Fire, flood, and drought: Extreme climate events alter flow paths and stream chemistry
Sheila F. Murphy, R. Blaine McCleskey, Deborah A. Martin, Jeffrey H. Writer, Brian A. Ebel
2018, Journal of Geophysical Research G: Biogeosciences (123) 2513-2526
Extreme climate events—such as hurricanes, droughts, extreme precipitation, and wildfires—have the potential to alter watershed processes and stream response. Yet due to the destructive and hazardous nature and unpredictability of such events, capturing their hydrochemical signal is challenging. A 5‐year postwildfire study of stream chemistry in the Fourmile Creek watershed,...
Before the storm: Antecedent conditions as regulators of hydrologic and biogeochemical response to extreme climate events
Sara K. McMillan, Henry F. Wilson, Christina L. Tague, Daniel M. Hanes, Shreeram Inamdar, Diana L. Karwan, Terry Loecke, Jonathan Morrison, Sheila F. Murphy, Philippe Vidon
2018, Biogeochemistry (141) 487-501
While the influence of antecedent conditions on watershed function is widely recognized under typical hydrologic regimes, gaps remain in the context of extreme climate events (ECEs). ECEs are those events that far exceed seasonal norms of intensity, duration, or impact upon the physical environment or ecosystem. In this synthesis, we...
Input data processing tools for the integrated hydrologic model GSFLOW
Murphy A. Gardner, Charles G. Morton, Justin L. Huntington, Richard G. Niswonger, Wesley R. Henson
2018, Environmental Modelling and Software (109) 41-53
Integrated hydrologic modeling (IHM) encompasses a vast number of processes and specifications, variable in time and space, and development of models can be arduous. Model input construction techniques have not been formalized or made easily reproducible. Creating the input files for integrated hydrologic models requires complex GIS processing of raster and vector datasets from...
Designing a protected area to safeguard imperiled species from urbanization
Stephanie S. Romanach, Bradley Stith, Fred A. Johnson
2018, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (9) 446-458
Reserve design is a process that can address ecological, social, and political factors to identify parcels of land needed to sustain wildlife populations and other natural resources. Acquisition of parcels for a large terrestrial reserve is difficult because it typically occurs over a long timeframe and thus invokes consideration of...
Hierarchical patch delineation in fragmented landscapes
Chellby R. Kilheffer, H. Brian Underwood
2018, Landscape Ecology (33) 1533-1541
PurposeWe developed a tool, FragPatch (FP), to delineate habitat patches for highly fragmented landscapes from a user-defined suitability map and two landscape perception values for a species of interest.MethodsWe wrote a Python script in ArcGIS to delineate habitat patch networks...
Life history characteristics may be as important as climate projections for defining range shifts: An example for common tree species in the intermountain western US
Stella M. Copeland, John B. Bradford, Michael C. Duniway, Bradley J. Butterfield
2018, Diversity and Distributions (24) 1844-1859
AimPredictions of future suitable habitat for plant species with climate change are known to be affected by uncertainty associated with statistical approaches, climate models and occurrence records. However, life history characteristics related to dispersal and establishment processes as well as sensitivity to barriers created by land‐use...
STEPWAT2: An individual‐based model for exploring the impact of climate and disturbance on dryland plant communities
Kyle A. Palmquist, John B. Bradford, Trace E. Martin, Daniel R. Schlaepfer, William K. Lauenroth
2018, Ecosphere (9) 1-23
The combination of climate change and altered disturbance regimes is directly and indirectly affecting plant communities by mediating competitive interactions, resulting in shifts in species composition and abundance. Dryland plant communities, defined by low soil water availability and highly variable climatic regimes, are particularly vulnerable to climatic changes that exceed...
Priority questions in multidisciplinary drought research
Miroslav Trnka, Michael Hayes, Frantisek Jurecka, Lenka Bartosova, Martha Anderson, Rudolf Brazdil, Jesslyn F. Brown, Jesus J. Camarero, Pavel Cudlin, Petr Dobrovolny, Josef Eitzinger, Song Feng, Taryn Finnessey, Gregor Gregoric, Petr Havlik, Christopher Hain, Ian Holman, David Johnson, Kurt Christian Kersebaum, Fredrik Charpentier Ljungqvist, Jurg Luterbacher, Fabio Micale, Claudia Hartl-Meier, Martin Mozny, Pavol Nejedlik, Jorgen Eivind Olesen, Margarita Ruiz-Ramos, Reimund P. Rotter, Gabriel Senay, Sergio M. Vicente-Serrano, Mark Svoboda, Andreja Susnik, Tsegaye Tadesse, Adam Vizina, Brian D. Wardlow, Zdenek Zalud, Ulf Buntgen
2018, Climate Research (75) 241-260
Addressing timely and relevant questions across a multitude of spatio-temporal scales, state-of-the-art interdisciplinary drought research will likely increase in importance under projected climate change. Given the complexity of the various direct and indirect causes and consequences of a drier world, scientific tasks need to be coordinated efficiently. Drought-related research endeavors...
Increasing connectivity between metapopulation ecology and landscape ecology
Paige E. Howell, Erin L. Muths, Blake Hossack, Brent Sigafus, Richard Chandler
2018, Ecology (99) 1119-1128
Metapopulation ecology and landscape ecology aim to understand how spatial structure influences ecological processes, yet these disciplines address the problem using fundamentally different modeling approaches. Metapopulation models describe how the spatial distribution of patches affects colonization and extinction, but often do not account for the heterogeneity in the landscape between...
Divisions of geologic time—Major chronostratigraphic and geochronologic units
U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Names Committee
2018, Fact Sheet 2018-3054
IntroductionEffective communication in the geosciences requires a consistent nomenclature for stratigraphic units and, especially, for divisions of geologic time. A geologic time scale is composed of standard stratigraphic divisions based on rock sequences and is calibrated in years.Geologists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), State geological surveys, academia, and other...
Beyond traditional ecological restoration on the Colorado Plateau
Daniel E. Winkler, Dana M. Backer, Jayne Belnap, John B. Bradford, Bradley J. Butterfield, Stella M. Copeland, Michael C. Duniway, Akasha M. Faist, Stephen E. Fick, Scott L. Jensen, Andrea T. Kramer, Rebecca Mann, Robert Massatti, Molly L. McCormick, Seth M. Munson, Peggy Olwell, Steve D. Parr, Alix Pfennigwerth, Adrienne M. Pilmanis, Bryce A. Richardson, Ella Samuel, Kathy See, Kristina E. Young, Sasha C. Reed
2018, Restoration Ecology (26) 1055-1060
The Colorado Plateau is one of North America's five major deserts, encompassing 340,000 km2 of the western U.S., and offering many opportunities for restoration relevant to researchers and land managers in drylands around the globe. The Colorado Plateau is comprised of vast tracts of public land managed by local, state, and...
Effects of urbanization, and habitat composition on site occupancy of two snake species using regional monitoring data from southern California
Milan J. Mitrovich, James E. Diffendorfer, Cheryl S. Brehme, Robert N. Fisher
2018, Global Ecology and Conservation (15) 1-10
Detection data from a regional, reptile-monitoring program conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey were analyzed to understand the effects of urbanization and habitat composition on site occupancy of the coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum) and striped racer (M. lateralis) in coastal southern California. Likelihood-based occupancy models indicated striped racers responded to habitat...
Quantifying functional connectivity: The role of breeding habitat, abundance, and landscape features on range‐wide gene flow in sage‐grouse
Jeffery R. Row, Kevin E. Doherty, Todd B. Cross, Michael K. Schwartz, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Dave E. Naugle, Steven T. Knick, Bradley C. Fedy
2018, Evolutionary Applications (11) 1305-1321
Functional connectivity, quantified using landscape genetics, can inform conservation through the identification of factors linking genetic structure to landscape mechanisms. We used breeding habitat metrics, landscape attributes, and indices of grouse abundance, to compare fit between structural connectivity and genetic differentiation within five long‐established Sage‐Grouse Management Zones (MZ) I‐V using...
Ratio of mercury concentration to PCB concentration varies with sex of white sucker (Catostomus commersonii)
Charles P. Madenjian, Andrew L. Stevens, Martin A. Stapanian, David P. Krabbenhoft, John F. DeWild, Jacob M. Ogorek, William H. Edwards, Lynn M. Ogilvie, Peter B. McIntyre
2018, Environments (5)
The whole-fish total mercury (Hg) concentrations were determined in 25 mature female and 26 mature male white suckers (Catostomus commersonii) caught during their spawning run in the Kewaunee River, a tributary to Lake Michigan. The age of each fish was estimated using thin-sectioned otoliths, and total length (TL) and weight...
Global Modern Charcoal Dataset (GMCD): A tool for exploring proxy-fire linkages and spatial patterns of biomass burning
Donna Hawthorne, Colin J. Courtney Mustaphi, Julie C. Aleman, Olivier Blarquez, Daniele Colombaroli, Anne-Laure Daniau, Jennifer R. Marlon, Mitchell Power, Boris Vanniere, Youngming Han, Stijn Hantson, Natalie M. Kehrwald, Brian I. Magi, Xu Yue, Christopher Carcaillet, Rob Marchant, Ayodele Ogunkoya, Esther N. Githumbi, Rebecca M. Muriuki
2018, Quaternary International (488) 3-17
Progresses in reconstructing Earth's history of biomass burning has motivated the development of a modern charcoal dataset covering the last decades through a community-based initiative called the Global Modern Charcoal Dataset (GMCD). As the frequency, intensity and spatial scale of fires are predicted to increase regionally and globally in conjunction with changing climate, anthropogenic...
Seismic hazard classifications and Vs30 in Connecticut using MASW and HVSR methods
Sarah L C Morton, John W. Lane Jr., Margaret A. Thomas, Lanbo Liu
2018, Conference Paper
Five new seismic hazard classifications for Hartford County, Connecticut (CT), were proposed by New England State Geologists (NESG) in an effort to improve the current USGS Seismic Hazard Map. These classes were derived from mapped surficial materials, but in situ information is required to verify this approach. Therefore, active and...
Tools and methods in participatory modeling: Selecting the right tool for the job
Alexey Voinov, Karen Jenni, Steven Gray, Nagesh Kolagani, Pierre D. Glynn, Pierre Bommel, Christina Prell, Moira Zellner, Michael Paolisso, Rebecca Jordan, Eleanor J. Sterling, Laura Schmitt Olabasi, Philippe J. Giabbanelli, Zhanli Sun, Christophe Le Page, Sondoss Elsawah, Todd K. BenDor, Klaus Hubacek, Bethany K. Laursen, Antonie J. Jetter, Laura Basco Carrera, Alison Singer, Laura G. Young, Jessica Brunacini, Alex Smajgl
2018, Environmental Modeling and Software (109) 232-255
Various tools and methods are used in participatory modelling, at different stages of the process and for different purposes. The diversity of tools and methods can create challenges for stakeholders and modelers when selecting the ones most appropriate for their projects....
Sentinel-2A MSI and Landsat-8 OLI radiometric cross comparison over desert sites
Julia Barsi, Bahjat Alhammoud, Jeffrey Czapla-Myers, Ferran Gascon, Obaidul Haque, Morakot Kaewmanee, Larry Leigh, Brian Markham
2018, European Journal of Remote Sensing (51) 822-837
The Sentinel-2A and Landsat-8 satellites carry on-board moderate resolution multispectral imagers for the purpose of documenting the Earth’s changing surface. Though they are independently built and managed, users will certainly take advantage of the opportunity to have higher temporal coverage by combining the datasets. Thus it is important for the...
Improving our understanding of demographic monitoring: avian breeding productivity in a tropical dry forest
M. E. Kornegay, A. N. M. Wiewel, Jaime A. Collazo, J. F. Saracco, S. J. Dinsmore
2018, Journal of Field Ornithology (89) 258-275
The ratio of juvenile to adult birds in mist-net samples is used to monitor avian productivity, but whether it is a “true” estimate of per capita productivity or an index proportional to productivity depends on whether capture probability is not age-dependent (true estimate) or age difference in capture probability is...
Geochemical data for water, streambed sediment, and fish tissue from the Sierra Nevada Mercury Impairment Project, 2011–12
Elizabeth B. Stumpner, Charles N. Alpers, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Jennifer L. Agee, Evangelos Kakouros, Michelle R. Arias, Le H. Kieu, David A. Roth, Darrell G. Slotton, Jacob A. Fleck
2018, Data Series 1056
This report presents geochemical data for surface water, streambed sediment, and fish tissue samples collected during low-flow conditions in 20 to 24 Sierra Nevada streams during 2011 and 2012. The dataset is part of a larger study designed to assess the factors that control mercury concentrations in fish tissue and...
Hatchery strain contributions to emerging wild lake trout populations in Lake Huron
Kim T. Scribner, Iyob Tsehaye, Travis O. Brenden, Wendylee Stott, Jeannette Kanefsky, James R. Bence
2018, Journal of Heredity (109) 675-688
Recent assessments indicate the emergence of naturally produced lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) recruitment throughout Lake Huron in the North American Laurentian Great Lakes (>50% of fish <7 years). Because naturally produced fish derived from different stocked hatchery strains are unmarked, managers cannot distinguish strains contributing to natural recruitment. We used...
Development of an aerial population survey method for elk (Cervus elaphus) in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Bruce C. Lubow, Therese L. Johnson
2018, Open-File Report 2018-1085
Executive SummarySince the early 1990s, substantial effort and funding have been expended to conduct research to guide development of a 20-year Elk and Vegetation Management Plan for Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in Colorado. One goal of the plan is to maintain the elk (Cervus elaphus) population size at the...
Estimating post-fire debris-flow hazards prior to wildfire using a statistical analysis of historical distributions of fire severity from remote sensing data
Dennis M. Staley, Anne C. Tillery, Jason W. Kean, Luke McGuire, Hannah Pauling, Francis K. Rengers, Joel B. Smith
2018, International Journal of Wildland Fire (27) 595-608
Following wildfire, mountainous areas of the western United States are susceptible to debris flow during intense rainfall. Convective storms that can generate debris flows in recently burned areas may occur during or immediately after the wildfire, leaving insufficient time for development and implementation of risk mitigation strategies. We present a...
A multi-isotope (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S, δ2H) approach to establishing migratory connectivity in lesser snow geese: Tracking an overabundant species
Drew N. Fowler, Elisabeth B. Webb, Frank B Baldwin, Mark P. Vrtiska, Keith A. Hobson
2018, PLoS (13)
Expanding populations of North American midcontinent lesser snow geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) have potential to alter ecosystems throughout the Arctic and subarctic where they breed. Efforts to understand origins of harvested lesser snow geese to better inform management decisions have traditionally required mark-recapture approaches, while aerial photographic surveys have typically...
Fish Lake limnology and watershed aqueous geochemistry, Fish Lake Plateau, Utah
David Marchetti, Lesleigh Anderson, Joseph J. Donovan, M. Scott Harris, Tyler Huth
2018, Book chapter, Geofluids of Utah
Fish Lake is located at 2696 m elevation on the Fish Lake Plateau with a bedrock geology of Oligocene to Pliocene age volcanics and Cretaceous to Eocene age sedimentary rocks. Lake bathymetry indicates a maximum depth of ~27 m and volume of 2.31 x 108 m3. The lake is dimictic...
