The millionth observation was done by Lucille Tower, a citizen-scientist in Portland, Ore., who entered a record about seeing maple vines flowering. Her data, like all of the entries, came in  through USA-NPN’s online observation program, Nature's Notebook, which engages more than 4,000 volunteers across the country to observe and record phenology – the timing of the recurring life events of plants and animals such as when cherry trees or lilacs blossom, when robins build their nests, when salmon swim upstream to spawn or when leaves turn colors in the fall.   

Each record not only represents a single data point — the status of a specific life stage of an individual plant or animal on one day – but also benefits both science and society by helping researchers understand how plants and animals are responding to climate change and, in turn, how those responses are affecting people and ecological systems.   

"My dream is that through the wonders of modern technology and the National Phenology Network we could turn the more than six billion people on the planet into components of our scientific observing system," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "We could make giant leaps in science education, improve the spatial and temporal coverage of the planet, lower the cost of scientific data collection, and all while making ordinary citizens feel a part of the scientific process." 

Jake Weltzin, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist and the executive director of USA-NPN, concurs. "Hitting the one millionth observation is exciting because researchers and decision-makers need more information to understand and respond to our rapidly changing planet. More information means better-informed decisions that ensure the continued vitality of our natural areas that we all depend on and enjoy." 

For example, said Weltzin, the data in Nature's Notebook are already being used to benefit society, including the development of more accurate indicators of spring, forecasting the onset of allergy seasons or the chances of western wildfires, managing wildlife and invasive plants, and setting goals for habitat restoration. Ultimately, such information can be used for better managing water resources, wildlife and ecosystem management, and even help farmers and ranchers across the nation.  

Changes in phenology are among the most sensitive biological indicators of global change. Across the world, many springtime events are occurring earlier — and fall events happening later — than in the past. These changes are happening quickly for some species and more slowly, or not at all, for others, altering relationships and processes that have been dynamically stable for thousands of years.  Some wildlife —like caribou and butterflies — are becoming mismatched from their plant food resources, which are responding differently.  Migrations for some birds are changing too, as they can now overwinter instead of moving south for the winter, or as they fly north more quickly to keep pace with an advancing front of spring flowering. 

Because of this, said Weltzin, scientists need more and better information about the pace and pattern of nature — locally to nationally — to answer important scientific and societal questions, and to build the tools and models needed to help people understand and adapt to the changes. 

"So much of our improved understanding about global environmental changes is driven by varied and valuable sources of information that include networks of citizen-scientists," said John Wingfield, National Science Foundation’s assistant director for biological sciences.  "The public at large has played an important role collecting observations and data for a hundred years and more. Knowledge and data gained from their work will continue to have a lasting effect on how we understand regularly recurring biological phenomena for hundreds of plant and animal species and contribute to the policy arena."  

Gwen Lundburg in Seattle is one citizen-scientist who has contributed hundreds of entries into Nature’s Notebook. "Just noticing small changes like tiny purple lilac buds suddenly turning green has taught me to look more closely at my plants," Lundburg said. "I see things in my garden I never saw before." 

With the help of citizen-scientist volunteers, working in concert with professionals, the USA-NPN, which was established in 2007, collects, stores and freely shares phenological data on more than 800 species of plants and animals. The Nature’s Notebook observing program has been in operation since 2009. The coordinating office of the organization is located at 1955 E. 6^th St., Tucson, Ariz., 85721. For more information, visit the USA National Phenology Network, or contact Jake Weltzin at 520-626-3821 or jweltzin@usgs.gov.

The USGS study found that the Maumee, Sandusky, and Grand rivers are hospitable environments for Asian carps, potentially allowing the invasive fish to establish a self-sustaining population in western Lake Erie. Currently, federal agencies are working in partnership with Great Lakes States to implement a series of measures to prevent Asian carps from entering the Great Lakes Basin and possibly damaging native fish populations and the Great Lakes economy.  

"While the finding of a hospitable environment is not the scientific outcome we and our partners might have hoped for, the clear implication is that conditions exist which could allow for the establishment of breeding populations of Asian carps in Lake Erie," said USGS director Marcia McNutt. "Experience has shown that if they do, the native fish, and the economy that depends on them, could suffer gravely.”

Silver, bighead, and grass carps are Asian carp species that typically spawn in rivers during high summer flows, and, as demonstrated by previous research, can threaten ecosystems by competing with native fish for food. At present, there are no known self-sustaining bighead or silver carp populations in the Great Lakes.

To determine if these and other species of Asian carp can potentially mature in Lake Erie and if river conditions are favorable for them to spawn, the USGS researchers studied water temperatures in the lake and water velocity during flood events in eight major tributaries over the past 20 years.

The new study found that the Maumee River, which enters western Lake Erie at Toledo, is highly suitable for Asian carps to mature and spawn, and the Sandusky River, which enters western Lake Erie near Sandusky, Ohio, and the Grand River, which enters central Lake Erie at Fairport Harbor, are moderately suitable.

"We are getting a clearer picture of the threat Asian carps pose to western Lake Erie, and that picture suggests there is cause for concern," said Patrick Kocovsky, USGS scientist and an author of the report.

This USGS research effort, coupled with previously published research on Asian carp food availability in western Lake Erie, is the first to demonstrate the potential for Asian carps to successfully reproduce within the Great Lakes Basin. 

Federal and state agencies and other partners are undertaking aggressive tracking and monitoring of the invasive species, have installed electric barriers in the Chicago Area Waterways System to keep Asian carp from moving toward Lake Michigan, and constructed a 1,500-foot fence to block advancement of Asian carp from the Wabash River to the Maumee and Lake Erie.

The USGS study, published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research, can be accessed online.

Interior Releases First-of-its-Kind Regional Study as Part of National Assessment of Carbon Storage in U.S. Ecosystems

Johnson, who is stationed at the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (NPWRC) field office in Saint Paul, Minn., received the AOU honor for his natural resources and bird ecology research. During his 40-year career, Johnson's ornithological work has informed bird management decisions internationally.    

"This is a remarkable and well-deserved recognition for Doug," said Robert Gleason, director of the NPWRC. "His international reputation as a researcher and leader in the ornithological field is indisputable and an inspiration to us all." 

Johnson received his bachelor's degree in mathematics and psychology from the University of Minnesota, his master's degree in statistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his doctorate in zoology from North Dakota State University. In 1970, Johnson began his career as a statistician at the USGS NPWRC in Jamestown, N.D., where he worked for 35 years. Since 2005, he has been stationed at the NPWRC's field office in Saint Paul, where he is also an affiliate senior member of the graduate faculty at the University of Minnesota. 

Johnson’s expertise includes ecology, conservation, habitat management, statistical modeling and theory, mathematics, inventory and monitoring, population dynamics, taxonomy, and agricultural programs. He has published over 185 ornithological papers in peer-reviewed national and international scientific journals and government scientific reports.    

Johnson's long-term and ongoing work includes the study of breeding birds in Conservation Reserve Program fields, which has documented the importance of agricultural lands and farm programs to many grassland bird species. Since 1972, Johnson has been evaluating the influence of fire on breeding grassland birds in the northern mixed-grass prairie, the longest study of its kind in this eco-region.  

As a scientific delegate, Johnson provided statistical expertise that was instrumental in documenting the impact of North Pacific driftnet fisheries on seabirds and other marine resources. Such efforts ultimately led to the restriction of driftnet fishing activities by three Asian nations and a significant reduction in mortality of marine wildlife.

Like other "prion" diseases, CWD is caused by unusual, infectious proteins called prions. One of the best-known of these diseases is "mad cow" disease, a cattle disease that has infected humans. However, there is no evidence that CWD has infected humans.  Disease-causing prions, responsible for some incurable neurological diseases of people and other diseases in animals, are notoriously difficult to decontaminate or kill. Prions are not killed by most detergents, cooking, freezing or by autoclaving, a method used to sterilize medical instruments. 

"When prions are released into the environment by infected sheep or deer, they can stay infectious for many years, even decades," said Christopher Johnson, Ph.D., a scientist at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center and the lead author of the study. "To help limit the spread of these diseases in animals, we need to be able to remove prions from the environment." 

The researchers found that lichens have great potential for safely reducing the number of prions because some lichen species contain a protease enzyme (a naturally produced chemical) capable of significantly breaking down prions in the lab.

"This work is exciting because there are so few agents that degrade prions and even fewer that could be used in the environment without causing harm," said Jim Bennett, Ph.D., a USGS lichenologist and a co-author of the study. 

CWD and scrapie in sheep are different than other prion diseases because they can easily spread in sheep or deer by direct animal-to-animal contact or through contact with contaminated inanimate objects like soil. Chronic wasting disease was first diagnosed in the 1960s and has since been detected in 19 states and two Canadian provinces. CWD has been detected in wild elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer and moose in North America. 

Lichens, said Johnson, produce unique and unusual organic compounds that aid their survival and can have antibiotic, antiviral and other chemotherapeutic activities. In fact, pharmaceutical companies have been examining the medicinal properties of lichens more closely in recent years.

Lichens - which are often mistaken for moss - are unusual plant-like organisms that are actually a symbioses of fungi, algae and bacteria living together. They usually live on soil, bark, leaves and wood and can live in barren and unwelcoming environments, including the Arctic and in deserts.

Future work will examine the effect of lichens on prions in the environment and determine if lichen consumption can protect animals from acquiring prion diseases.   

The study, “Degradation of the disease-associated prion protein by a serine protease from lichens,” was published in PLoS ONE and is freely accessible to the public. The study was authored by USGS scientists Christopher Johnson, James Bennett and Tonie Rocke, as well as authors from Montana State University and the University of Wisconsin.

The Leopold Award honors the legacy of Aldo Leopold (1887-1948), who is widely considered to be the father of modern wildlife management and conservation in North America. It is the highest honor bestowed by The Wildlife Society and is considered the highest recognition for a professional wildlife ecologist. The award has been given to a single individual each year since 1950. 

Johnson's career embodies the essence of Aldo Leopold's professional contributions as a scientist. He is nationally and internationally recognized as a leader in wildlife research and management, and is described by supporters and award nominators as one of the "true visionaries in the wildlife profession" during the last four decades. He received his bachelor's degree in mathematics and psychology from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minn., master’s degree in statistics from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis., and doctorate degree in zoology from North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D.  

In 1970, Johnson began his career as a statistician at the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Jamestown, N.D., where he worked for 35 years.  Since 2005, he has been stationed at Northern Prairie’s field office in Saint Paul, Minn.  

Johnson's ongoing research includes statistical and biological issues, and he has been a pioneer in using modeling and statistics to understand complex wildlife problems and identify pertinent information needs. His expertise includes ecology, conservation, habitat management, statistical modeling and theory, mathematics, inventory and monitoring, population dynamics, taxonomy, and agricultural programs. Johnson has authored or coauthored several hundred presentations on these and other subjects at scientific meetings, workshops, seminars, and lectures, and has published over 185 papers in peer-reviewed national and international scientific journals, government scientific report series, and conference proceedings and transactions. 

The Wildlife Society, founded in 1937, is an international association dedicated to excellence in wildlife stewardship through science and education.  The society's mission is to represent and serve the professional community of scientists, managers, educators, technicians, planners, and others who work actively to study, manage, and conserve wildlife and its habitats worldwide.  Membership includes over 8,000 wildlife professionals and students from over 70 countries with expertise in all aspects of wildlife biology, research, conservation, and management. 

Related Podcasts

Endocrine Disruptors and Intersex Fish in Minnesota Lakes

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Female characteristics were observed in male fish in most of the lakes studied. Less than 10 percent of caged minnows placed in the lakes for 21 days showed signs of intersex, which can be caused by exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals.

Although endocrine disrupting chemicals and endocrine disruption in both resident fish and caged minnows were generally more pronounced in lakes surrounded by urban and agricultural lands, they were also identified in more remote lakes. Further studies are needed to determine if there is a link between the prevalence of these chemicals and surrounding land use. The full study can be found in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

The lakes studied include Budd, Cedar, Elk, Kabetogama, Northern Light, Owasso, Red Sand, Shingobee, Stewart, Sullivan, and White Sand. The 11 lakes are spread across the state and surrounded by multiple types of land-cover, including urban, forested and agricultural lands. Wastewater treatment plant discharges were absent from all of the lakes.

“We were surprised to see the same types of compounds found in wastewater treatment plant discharges in these Minnesota lakes,” said USGS scientist Jeffrey Writer. “This study illustrates a need for future research to learn more about where these chemicals are coming from and the potential effects on the fish.”

Although small amounts of steroidal hormones were detected in all of the lakes, they were found at levels that could cause potential ecological effects. Other potential endocrine disrupting compounds, including bisphenol A, were found at concentrations similar to those found at WWTP outputs. 

Contaminants can enter lakes from variety of non-point sources, such as: farming, stormwater runoff, animal feeding operations, septic systems, recreational activities, transportation and atmospheric deposition.

Vitellogenin, an egg yolk protein commonly produced by female fish but generally absent in male fish was used to evaluate endocrine disruption. Elevated levels of this protein were identified in male fish in most of the lakes surveyed.

This USGS study is part of an ongoing program with St. Cloud State University and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to look at the water quality of lakes in Minnesota. More information can be found at the USGS Emerging Contaminant and Endocrine Studies in Minnesota website.

For a podcast interview with USGS scientist Jeffrey Writer, listen to episode 135 of CoreCast

ANN ARBOR, MI—Sea lamprey control is a “dirty job,” one that TV star Mike Rowe will take on during an upcoming episode of the Discovery Channel’s popular program Dirty Jobs.  The segment will first air on November 2, 2010 at 9:00 EST/8:00 CST.

Imagine a two-foot-long leach with teeth that latches onto a fish with a death grip and sucks out its life.  That’s a sea lamprey, and crews from the United States and Canada—through a joint effort—handle these noxious pests every day in an effort to keep their populations in check.  Sea lamprey control crews conduct extensive field work in remote locations and do not hesitate to jump waist-deep into traps full of squirming lampreys.  They’re also not beneath fighting dirty—part of sea lamprey control uses sterilization, pheromones, and other tricks to ensure they do not reproduce successfully.

During the summer of 2010, Mr. Rowe and the Discovery Channel visited northern Michigan to lend a hand to sea lamprey control crews and research scientists.  Mr. Rowe received his in-the-field “training” from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey.

“Many of the duties performed by Fish and Wildlife Service staff could be categorized as a “dirty job”, whether searching Missouri cattails for the Endangered Eastern Massassagua rattlesnake, netting for the elusive Asian carp in the Illinois River, or banding migratory waterfowl on their breeding grounds in the Upper Midwest,” said Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius. “Getting this kind of high profile coverage for important species, like the invasive sea lamprey, is critical to ensuring we have public support for the conservation and management work that our employees carry out.”

Dr. Leon Carl, Regional Executive of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Midwest Region, added:  “Mike Rowe, in his entertaining way, gives us a behind-the-scenes view of the cutting edge science being conducted for sea lamprey control and its importance for the Great Lakes fishery.  Many folks involved in sea lamprey control and research are big fans of the show Dirty Jobs, and we can’t think of a more appropriate activity to feature than our efforts to stop these invaders.”

Native to the Atlantic Ocean, sea lampreys invaded the upper Great Lakes in the 1920s through shipping canals and wreaked havoc on the ecosystem ever since.  Sea lampreys attach to fish with a tooth-filled suction cup mouth, file a hole through the fish’s scales and skin, and feed on the fish’s blood and body fluids.  They decimated Great Lakes fisheries, caused significant economic harm, and changed a way of life in the region.

Recognizing the need to control this destructive pest, the governments of Canada and the United States, in 1954, established a binational sea lamprey control program.  The Great Lakes Fishery Commission was created in part to develop and implement measures to control sea lampreys. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada serve as agents of the commission and also work in cooperation with various federal, provincial, state and tribal agencies in maintaining sea lamprey abundance at or below acceptable levels.  The U.S. Geological Survey conducts essential sea lamprey research and works with the partnership to develop technologies for sea lamprey control.

”Sea lamprey populations have dropped by 90% in many areas of the Great Lakes, allowing for the restoration of the Great Lakes ecosystem and contributing to the $7 billion in economic return that the fishery brings each year to the region,” said Dr. Michael Hansen, the commission’s chair.  “Sea lampreys are quite telegenic; they look like aliens from outer space.  This episode of Dirty Jobs will be a great opportunity for Discovery Channel viewers to catch a glimpse of the difficult and often grimy work that we in the region do to keep this species under control.”

To view the first airing of the Dirty Jobs Sea Lamprey segment, tune in to the Discovery Channel at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 8:00 p.m. CST on Tuesday, November 2, 2010.

For more information about sea lampreys and sea lamprey control, visit www.sealamprey.org.

By using satellite tracking devices implanted in the loons from Wisconsin and Minnesota, USGS scientists expect to learn essential information about avian botulism needed by managers to develop important conservation strategies for the loon species.  

Biologist Jeff Wilson releases a loon marked with a geolocator tag on a lake in northern Wisconsin.

Geolocator tag is shown attached to a common loon's leg band using marine epoxy and cable ties.

“This study will also help managers better understand how loons fare as they head to their wintering grounds along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts,” said USGS scientist Kevin Kenow, of the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) in La Cross, WI. “Right now, little is known about habitat use along their entire migratory routes.”

Common loons, a large black and white waterbird with haunting calls, are an iconic species in the Great Lakes states where they are most abundant. Unlike most birds which have hollow bones, loon bones are dense, helping them to dive to depths of some 250 feet in their search for food.

In addition to satellite transmitter-marked loons, about 70 other loons will have geolocator tags, which will record daily location, temperature, light levels and water-pressure data that will log the foraging depths of these diving birds. “This information will help shed light on how avian botulism may work in the food web on the Great Lakes,” said Kenow, the leader of the migration project.

Botulism, which has caused more than 80,000 bird deaths on the Great Lakes since 1999, causes paralysis and death of vertebrates who ingest neurotoxin produced by the botulism bacterium.  The USGS study on avian botulism on the Great Lakes, funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, will examine the pathways by which fish and birds acquire botulinum toxin from Great Lakes food webs and determine how avian botulism outbreaks are related to environmental variables such as water quality and food web structure. Avian botulism outbreaks have resulted in periodic and often huge die-offs of fish-eating birds since at least the 1960s, but outbreaks have become more common and widespread since 1999, particularly in Lakes Michigan and Erie. 

“Understanding feeding patterns and exposure routes of waterbird species at high risk for botulism die-offs, such as the common loon, is central to understanding how botulism exposure happens in the aquatic food chains in the Great Lakes and to eventually identifying what drives botulism outbreaks,” said Kenow, “Only then, can we help provide tools to prevent or lessen such outbreaks.”

Movement of loons from previous studies carrying satellite transmitters can be followed online at the USGS UMESC website.  Loon movements from the current study will be available later this summer. 

More information on avian botulism can be found at USGS National Wildlife Health Center website

In addition to the UMESC, the USGS Great Lakes Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center and Michigan Water Science Center are involved in the Great Lakes botulism study. The University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Wisconsin and Minnesota Departments of Natural Resources, and St. John’s Abbey and University provided support to various aspects of the migration project. 

A recent U.S. Geological Survey report documents the flood peak and probability of occurrence at over 100 USGS streamgages that were operational during the Midwest floods of 2008. Such assessments are useful for citizens and officials in addressing flood-control, land-use, and flood insurance regulations.

“2008 was an incredible year for floods for the Midwest,” said Dr. Robert Holmes, USGS scientist and senior author of the report. “This flood probability information is crucial to flood risk assessment efforts.”

Peak-of-record streamflows were recorded at more than 147 USGS streamgages in 2008. Separate flooding events occurred in January, February, March, April, May, June, July, and September of that year.  Of those, the June floods were the most severe and widespread with the most substantial and, in some places, record flooding and damage occurring in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.   

“USGS hydrologists and hydrologic technicians work long hours during flood events like this to collect the necessary data to provide the public and other agencies with accurate, reliable streamflow information,” Holmes said. “One of the agencies that make significant use of the USGS data is the National Weather Service (NWS), which uses the data as input to computer models. These models are the basis for NWS flood forecasts at almost 4,000 locations across the United States.”

The report “Flooding in the United States Midwest, 2008” can be found online.

A series of clear, conical, plastic insect traps will be set up by river scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center and the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse.

The trap sites will include a cluster of six floating traps tethered to a white PVC pole.  The sampling devices are fragile and difficult to replace. The scientists request that summer boaters and fishermen avoid disturbing these fragile devices.

These devices will sample freshwater insects as they emerge from the water surface in the backwater lake and near shore areas of the Mississippi River from mid-May through early July.

The main purposes of this study are to measure how much "bird food" is produced through insect emergence and to increase our understanding of the potential food resources available to insect-eating birds (e.g., swallows, swifts, flycatchers) on the river. Freshwater insects, like mayflies, are an important component of the river’s food web, and emerge from the river loaded with fat and eggs - perfect food for birds.

A second part of this study will examine the fat content and quality of the emerging insects.  Scientists will determine how much of the fat in the insects are of the omega-3 family of fats, which are critical for growth and health of hatchling and adult birds, alike.  

A complimentary study will be conducted on the Illinois River near Havana, Illinois to compare the results with Pool 8.  In the Illinois River the invasive Asian silver and bighead carp are abundant and are having strong effects on the river ecosystem.

"We are trying to determine if Asian silver and bighead carp are having indirect effects on adult insect emergence through their consumption of algae that is food for insect larvae,” said USGS scientist William Richardson who is leading this study.  “If this is true, changes in insect fat could affect the health of insect-eating birds and their offspring." 

Richardson and his team plan to compare the results from the area in the Mississippi River with few Asian carp (Pool 8) to those of the heavily carp-infested Illinois River.

The new research shows that the region appears to be much more sensitive to climate warming and drying than previously thought.

“The impact to the millions of wetlands that attract countless ducks to these breeding grounds in spring makes it difficult to imagine how to maintain today’s level of waterfowl populations in altered climate conditions,” said Dr. Glenn Guntenspergen, a U.S. Geological Survey researcher and one of the report authors. “Parents may not have time to raise their young to where they can fly because of wetlands drying up too quickly in the warming climate of the future,” he added.

A new wetland model developed by the authors to understand the impacts of climate change on wetlands in the prairie pothole region projected major reductions in water volume, shortening of the time water remains in wetlands and changes to wetland vegetation dynamics in this 800,000-square kilometer region in the United States (North and South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota and Iowa) and Canada.

Many wetland species -- such as waterfowl and amphibians -- require a minimum time in water to complete their life cycles. For example, most dabbling ducks -- such as mallards and teal-- require at least 80 to 110 days of surface water for their young to grow to where they can fly and for breeding adults to complete molting, the time when birds are flightless while growing new feathers. In addition, an abundance of wetlands are needed because breeding waterfowl typically isolate themselves from others of the same species.

“Unfortunately, the model simulations show that under forecasted climate-change scenarios for this region (an increase of 4-degrees Celsius), the western prairie potholes will be too dry and the eastern ones will have too few functional wetlands and nesting habitat to support historical levels of waterfowl and other wetland-dependent species,” said Dr. W. Carter Johnson, another study author and a researcher at South Dakota State University.

The authors noted that their model allowed a more comprehensive analysis of climate change impacts across the northern prairies because it simultaneously examined the hydrology and vegetation dynamics of the wetland complex, which are both important for the wildlife that depend on the prairie potholes for part or all of their life cycles.  

 “Our results indicate that the prairie wetlands are highly vulnerable to climate warming, and are less resilient than we previously believed,” said Guntenspergen. “All but the very wettest of the historic boom years for waterfowl production in the more arid parts of the prairie pothole region may be bust years in a 4-degrees Celsius warmer climate.”

These findings may serve as a foundation for managers and policy makers to develop management plans to prepare for and adapt to climate change in the prairie pothole region.

The article, Prairie wetland complexes as landscape functional units in a changing climate, was published in BioScience (60[2]:128-140) and authored by researchers with South Dakota State University, the U.S. Geological Survey, University of Montana, St. Olaf College, The Desert Research Institute-University of Nevada, and the University of Idaho.

The disease (VHS) caused by the virus can result in significant losses in populations of wild fish as well as in stocks of fish reared by aquaculture. It is of sufficient global concern to be one of only nine fish diseases that must be reported to the World Organization for Animal Health.

The virus was first identified in the Great Lakes in 2005 when it was recovered from fish experiencing massive die-offs. Over the last 5 years, one die-off in Lake Ontario resulted in the death of 40,000 freshwater drum in 4 days. The virus had been found in fish from all of the Great Lakes except Superior, as well as in the Niagara and St. Lawrence rivers, and inland lakes in New York, Michigan and Wisconsin. The disease causes internal bleeding in fish, and although in the family of viruses that includes rabies, is not harmful to humans.

Cornell investigators tested 874 fish collected last summer from seven sites in Lake Superior.  Using a new genetic test developed at Cornell, fish from four of seven sites tested positive for the virus: Paradise, Mich., Skanee, Mich., St. Louis, Bay, Wisc., and Superior Bay, Wisc. The VHSV-positive species included yellow perch, white sucker, rock bass and bluegill. To confirm these findings, tissues from fish at one of the sites (Paradise) were sent to the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center where VHSV experts Drs. Gael Kurath and James Winton provided independent confirmation of the Cornell findings.  

“VHS is one of the most important diseases of finfish,” said Winton. “It not only affects the health and well-being of populations of several important native fish species, but it can also impact trade, and, should it spread into the U.S. aquaculture industry, could do substantial damage as happened in Europe and parts of Japan.”

Previous genetic research at the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center and by colleagues from Canada showed that this strain of the virus was probably introduced into the Great Lakes in the last 5 to 10 years, and that the fish die-offs occurring among different species and in different lakes should be considered as one large ongoing epidemic. Experts fear the disease could potentially spread from the

Great Lakes into new populations of native fish in the 31 states of the Mississippi River basin.

Federal and State agencies had previously placed restrictions on movement of fish or fish products to slow the spread of the virus; however, the presence of a reportable pathogen in the Great Lakes States, large mortalities among wild species, potential impacts on commercial aquaculture and disruption of interstate and international trade have caused substantial concern among management agencies.

For more information, visit the USGS VHSV Web site.

“This is the highest level of streamflow that we have recorded for this time of year since the USGS began monitoring the Red River at Fargo more than 108 years ago,” said Gregg Wiche, Director of the USGS North Dakota Water Science Center, which operates a system of stream gauges throughout the state of North Dakota.  “It is concerning to see this level of streamflow in November.”

Prior to this year’s record-breaking floods in Fargo and other parts of North Dakota, the flow in the Red River at Fargo peaked last fall at 9180 cfs on Oct. 16, 2008.  By Nov. 4 of last year, the streamflow in Fargo had fallen to around 1400 cfs, significantly less than the 8040 cfs flow that was registered yesterday.  USGS scientists have observed a substantial increase in flow since Oct. 30.  At a height of 23.59 feet on Nov. 4 (2009), the Red was approximately 5½ feet above flood stage and setting new records for this time of the year.   

The USGS operates a network of 65 stream gauges in the Red River of the North Basin to monitor the water level and flow of the river.  Through satellite and computer technology, stream gauges transmit real-time information, which the National Weather Service (NWS) uses to issue warnings so local emergency managers can get people out of harm’s way.  The information is also provided to operators of flood control dams and levees so they can take action to reduce flood impacts. 

Levels of chloride, a component of salt, are elevated in many urban streams and groundwater across the northern U.S., according to a new government study.

Chloride levels above the recommended federal criteria set to protect aquatic life were found in more than 40 percent of urban streams tested.  The study was released today by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).  Elevated chloride can inhibit plant growth, impair reproduction, and reduce the diversity of organisms in streams.

The effect of chloride on drinking-water wells was lower. Scientists found chloride levels greater than federal standards set for human consumption in fewer than 2 percent of drinking-water wells sampled in the USGS study.

Use of salt for deicing roads and parking lots in the winter is a major source of chloride. Other sources include wastewater treatment, septic systems, and farming operations.

“Safe transportation is a top priority of state and local officials when they use road salt. And clearly salt is an effective deicer that prevents accidents, saves lives, and reduces property losses,” said Matthew C. Larsen, USGS Associate Director for Water. “These findings are not surprising, but rather remind us of the unintended consequences that salt use for deicing may have on our waters. Transportation officials continue to implement innovative alternatives that reduce salt use without compromising safety.”

This comprehensive study examines chloride concentrations in the northern U.S. covering parts of 19 States, including 1,329 wells and 100 streams.

Selected Highlights

Land use matters

• Chloride yields (the amount of chloride delivered per square mile of drainage area) were substantially higher in cities than in farmlands and forests. Urban streams carried 88 tons of chloride per square mile of drainage area.  Forest streams carried about 6 tons of chloride per square mile.

• Only 4 percent of the streams in agricultural areas had chloride levels that exceeded the recommended federal criteria set to protect aquatic life (compared to more than 40 percent of urban streams).  Overall, 15 percent of all streams had chloride levels exceeding the criteria.

• Chloride concentrations in shallow groundwater (not used for drinking) were 16 times greater in urban areas than in forests, and 4 times greater in urban areas than in agricultural areas.

Highest levels in streams in the winter

• In urban streams, the highest levels of chloride (as great as 4,000 parts per million, which is about 20 times higher than the recommended federal criteria) were measured during winter months when salt and other chemicals are used for deicing.

Increases over time

• Increases in chloride levels in streams during the last two decades are consistent with overall increases in salt use in the U.S. for deicing.

• Increasing chloride yields are linked to the expansion of road networks and parking lots that require deicing, increases in the number of septic systems, increases in wastewater discharge, and increases in saline groundwater from landfills.

Sources can vary locally

Chloride in ground and surface waters comes from many sources including the use and storage of salt for deicing roads, septic systems, wastewater treatment facilities, water softening, animal waste, fertilizers, discharge from landfills, natural sources of salt and brine in geologic deposits, and from natural and human sources in precipitation.