Statewide cumulative human health risk assessment of inorganics-contaminated groundwater wells, Montana, USA
Margaret J. Eggers, W. Adam Sigler, Nicklas Kiekover, Paul M. Bradley, Kelly Smalling, Albert E. Parker, Robert K.D. Peterson, John LaFave
2025, Environmental Pollution (369)
Across the United States, rural residents rely on unregulated and generally unmonitored private wells for drinking water, which may pose serious health risks due to unrecognized contaminants. We assessed the nature, degree, and spatial distribution of cumulative health risks from inorganic contaminants in groundwater. Our analysis included nearly 84,000 data...
A new groundwater energy transport model for the MODFLOW hydrologic simulator
Eric D. Morway, Alden M. Provost, Christian D. Langevin, Joseph D. Hughes, Martijn J. Russcher, Chieh-Ying Chen, Yu-Feng Lin
2025, Groundwater (63) 409-421
Heat transport in the subsurface is an important aspect of research related to the effects of a warming climate on ecological services (i.e., cold-water refugia); the development of geothermal resources for energy banking schemes (i.e., aquifer thermal energy storage [ATES]); and the effects of temperature on other aspects of groundwater...
Remote single-station seismic monitoring of the July–October 2022 earthquake swarm at Tau volcano, American Samoa
Clara Yoon, Robert Skoumal, Andrew J. Michael, A.D. Jolly, Andria P. Ellis, Drew T. Downs, Peter Dotray, Natalia I. Deligne, Jefferson Chang, Ninfa Lucia Bennington, Aaron Wech, Matthew M. Haney, Alicia J. Hotovec-Ellis, Elinor Lutu-McMoore, Marcus Langkilde
2025, The Seismic Record (5) 83-96
From July to October 2022, a non-eruptive volcanic earthquake swarm occurred within ~15 km of Taʻū Island, located in eastern American Samoa. Felt reports from local residents were the only available information about the swarm when it started, as American Samoa lacked a seismic monitoring network. We developed a...
Establishing historical baselines of arthropod assemblages using rodent paleomiddens
Joseph Braasch, Julio L. Betancourt, Olivier Dezerald, Udari Peiris, Maura Tapia-Rozas, Cristian Villagra, Claudio L. Latorre, Angelica L. Gonzalez
2025, Global Ecology and Biogeography (34)
AimArthropods are under-represented in paleoecological studies but are critical agents in ecological processes. Despite rigorous documentation of diverse arthropod assemblages from ancient rodent (or paleo) middens worldwide, their use for studying ancient arthropod diversity has stalled in recent decades. Here, we review published studies to identify how paleomidden arthropods can...
Groundwater age estimates for the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer based on tracer data collected during 2018–20
Michael C. Gratzer, John E. Solder, Katherine J. Knierim, James A. Kingsbury, Andrew M. O’Reilly, Gregg R. Davidson
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5127
This study characterized groundwater age across the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer (MRVA). Groundwater samples from 69 MRVA wells and 19 wells in Tertiary units of the Mississippi embayment aquifer system (MEAS) were analyzed for sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), tritium (3H), helium (He), and (or) carbon-14 of dissolved inorganic carbon (14C)....
Spatial close-kin mark-recapture models applied to terrestrial species with continuous natal dispersal
Anthony Seveque, Robert Charles Lonsinger, Lisette P. Waits, Dana J. Morin
2025, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (16) 733-743
Close-kin mark–recapture (CKMR) methods use information on genetic relatedness among individuals to estimate demographic parameters. An individual's genotype can be considered a ‘recapture’ of each of its parent's genotype, and the frequency of kin-pair matches detected in a population sample can directly inform estimates of abundance. CKMR inference procedures...
What is eDNA method standardization and why do we need it?
Susanna Theroux, Adam Sepulveda, Cathryn L. Abbott, Zachary Gold, Alison W. Watts, Margaret Hunter, Katy E. Klymus, Shana L. Hirsch, Joseph M. Craine, Devin Nicole Jones-Slobodian, Rachel J. Brown, Joshua A. Steele, Miwa Takahashi, Rachel T. Noble, John A. Darling
2025, Metabarcoding and Metagenomics (9)
The rapid advancement of environmental DNA (eDNA) science in the past two decades has inspired a concomitant growth in the development of eDNA sampling and analytical methods. However, these methods are often developed by individual laboratories or institutions, which can isolate protocols within programmes, agencies or...
The communication of volcano information in New Zealand - A narrative review
Manomita Das, Julia S. Becker, Emma Hudson Doyle, Danielle Charlton, Mary Ann T. Clive, Janine Krippner, Lauren Vinnell, Craig A. Miller, Carol Stewart, Hollei Gabrielsen, Sally H. Potter, Graham Leonard, David M. Johnston, Kelvin Tapuke, Nico Fournier, Sara K. McBride
2025, New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics (68) 591-608
Communication of volcano information is critical for effective volcanic risk management. A variety of information is communicated to inform decisions and guide actions for planning, preparedness, and response. Such information needs to be reliable, and fit-for-purpose across different stages of volcanic activity (quiescence, unrest, short or long-term eruptive stages, and...
Local, regional, and distal recordings of seismic unrest at Tau Island volcano, American Samoa
Aaron Wech, Matthew M. Haney, Jefferson Chang, A.D. Jolly, Clara Yoon, Robert J. Skoumal
2025, Bulletin of Volcanology (87)
A seismic swarm near Taʻū Island, a volcanic island in eastern American Samoa, occurred from July to October 2022. The earliest unrest was noted as felt shaking reports in late July, and instrumentation varied in the beginning of the sequence as the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory responded...
New distributional record of the federally threatened Rabbitsfoot Mussel (Theliderma cylindrica) in Oklahoma
Hunter M. Torolski, James M. Long, Robert Charles Lonsinger, Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff
2025, Southeastern Naturalist (24) N1-N8
Sampling conducted from May to August of 2024 yielded new distributional records for the federally threatened Theliderma cylindrica (Rabbitsfoot) in the Caney River, OK. We found 4 live individuals, representing at least 2 age classes, ∼7 km upstream of the confluence with the Verdigris River. This report is the first documentation of...
Sensitivity of benthic biota and toxicity of cadmium, cobalt, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc mixtures in Washington, United States, and British Columbia, Canada
Laurie S. Balistrieri
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5001
Relative sensitivities and responses of juvenile white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus), Hyalella azteca, two families of mayfly (Ephemerellidae, Heptageniidae), one family of caddisfly (Brachycentridae), and a natural community of benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI) to multiple metals are predicted using previously collected laboratory and field samples and a metal mixture model. Biological responses...
Advanced Research Computing
Leah Colasuonno, Rebecca D. Uribe, Janice Gordon, Jeff T. Falgout
2025, General Information Product 248
Advanced Research Computing provides access to high-performance computing (HPC) resources as well as training and consultation for effective use of these powerful systems. This product outlines current HPC machines, capabilities, classes, and enabled science....
Water resources related to breccia pipe uranium mining in the Grand Canyon region
Kimberly R. Beisner, Benjamin J. Siebers, Fred D. Tillman, Katherine Walton-Day
2025, Fact Sheet 2024-3055
IntroductionIn the arid Grand Canyon region, water resources are limited to primarily the Colorado River and associated tributaries and to groundwater in the form of seeps and springs. Groundwater resources in the region supply water for human use and support diverse and rich ecosystems in the locations immediately surrounding the...
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources of the Zagros Fold Belt of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, 2023
Christopher J. Schenk, Tracey J. Mercier, Phuong A. Le, Andrea D. Cicero, Ronald M. Drake II, Sarah E. Gelman, Jane S. Hearon, Benjamin G. Johnson, Jenny H. Lagesse, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Kira K. Timm
2025, Fact Sheet 2024-3048
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean conventional resources of 3.3 billion barrels of oil and 80.3 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Zagros Fold Belt of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey....
A high-resolution 3-D P-wave velocity structure of the south-central Cascadia subduction zone from wide-angle shore-crossing seismic refraction data
Asif Ashraf, Emilie Hooft, Douglas Toomey, Anne Trehu, Sarah Nolan, Erin A. Wirth, Kevin M. Ward
2025, JGR Solid Earth (130)
This study addresses a significant gap in understanding the features of the south-central Cascadia subduction zone, a region characterized by complex geologic, tectonic, and seismic transitions both offshore and onshore. Unlike other segments along this margin, this area lacks a 3-D velocity model to delineate its structural and geological features...
Fine-scale farming features drive resource selection of a small carnivore of conservation concern
Kara M. White, Amanda E. Cheeseman, Joshua D. Stafford, Robert Charles Lonsinger
2025, Canadian Journal of Zoology (103) 1-12
Anthropogenic factors are accelerating species extinction, with small mammalian carnivores among the most affected. These species play vital ecological roles, yet their conservation needs are often overlooked. Our study focused on the plains spotted skunk (Spilogale interrupta (Rafinesque, 1820)), a small carnivore that has experienced population declines. We hypothesized that their...
Chemical and isotopic fractionation during melt inclusion formation
Bruna da Silva Ricardo, Martin Oeser, Kendra J. Lynn, Neil Bennett, Xu Chu, Grace Henderson, Y. Liu, Stephan Weyer, Corliss Kin I Sio
2025, Geology (53) 375-379
Melt inclusions are used to study the origin and evolution of magmas. The extent to which they represent equilibrium melt compositions, however, critically hinges on the ratio of crystal growth rate to diffusion rate in melts. If the rate of crystal growth is limited by the supply of nutrients and...
Note to banders, February 2025
Antonio Celis-Murillo
2025, Newsletter
Note to All Banders was a special extra communication with more urgent information relevant to banders. This Note to All Banders was sent to U.S. bird banders on February 12, 2025. This note includes a review of the 2024 successes at the Bird Banding Laboratory. Throughout 2024, the BBL increased...
Accounting for non-random samples with distance sampling to estimate population density
Duane R. Diefenbach, Jacob Trowbridge, Amanda N. Van Buskirk, Tess McConnell, Kevin Lamp, Tiago A. Marques, David Walters, Bret D. Wallingford, Christopher S. Rosenberry
2025, Journal of Applied Ecology (62) 986-994
A critical assumption of standard distance sampling is that sampling lines are located such that animals are uniformly distributed as a function of distance from the line. Failure to meet this assumption can introduce bias in the estimator.Many studies have used landscape features, such as roads or rivers, as...
How will we prepare for an uncertain future? The value of open data and code for unborn generations facing climate change
Dylan Gerald-Everett Gomes
2025, Proceedings of the Royal Society, B (292)
As the impacts of climate change continue to intensify, humans face new challenges to long-term survival. Humans will likely be battling these problems long after 2100, when many climate projections currently end. A more forward-thinking view on our science and its direction may help better prepare for the future of...
Unobserved individual and population level impacts of fishing gear entanglements on North Atlantic right whales
Nathan J. Crum, Timothy A. Gowan, Jeffrey A. Hostetler, Robert S. Schick, Amy R. Knowlton, Heather M. Pettis, Philip K. Hamilton, Rosalind M. Rolland
2025, Animal Conservation
Fishing gear entanglements can compromise health and lower survival and reproductive output of wildlife, which can slow population growth or cause population declines. However, entanglements may go unobserved, making it difficult to quantify their effects on individuals' vital rates and a population's trajectory. Fishing gear entanglements are a leading cause...
An unexplained tsunami: Was there megathrust slip during the 2020 Mw7.6 Sand Point, Alaska, earthquake?
Sean R. Santellanes, Dara Elyse Goldberg, Pablo Koch, Diego Melgar, William L. Yeck, Brendan W. Crowell, Jiun-Ting Lin
2025, Seismica (4) 1-13
On October 19, 2020, the Mw7.6 Sand Point earthquake struck south of the Shumagin Islands in Alaska. Moment tensors indicate the earthquake was primarily strike-slip, yet the event produced an enigmatic tsunami that was larger and more widespread than expected for an earthquake of that magnitude and mechanism. Using a...
Characterizing sedimentary organic carbon in a hydrothermal spreading center, the Escanaba Trough
Hope Lee Ianiri, Pamela L. Campbell‐Swarzenski, Amy Gartman, Nancy G. Prouty
2025, Chemical Geology
Sediments in critical marine mineral environments are of wide importance due to their preservation of both marine minerals and organic carbon (OC) stocks. However, OC storage and cycling is often overlooked in mineral system studies. This work characterizes sedimentary OC within the Escanaba Trough, a hydrothermal sulfide system off the...
Crater detection dependence on resolution, incidence angle, emission angle, and phase angle
Stuart J. Robbins, Michelle R. Kirchoff, Lillian R. Ostrach
2025, Geophysical Research Letters (52)
Impact crater population detection and measurement is critical to understanding solar system bodies and dynamics. However, the ability to detect all possible craters under different lighting and camera geometries has not been systematically studied except in a few limited cases. This work presents the first systematic study examining crater detection...
Terrebonne Basin, Gulf of Mexico gas hydrate resource evaluation and 3-D modeling of basin-scale sedimentation, salt tectonics, and hydrate system evolution since the early Miocene
Laura Dafov, Zachary FM Burton, Seth S. Haines, Allegra Hosford Scheirer, Nicole Masurek, Ray Boswell, Matthew Frye, Yongkoo Seol, Stephan A. Graham
2025, Marine and Petroleum Geology (176)
In assessing methane hydrate as a potential transitional energy source, quantification of in-place volumes of gas is a first step—and yet, global, regional, and even local estimates of gas volumes contained within hydrate are highly variable, including within the extensively-studied Gulf of Mexico (GoM) gas hydrate province. Here, we construct...