paramount importance. The traditional approach to estimating pathogen prevalence as the proportion of infected individuals in the population is biased because it fails to account for imperfect detection. A statistically robust way to...
What to do when invaders are out of control?
Jason Dunham, Ivan Arismendi, Christina Murphy, Alex Koeberle, J Andres Olivos, James B Pearson, Francisco Pickens, David Roon, John R. Stevenson
2020, WIREs Water (7)
Biological invasions threaten species and ecosystems worldwide. Impacts from invasions are especially prevalent in freshwaters, where managers have struggled to contain the problem. Conventional approaches to managing invaders focus on prevention and control. In practice, these measures have proven to be variably effective. Control or eradication of established invaders is...
Winter survival of female Ring-Necked Ducks in the Southern Atlantic Flyway
Tori D. Mezebish, Glenn H. Olsen, Michele Goodman, Frank C. Rohwer, Mark D. McConnell
2020, Journal of Wildlife Management (84) 1527-1535
North American waterfowl harvest regulations are largely guided by the status of breeding populations. Nonetheless, understanding the demographics of wintering waterfowl populations can elucidate the effects of hunting pressure on population dynamics. The ring‐necked duck (Aythya collaris) breeds and winters in all North American administrative flyways...
Hydrology and geomorphology of the Taiya River near the West Creek Tributary, southeast Alaska
Janet H. Curran
2020, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5059
The Taiya River flows through the Chilkoot Trail Unit of Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in southeast Alaska, which was founded to preserve cultural and historical resources and further understanding of natural processes active in the surrounding coastal-to-subarctic basin. Riverine processes exert an important influence on ecologically important boreal...
Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) not detected in an intensive survey of wild North American amphibians
J. Hardin Waddle, Daniel A. Grear, Brittany Mosher, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Michael J. Adams, Adam R. Backlin, William Barichivich, Adrianne B. Brand, Gary M. Bucciarelli, Daniel L. Calhoun, Tara Chestnut, Jon M. Davenport, Andrew E. Dietrich, Robert N. Fisher, Brad Glorioso, Brian J. Halstead, Marc P Hayes, R. Ken Honeycutt, Blake R. Hossack, Patrick M. Kleeman, Julio A. Lemos-Espinal, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Robert W. Atkinson, Erin L. Muths, Christopher Pearl, Katherine Richgels, Charles W Robinson, Mark F. Roth, Jennifer Rowe, Walter Sadinski, Brent H. Sigafus, Iga Stasiak, Samuel Sweet, Susan C. Walls, Gregory J Watkins-Colwell, C. LeAnn White, Lori A Williams, Megan E. Winzeler
2020, Scientific Reports (10)
The salamander chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans [Bsal]) is causing massive mortality of salamanders in Europe. The potential for spread via international trade into North America and the high diversity of salamanders has catalyzed concern about Bsal in the U.S. Surveillance programs for invading pathogens must initially meet challenges that include...
The effects of tissue fixation on sequencing and transcript abundance of nucleic acids from microdissected liver samples of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
Heather L. Walsh, Adam Sperry, Vicki S. Blazer
2020, PLoS ONE
There is an increasing emphasis on effects-based monitoring to document responses associated with exposure to complex mixtures of chemicals, climate change, pathogens, parasites and other environmental stressors in fish populations. For decades aquatic monitoring programs have included the collection of tissues preserved for microscopic pathology. Consequently, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded...
Management of remnant tallgrass prairie by grazing or fire: Effects on plant communities and soil properties
Diane L. Larson, Daniel L. Hernández, Jennifer L. Larson, Julia B. Leone, Nora P. Pennarola
2020, Ecosphere (11)
Tallgrass prairie is a disturbance‐dependent ecosystem that has suffered steep declines in the midwestern United States. The necessity of disturbance, typically fire or grazing, presents challenges to managers who must apply them on increasingly small and fragmented parcels. The goal of this study was to compare...
The remarkable volcanism of Shastina, a stratocone segment of Mount Shasta, California
Robert L. Christiansen, Andrew T. Calvert, Duane E. Champion, Cynthia A. Gardner, Judith E. Fierstein, Jorge A. Vazquez
2020, Geosphere (16) 1153-1178
Mount Shasta, a 400 km3 volcano in northern California (United States), is the most voluminous stratocone of the Cascade arc. Most Mount Shasta lavas vented at or near the present summit; relatively smaller volumes erupted from scattered vents on the volcano’s flanks. An apron of pyroclastic and debris flows surrounds it.Shastina,...
Postfire growth of seeded and planted big sagebrush - Strategic designs for restoring Greater Sage-grouse nesting habitat
David A. Pyke, Robert K. Shriver, Robert S. Arkle, David S. Pilliod, Cameron L. Aldridge, Peter S. Coates, Matthew Germino, Julie A. Heinrichs, Mark A. Ricca, Scott E. Shaff
2020, Restoration Ecology (28) 1495-1504
Wildfires change plant community structure and impact wildlife habitat and population dynamics. Recent wildfire‐induced losses of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in North American shrublands are outpacing natural recovery and leading to substantial losses in habitat for sagebrush‐obligate species such as Greater Sage‐grouse. Managers are considering restoration strategies that include planting...
Focused fluid flow along the Nootka Fault Zone and continental slope, Explorer-Juan de Fuca plate boundary
M. Riedel, K .M. M. Rohr, G. D. Spence, D. Kelley, J. Delaney, L. Lapham, John Pohlman, R.D. Hyndman, E.C. Willoughby
2020, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (21)
Geophysical and geochemical data indicate there is abundant fluid expulsion in the Nootka fault zone (NFZ) between the Juan de Fuca and Explorer plates and the Nootka continental slope. Here we combine observations from > 20 years of investigations to demonstrate the nature of fluid-flow along the NFZ, which is the...
Generalized models to estimate carbon and nitrogen stocks of organic soil horizons in Interior Alaska
Kristen L. Manies, Mark Waldrop, Jennifer W. Harden
2020, Earth System Science Data (ESSD) (12) 1745-1757
Boreal ecosystems comprise one tenth of the world’s land surface and contain over 20 % of the global soil carbon (C) stocks. Boreal soils are unique in that its mineral soil is covered by what can be quite thick layers of organic soil. These organic soil layers, or horizons, can...
