Bioavailability and toxicity models of copper to freshwater life: The state of regulatory science
Christopher A. Mebane
2023, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (42) 2529-2563
Efforts to incorporate bioavailability adjustments into regulatory water quality criteria in the United States have included four major procedures: hardness-based single-linear regression equations, water-effect ratios (WERs), biotic ligand models (BLMs), and multiple-linear regression models (MLRs) that use dissolved organic carbon, hardness, and pH. The...
LANDFIRE
Jennifer L. Long, Timothy D. Hatten
2023, Fact Sheet 2023-3044
Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools (LANDFIRE) is a key national geospatial data source for strategic fire and resource management planning and analysis. LANDFIRE is the first complete, nationally consistent collection of more than 25 geospatial layers, databases, and ecological models at a 30-meter resolution that describe disturbance, vegetation,...
The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Idaho’s economy
Tom Carlson
2023, Fact Sheet 2023-3035
IntroductionDue to Idaho’s inland location approximately 350 miles from the Pacific Ocean and its 80 recognized mountain ranges, the State’s climate varies widely, with maritime influence in the northern and western parts of Idaho and continental influence on the eastern side. The weather in the abundant mountains is unpredictable and...
Assessing snowpack stratigraphy accuracy based on different input data: Insights for operations avalanche forecasting
Ross T. Palomaki, Zachary Miller
2023, Conference Paper, Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop 2023
Avalanche forecasters and snow scientists use physically based snow stratigraphy models to fill spatial and temporal gaps in field-based snow profile observations. These models generate stratigraphy predictions using meteorological input from automated weather stations (AWS) or numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. The choice of input data is often determined by...
Comparing snowpack meteorological inputs to support regional wet snow avalanche forecasting
Zachary Miller, Simon Horton, Christoph Mitterer, Erich H. Peitzsch
2023, Conference Paper, Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop 2023
Wet snow avalanches are predicted to increase in frequency with climate change and are often difficult to forecast. Improving our understanding of wet snow avalanche timing will help with current forecasting challenges. The onset of wet snow avalanching is closely tied to the temporal progression of liquid water flow through...
The relationship between whumpf observations and avalanche activity in Colorado, USA
Jason Konigsberg, Ron Simenhois, Karl W. Birkeland, Erich H. Peitzsch, Doug Chabot, Ethan M. Greene
2023, Conference Paper, Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop 2023
Triggering whumpfs is a primary indicator of unstable snowpack conditions. Although backcountry travelers and avalanche forecasters rely on whumpfs as a warning sign of potential avalanches, there is little formal research to confirm this relationship. This study investigated the temporal correlation between whumpfs and avalanche activity in data from Colorado's...
Mapping a glide avalanche with terrestrial lidar in Glacier National Park, USA
James W. Dillon, Zachary Miller, Erich H. Peitzsch, Kevin D. Hammonds
2023, Conference Paper, Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop 2023
Thorough documentation of large avalanche events is important for forecasting efforts, infrastructure planning, and investigating the processes involved in avalanche formation and release. However, due in part to the isolated and dangerous nature of avalanche terrain, collecting in-situ, spatially continuous, and quantitative information surrounding avalanches remains difficult. Advances in remote...
Temporal evolution of slab and weak layer properties during the transition from dry to wet snowpack conditions
Josh Lipkowitz, Erich H. Peitzsch, Jean Dixon, Marcus Kalb, Douglas McCabe, Griffin Ditmar, Christoph Mitterer
2023, Conference Paper, Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop 2023
Wet-snow slab avalanches are destructive and may become more prevalent in a warming climate. This type of avalanche remains challenging to forecast because the underlying processes leading to wet-snow slab avalanche release are poorly understood. In this study, we examine the temporal evolution of weak layer and slab liquid water...
Spatial extent of forested avalanche terrain impacted by wildfire across the Sawtooth National Forest
Zachary Miller, John Sykes, Megan Guinn, Benjamin VandenBos, Scott Savage, Erich H. Peitzsch
2023, Conference Paper, Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop 2023
Forest structure is a major driver of mountain snowpacks and avalanche occurrence. Healthy forests can reduce the incidence of dangerous slab avalanches, slow avalanches when in motion, shorten their runout distances, and act as a safety buffer for backcountry users, infrastructure, and transportation corridors. Since 1984, wildfire area in the...
Big avalanches in a changing climate: Using tree-ring derived avalanche chronologies to examine avalanche frequency across multiple climate types
Erich H. Peitzsch, Gregory T. Pederson, Justin T. Martin, Eran Hood, Ethan M. Greene, Karl W. Birkeland, Kelly Elder, Gabriel Wolken, Nickolas E. Kichas, Daniel Kent Stahle, John Harley
2023, Conference Paper, Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop 2023
Large-magnitude snow avalanches pose a hazard to humans and infrastructure worldwide. Analyzing the spatiotemporal behavior of avalanches and the contributory climate factors is important for understanding historical variability in climate-avalanche relationships as well as improving avalanche forecasting. This study uses established dendrochronological methods to develop long-term regional avalanche chronologies for...
Using tree rings to compare Colorado’s 2019 avalanche cycle to previous large avalanche cycles
Erich H. Peitzsch, Ethan M. Greene, Jason Konigsberg, Gregory T. Pederson, Justin T. Martin, Nickolas Kichas, Daniel Kent Stahle, Adrien Favillier, Nicolas Eckert, Karl W. Birkeland, Kelly Elder
2023, Conference Paper, Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop 2023
Large magnitude avalanches (size ≥D3) impact settlements, transportation corridors, and public safety worldwide. In Colorado, United States, avalanches have killed more people than any other natural hazard since 1950. In March 2019, a historically large magnitude avalanche cycle occurred throughout the entire mountainous portion of Colorado resulting in more than...
Positive but un-sustained wildlife community responses to reserve expansion and mammal reintroductions in South Africa
Shannon K. Brewer, Lia Keener, Lourens H. Swanepoel, Craig Sholto-Douglas, Axel Hunnicutt, Goncalo Curveira-Santos
2023, Biological Conservation (287)
The creation and expansion of protected areas, coupled with wildlife reintroductions, are increasingly used as conservation measures to combat wildlife declines worldwide. Although these types of restoration efforts are expected be beneficial to wildlife populations, variable species management and interactions among...
Long-term changes in concentrations and yield of riverine dissolved silicon from the poles to the tropics
Kathi Jo Jankowski, Keira Johnson, Lienne R. Sethna, Paul Julian, Adam S. Wymore, Arial J. Shogren, Patrick Thomas, Pamela L. Sullivan, Diane M. McKnight, William H. McDowell, Ruth C. Heindel, Jeremy B. Jones, Wilfred M. Wollheim, Benjamin Abbott, Linda A. Deegan, Joanna C. Carey
2023, Global Biogeochemical Cycles (37)
Riverine exports of silicon (Si) influence global carbon cycling through the growth of marine diatoms, which account for ∼25% of global primary production. Climate change will likely alter river Si exports in biome-specific ways due to interacting shifts in chemical weathering rates, hydrologic connectivity, and metabolic processes in aquatic and...
Bathymetric contour maps, surface area and capacity tables, and bathymetric change maps for selected water-supply lakes in northeastern Missouri, 2021
Benjamin C. Rivers, Richard J. Huizinga, Joseph M. Richards, Garett J. Waite
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5108
Bathymetric data were collected at 12 water-supply lakes in northeastern Missouri by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) and various local agencies, as part of a multiyear effort to establish or update the surface area and capacity tables for the surveyed...
Long-term trends in Arctic riverine chemistry signal multi-faceted northern change
Suzanne E. Tank, James W. McClelland, Robert G. M. Spencer, Alexander I. Shiklomanov, Anya Suslova, Florentina Moatar, Rainer Amon, Lee W. Cooper, Greg Elias, Vyacheslav Gordeev, Christopher Guay, Tatiana Gurtovaya, Lyudmila Kosmenko, Edda A. Mutter, Bruce Peterson, Bernhard Peucker-Ehrenbrink, Peter Raymond, Paul Schuster, Lindsay Scott, Robin Staples, Robert G. Striegl, Mikhail Tretiakov, Alexander V. Zhulidov, Nikita Zimov, Sergey Zimov, Robert M. Holmes
2023, Nature Geoscience (16) 789-796
Rivers integrate processes occurring throughout their watersheds and are therefore sentinels of change across broad spatial scales. River chemistry also regulates ecosystem function across Earth’s land–ocean continuum, exerting control from the micro- (for example, local food web) to the macro- (for example, global carbon cycle) scale. In the rapidly warming...
Long-term demographic analysis of the Cape Sable seaside sparrow (1992–2021)
Marisa Takada Martinez, Laura D’Acunto, Stephanie Romanach
2023, Report
The Cape Sable seaside sparrow (Ammospiza maritima mirabilis) is an endangered species that has experienced a population decline of more than 60% since 1981. Despite its critical population status, a statistically robust analysis of the species’ demographic rates utilizing all data has yet to be completed (Benscoter et al. 2021)....
The sands of time: Predicting sea level rise impacts to barrier island habitats
Erin L. Koen, William Barichivich, Susan Walls
2023, Global Ecology and Conservation (47)
Coastal beach ecosystems support critical habitat for numerous species and are vulnerable to sea level rise. Sand beaches are spatially and temporally dynamic, making it difficult to accurately predict future habitat loss – estimates that are crucial as species are being assessed for protection. We mapped sand beach habitat on 12...
Implementation plan of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program strategy—Northeast region of the United States: New York and New England
Gregory J. Walsh, Margaret A. Thomas, Robert G. Marvinney, Stephen B. Mabee, Frederick H. Chormann, Andrew Kozlowski, Marjorie H. Gale, Jon Kim, Brian Savage
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1059
Complexly deformed igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks form the bedrock of the Northeast region of the United States. Variably thick unconsolidated sediments deposited by glacial, fluvial, and eolian systems locally cover the bedrock. New geologic mapping focuses on areas lacking modern, detailed studies or syntheses, and contributes to existing framework...
Interlaboratory comparison of testing hydraulic, elastic, and failure properties in compression: Lessons learned
Yang Cheng, David A. Lockner, Mandy Duda, Carolyn A. Morrow, Demian Saffer, Insun Song, Joerg Renner
2023, Environmental Earth Sciences (82)
Many geoscientific problems require us to exploit synergies of experimental and numerical approaches, which in turn lead to questions regarding the significance of experimental details for validation of numerical codes. We report results of an interlaboratory comparison regarding experimental determination of mechanical and hydraulic properties of samples from five rock...
Reimagining large river management using the Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD) framework in the Upper Mississippi River
Nicole K. Ward, Abigail Lynch, Erik A. Beever, Joshua Booker, Kristen L. Bouska, Holly Susan Embke, John F. Kocik, Joshua Kocik, Mary Grace T. Lemon, David J. Lawrence, Douglas Limpinsel, Madeline Magee, Bryan M. Maitland, Owen P. McKenna, Andrew R. Meier, John M. Morton, Jeffrey Muehlbauer, Robert Newman, Devon C. Oliver, Heidi M. Rantala, Greg G. Sass, Aaron D. Shultz, Laura Thompson, Jennifer L. Wilkening
2023, Ecological Processes (12)
BackgroundLarge-river decision-makers are charged with maintaining diverse ecosystem services through unprecedented social-ecological transformations as climate change and other global stressors intensify. The interconnected, dendritic habitats of rivers, which often demarcate jurisdictional boundaries, generate complex management challenges. Here, we explore how the Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD) framework may enhance large-river management...
Evaluating the spatial and temporal distribution and ecology of Bighead and Silver Carp and native fishes of the lower Red River basin
Shannon K. Brewer, John Dattilo, Paul Ramsey, Ben Birdsall
2023, Cooperator Science Series FWS/CSS-153-2023
We investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of Bighead Carp and Silver Carp (hereafter Carp) in the lower Red River basin of Arkansas. Our study objectives were: 1) determine the spatial and temporal extent of Bighead and Silver Carp in the Red River basin of Arkansas; 2) determine habitat associations...
Striped bass exploitation in tailwater habitats of east-central Oklahoma
Alex Vaisvil, Daniel Shoup, Shannon K. Brewer
2023, Cooperator Science Series FWS/CSS-152-2023
Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) is naturally anadromous, but a few land-locked populations have been documented that are self-sustaining, including fish in the Arkansas River, Oklahoma. This rare population is the source of brood stock for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation hatcheries and is an important sportfish stock. Striped Bass...
Evaluating the spatial and temporal distribution and ecology of Bighead and Silver Carp and native fishes of the lower Red River basin
Shannon K. Brewer, John Dattilo, Paul Ramsey, Ben Birdsall
2023, Cooperator Science Series CSS-153-2023
We investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of Bighead Carp and Silver Carp (hereafter Carp) in the lower Red River basin of Arkansas. Our study objectives were: 1) determine the spatial and temporal extent of Bighead and Silver Carp in the Red River basin of Arkansas; 2) determine habitat associations...
Effects of vehicle traffic on space use and road crossings of caribou in the Arctic
John P. Severson, Heather E. Johnson, Timothy C. Vosburgh
2023, Ecological Applications (33)
Assessing the effects of industrial development on wildlife is a key objective of managers and conservation practitioners. However, wildlife responses are often only investigated with respect to the footprint of infrastructure, even though human activity can strongly mediate development impacts. In Arctic Alaska, there is substantial interest in expanding energy...
How long do runoff-generated debris-flow hazards persist after wildfire?
Andrew Paul Graber, Matthew A. Thomas, Jason W. Kean
2023, Geophysical Research Letters (50)
Runoff-generated debris flows are a potentially destructive and deadly response to wildfire until sufficient vegetation and soil-hydraulic recovery have reduced susceptibility to the hazard. Elevated debris-flow susceptibility may persist for several years, but the controls on the timespan of the susceptible period are poorly understood. To evaluate the connection between...
