SURF: An automated method for building nonplanar 3D fault models from earthquake hypocenters
Travis Vincent Alongi, Austin J. Elliott, Robert J. Skoumal, David R. Shelly, Alexandra Elise Hatem
2026, Seismological Research Letters (97) 1174-1190
Accurately characterizing 3D fault geometry is vital for improving our understanding of earthquake behavior and informing the development of seismic hazard models. Despite their importance, subsurface fault structures tend to be poorly constrained because of limitations in observational data. Improvements to the seismic networks and earthquake detection algorithms have increased...
Synthesis of observed field salinity ranges for oyster and seagrass species in the U.S.
Charlotte I. Lee, Simeon Yurek, David B. Eggleston, Natalie G. Nelson
2026, Estuaries and Coasts (49)
Oyster and seagrass are important sessile, habitat-forming species that may be impacted by changes in salinity regimes from anthropogenic or climatic drivers. While salinity tolerance literature is focused on controlled experiments, observed field salinity ranges of species are more disparate. The salinity ranges in which organisms are observed in the...
Late Pleistocene kinematics of the Great Southern Puerto Rico Fault Zone, Puerto Rico
Emerson Madelyn Lynch, Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe, Richard W. Briggs, M. Morow Tan, Victor Ortega Díaz, K. Stephen Hughes
2026, Seismological Research Letters (97) 11366-1155
Several onshore faults in southern Puerto Rico have recently been recognized as Quaternary active. However, the kinematics of these faults, particularly any lateral component, remain largely unconstrained. It is difficult to characterize low strain‐rate faults, partially due to extensive erosional and anthropogenic landscape modification, steep relief, and frequent landsliding, limiting...
Earthquake magnitude and source parameter estimation with a distributed acoustic sensing dataset in the Gorda subduction zone
Andrew J. Barbour, Jeffrey J. McGuire, Martin Karrenbach, Robert McPherson, Mark Hemphill-Haley, Connie Stewart
2026, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (116) 355-374
Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) systems offer a cost‐effective way to create large‐scale strainmeter arrays for seismological applications using fiber‐optic cables. DAS‐based strain measurements are known to be influenced by various factors, bringing into question their general reliability for accurate earthquake characterization. A 15‐km‐long...
Laboratory transmission of adult salmon enteritis and associated pathogens in juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Tamsen Polley, Claire E. Couch, Connor Leong, James T. Peterson, Louis M. Weiss, Peter M. Takvorian, Michael L. Kent
2026, Journal of Fish Diseases (49)
Adult salmon enteritis (ASE), characterised by severe ulcerative enteritis, has been linked to prespawn mortality (PSM) in spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in certain rivers in Oregon, USA. Catastrophic losses of spring Chinook salmon have resulted from PSM, a significant threat to their population stability. Understanding the...
An approach to modeling abundance of marine wildlife over space and time using unstructured aerial surveys
Timothy A. Gowan, Jennifer Moore, Holly Edwards, Ashley B.C. Goode, Julien Martin
2026, Journal of Wildlife Management (90)
Estimating spatial and temporal patterns in abundance is often a goal of ecological studies and can be useful for informing management decisions, such as determining the optimal placement of wildlife protection zones. However, estimating abundance can be difficult in practice, especially over large areas, because of imperfect detection, where individuals...
Supporting dryland restoration success with applied ecological forecasting of seeding outcomes
Gregor-Fausto Siegmund, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer, Caitlin M. Andrews, Leland D. Bennion, Jacob Ferguson, Michelle I. Jeffries, Peggy Olwell, David S. Pilliod, Allison B. Simler-Williamson, Alice E. Stears, Regina Zweng, John B. Bradford
2026, Restoration Ecology (34)
IntroductionEcological restoration is increasingly used to sustain biodiversity and ecosystem services. In drylands of the western United States (US), post-disturbance restoration often involves seeding treatments to promote the recovery of native plant communities. Spatial and temporal variability in environmental conditions influences plant establishment and contributes to low restoration success in...
Population and outmigration characteristics of juvenile Bull Trout in a montane ecosystem
James S. Unsworth, Andrew M. Dux, Carlos A. Camacho, Michael C. Quist
2026, Journal of Wildlife Management (89)
Bull Trout Salvelinus confluentus is a federally threatened species in the conterminous United States. Although some populations are stable or increasing, Bull Trout in the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's designated Coeur d'Alene Core Area in Idaho have experienced substantial declines in abundance. Today, the remaining extant population in the Coeur...
Effects of dietary selenium on the amphipod Hyalella azteca and the midge Chironomus dilutus
John M. Besser, Danielle M. Cleveland, David D. Harper, Rebecca A. Dorman, Aida Farag
2026, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (45) 103-113
Chronic selenium (Se) water quality criteria are based primarily on dietary organoselenium exposure and subsequent reproductive effects in fish. Available chronic Se toxicity data suggests that invertebrates are less sensitive than fish, but chronic invertebrate studies are limited. We evaluated yeast-based diets for chronic toxicity studies with Hyalella azteca and Chironomus dilutus. Growth and...
Factors influencing spatial and temporal patterns of Lanius ludovicianus (Loggerhead Shrike) occupancy at a grassland-sagebrush ecotone
Holly M. Todaro, Scott R. Loss, Robert Charles Lonsinger, Courtney J. Duchardt
2026, Ornithological Applications (128) 1-13
Lanius ludovicianus (Loggerhead Shrike) is a predatory songbird that has experienced a severe population decline throughout its range since the 1940s, likely driven by a combination of factors, including habitat loss and fragmentation. Occupying larger territories compared to many other passerines, L. ludovicianus requires open habitat with interspersed trees and shrubs for nesting...
Revisiting seismological discoveries of the inner core
Adam T. Ringler, Pritwiraj Moulik, Thomas A. Lee, David C. Wilson, Robert E. Anthony
2026, Seismological Research Letters (97) 451-470
Seismology has been used as a tool for understanding the current physical properties of the interior of the Earth and its dynamic evolution with remarkable success over the...
The influence of scale in modeling social vulnerability and disaster assistance
Sina Razzaghi Asl, Oronde Oliver Drakes, Eric Tate, Samuel D. Brody, Wesley Highfield, Kayode Atoba
2026, Annals of the American Association of Geographers (116) 198-218
Understanding how social vulnerability relates to disaster impacts is critical for addressing social equity, yet the role of spatial scale in this relationship is often overlooked. Most studies use aggregated data, risking ecological fallacy—misinterpreting individual outcomes from group-level data. This study examines how spatial scale influences the relationship between social...
Origin and evolution of mafic volcanism associated with 3 m.y. of andesite production at the Goat Rocks volcanic cluster, southern Washington Cascade Range
Kellie Taylor Wall, Anita L. Grunder, Joseph Biasi, Dominique Weis, Don Swanson, Mark E. Stelten
2026, Geological Society of America Bulletin (138) 709-743
More than 3 m.y. of mafic volcanism near the Goat Rocks volcanic cluster in the southern Washington Cascade Range, USA, lends insight into the evolution of basalts and the subarc mantle at a long-lived, major arc volcanic locus. We contribute field observations, 40Ar/39Ar dates, paleomagnetic directions, and bulk rock and mineral...
The story of the Penobscot River Ecology Mural: A 10-step process for scientists to create public art
Jillian Fedarick, Christina Amy Murphy, Sydne Record, Allison H. Roy, Annette Dodd, Susan L. Smith
2026, Fisheries (51) 127-134
Rivers are home to a wide variety of biota, including fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, freshwater mussels, aquatic insects, and microscopic organisms that fill unique niches to support broader ecosystem functions. While the general public may be aware of recreationally relevant biological life (e.g., fishes and insects to model flyfishing flies...
The American black bear (Ursus americanus) as an apex predator: Investigating the ecological role of the world’s most abundant large carnivore
John M. Nettles, Caroline M. Abramowitz, Wesley W. Boone, Stephen N. Harris, Chloe E. Horton, Meghan P. Keating, Dana L. Nelson, Samantha N. Smith, Katelyn N. Steen, Erin K. Buchholtz, David S. Jachowski
2026, Mammal Review (56)
IntroductionAmerican black bears (Ursus americanus) have been documented to have top-down effects, both consumptive (through predation) and nonconsumptive (through fear effects). However, their behavioural and dietary adaptability has led to uncertainty about the conditions under which these may occur.ObjectivesWe aimed to (1) investigate when,...
Sustaining Namāēw (Lake Sturgeon): Partner-led climate adaptation for Indigenous fisheries in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Holly Susan Embke, Robert Croll, Hannah Panci, Aaron D. Shultz, Sara Smith, Nick Boygo, Marvin DeFoe, Jennifer Gauthier, Gary Michaud, Michael Waasegiizhig Price, Donald Reiter, Jason Schlender, Frank Zomer
2026, Fisheries (51) 60-72
Namāēw (Menominee; Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens) have long supported Indigenous culture and food sovereignty but have declined by over 80% in the Laurentian Great Lakes, exacerbating their sensitivity to climate change. Following interest from Indigenous leaders, we initiated a partnership-driven effort to (1) assess climate effects and (2) develop potential adaptation...
Invasive species in the aquarium trade: Survey of attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge among US participants
Joseph V. Brown, William E. Kelso, Diaz Rodrigo, Wesley Daniel, Haley M. Brassard, Michael D. Kaller
2026, Hydrobiologia (853) 281-297
Although the aquarium trade is an important pathway for direct and indirect non-native species introductions into freshwater systems, knowledge and attitudes of participants in the trade regarding alien species issues is largely undocumented. Therefore, we administered a survey to investigate attitudes and behaviors of aquarists and non-aquarists regarding the aquarium...
Simulated soundscapes and transfer learning boost the performance of acoustic classifiers under data scarcity
Matthew J Weldy, Damon B. Lesmeister, Tom Denton, Adam Duarte, Ben J. Vernasco, Amandine Gasc, Jennifer Rowe, Michael J. Adams, Matthew G. Betts
2026, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (17) 322-338
1. The biodiversity crisis necessitates spatially extensive methods to monitor multiple taxonomic groups for evidence of change in response to evolving environmental conditions. Programs that combine passive acoustic monitoring and machine learning are increasingly used to meet this need. These methods require large, annotated datasets, which are time-consuming and expensive...
Forecasting dynamics of a recolonizing wolf population under different management strategies
Lisanne S. Petracca, Sarah J. Converse, Benjamin T. Maletzke, Beth Gardner
2026, Animal Conservation (29) 21-33
Species recovery can be influenced by a wide variety of factors, such that predicting the spatiotemporal dynamics of recovering species can be exceedingly difficult. These predictions, however, are valuable for decision makers tasked with managing species and determining their legal status. We applied a spatially explicit projection model to estimate...
Evaluating episodic sediment deposition zones in freshwater mussel habitats across Missouri, USA
Qingqing Sun, Bin Wang, Brandon James Sansom, Kathleen Trauth, Henry Brown, Wenyu Zhu, James L. Kunz, M. Christopher Barnhart, Stephen E. McMurray, Andrew D Roberts, Christopher Shulse, Caleb Knerr, Jeffery A. Steevens, Baolin Deng
2026, Journal of Ecohydaulics (11) 56-70
Point-source sedimentation, such as spills from construction-related activities, can introduce substantial sediments into streams in the short term, potentially leading to mussel burial. To estimate downstream areas where freshwater mussels might face threats from sediment burial within the mussel habitats of Missouri streams and rivers, we examined 49 reaches where...
Submarine canyon sediment transport and accumulation during sea level highstand: Interactive seasonal regimes in the head of Astoria Canyon, WA
E. Lahr, A. Ogston, Jenna C. Hill, H. Glover, Kurt J. Rosenberger
2026, Marine Geology (484)
The majority of submarine canyons on Earth today do not directly intersect littoral or fluvial sediment sources, yet these systems are rarely studied. The shelf-incised head of Astoria Canyon receives sediment from the nearby Columbia River and is subject to energetic forcing from shelf and slope processes, making it an ideal site to evaluate...
Iguanas rafted more than 8,000 km from North America to Fiji
Simon G. Scarpetta, Robert D. Fisher, Benjamin R. Karin, Jone B. Niukula, Ammon Corl, Todd R. Jackman, Jimmy A. McGuire
2026, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (122)
Founder-event speciation can occur when one or more organisms colonize a distant, unoccupied area via long-distance dispersal, leading to the evolution of a new species lineage. Species radiations established by long-distance, and especially transoceanic, dispersal can cause substantial shifts in regional biodiversity. Here, we investigate the occurrence and timing of...
Capturing the uncertainty of seismicity observations in earthquake rate estimates: Implications for probabilistic seismic hazard analysis and the USGS National Seismic Hazard Model
Andrew J. Michael, Andrea L. Llenos
2025, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America
The rate of earthquakes in a region is a fundamental input to Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis. We present a Monte Carlo method for computing that rate from seismicity catalogs while including a range of data and analysis uncertainties. This method is applied to regions for which the b value is assumed to...
Neotectonic origins for the Meadow Bank scarp, Wabash Valley seismic zone USA
Edward W Woolery, William J. Stephenson, Kevin Woller, Alena L. Leeds, Noah Silas Lindberg, Jackson K. Odum, Cooper Cearley, Ron Counts
2025, The Seismic Record (5) 352-362
The Meadow Bank scarp (MBS) in southeastern Illinois is a linear geomorphic expression, ∼10 km long and ∼8 m high above a relatively flat landscape. It parallels an underlying northeast‐oriented Late‐Precambrian–Early‐Cambrian structural fabric, called the Wabash Valley fault zone, and is within an area of modern, historic, and paleo seismicity, called the...
Evaluating hydrologic data products for scientific and management applications related to potential future streamflow conditions in the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers
Molly Van Appledorn, Lucie Sawyer, John Delaney, Chanel Mueller, Leigh Youngblood, Jane Harrell, Brian Breaker, Chris Frans
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5101
The hydrology of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers is a fundamental driver of ecosystem patterns and processes across a large portion of the United States. Quantitative hydrologic data for the main stems of these rivers underlie numerous scientific investigations, statistical models, and decision-making processes for local, State, and Federal...