Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Filter Total Items: 2070

Mercury cycling in the Hells Canyon Complex of the Snake River, Idaho and Oregon Mercury cycling in the Hells Canyon Complex of the Snake River, Idaho and Oregon

Introduction The Hells Canyon Complex (HCC) is a hydroelectric project built and operated by the Idaho Power Company (IPC) that consists of three dams on the Snake River along the Oregon and Idaho border (fig. 1). The dams have resulted in the creation of Brownlee, Oxbow, and Hells Canyon Reservoirs, which have a combined storage capacity of more than 1.5 million acre-feet and span about...
Authors
Gregory M. Clark, Jesse Naymik, David P. Krabbenhoft, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, George R. Aiken, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Reed C. Harris, Ralph Myers

Assessing potential health risks to fish and humans using mercury concentrations in inland fish from across western Canada and the United States Assessing potential health risks to fish and humans using mercury concentrations in inland fish from across western Canada and the United States

Fish represent high quality protein and nutrient sources, but Hg contamination is ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems and can pose health risks to fish and their consumers. Potential health risks posed to fish and humans by Hg contamination in fish were assessed in western Canada and the United States. A large compilation of inland fish Hg concentrations was evaluated in terms of potential...
Authors
Jesse M. Lepak, Mevin Hooten, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Michael T. Tate, Michelle A. Lutz, Joshua T. Ackerman, James J. Willacker, Allyson K. Jackson, David C. Evers, James G. Wiener, Colleen Flanagan Pritz, Jay Davis

Age- and season-specific variation in local and long-distance movement behavior of golden eagles Age- and season-specific variation in local and long-distance movement behavior of golden eagles

Animal movements can determine the population dynamics of wildlife. We used telemetry data to provide insight into the causes and consequences of local and long-distance movements of multiple age classes of conservation-reliant golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in the foothills and mountains near Tehachapi, California. We estimated size and habitat-related correlates of 324 monthly 95 %...
Authors
Sharon A. Poessel, Peter H. Bloom, Melissa A. Braham, Todd E. Katzner

Spatiotemporal patterns of mercury accumulation in lake sediments of western North America Spatiotemporal patterns of mercury accumulation in lake sediments of western North America

For the Western North America Mercury Synthesis, we compiled mercury records from 165 dated sediment cores from 138 natural lakes across western North America. Lake sediments are accepted as faithful recorders of historical mercury accumulation rates, and regional and sub-regional temporal and spatial trends were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Mercury accumulation...
Authors
Paul Drevnick, Colin A. Cooke, Daniella Barraza, Jules M. Blais, Kenneth Coale, Brian F. Cumming, Chris Curtis, Biplob Das, William F. Donahue, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Daniel R. Engstrom, William F. Fitzgerald, Chad V. Furl, John R. Gray, Roland I. Hall, Togwell A. Jackson, Kathleen R. Laird, W. Lyle Lockhart, Robie W. Macdonald, M. Alisa Mast, Callie Mathieu, Derek C.G. Muir, Peter Outridge, Scott Reinemann, Sarah E. Rothenberg, Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernandex, Louis, Rhea Sanders, Hamed Sanei, Elliott Skierszkan, Peter C. Van Metre, Timothy Veverica, Johan A. Wiklund, Brent B. Wolfe

Mercury risk to avian piscivores across western United States and Canada Mercury risk to avian piscivores across western United States and Canada

The widespread distribution of mercury (Hg) threatens wildlife health, particularly piscivorous birds. Western North America is a diverse region that provides critical habitat to many piscivorous bird species, and also has a well-documented history of mercury contamination from legacy mining and atmospheric deposition. The diversity of landscapes in the west limits the distribution of...
Authors
Allyson K. Jackson, David C. Evers, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Joshua T. Ackerman, James J. Willacker, John E. Elliott, Jesse M. Lepak, Stacy S. Vander Pol, Colleen E. Bryan

Nitrogen enrichment regulates calcium sources in forests Nitrogen enrichment regulates calcium sources in forests

Nitrogen (N) is a key nutrient that shapes cycles of other essential elements in forests, including calcium (Ca). When N availability exceeds ecosystem demands, excess N can stimulate Ca leaching and deplete Ca from soils. Over the long term, these processes may alter the proportion of available Ca that is derived from atmospheric deposition vs. bedrock weathering, which has fundamental
Authors
Justin D. Hynicka, Julie C. Pett-Ridge, Steven S. Perakis

Mercury in western North America: A synthesis of environmental contamination, fluxes, bioaccumulation, and risk to fish and wildlife Mercury in western North America: A synthesis of environmental contamination, fluxes, bioaccumulation, and risk to fish and wildlife

Western North America is a region defined by extreme gradients in geomorphology and climate, which support a diverse array of ecological communities and natural resources. The region also has extreme gradients in mercury (Hg) contamination due to a broad distribution of inorganic Hg sources. These diverse Hg sources and a varied landscape create a unique and complex mosaic of ecological...
Authors
Collin A. Eagles-Smith, James G. Wiener, Chris S. Eckley, James J. Willacker, David C. Evers, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Daniel Obrist, Jacob Fleck, George R. Aiken, Jesse M. Lepak, Allyson K. Jackson, Jackson Webster, A. Robin Stewart, Jay Davis, Charles N. Alpers, Joshua T. Ackerman

Aquatic biodiversity in forests: A weak link in ecosystem services resilience Aquatic biodiversity in forests: A weak link in ecosystem services resilience

The diversity of aquatic ecosystems is being quickly reduced on many continents, warranting a closer examination of the consequences for ecological integrity and ecosystem services. Here we describe intermediate and final ecosystem services derived from aquatic biodiversity in forests. We include a summary of the factors framing the assembly of aquatic biodiversity in forests in natural...
Authors
Brooke E. Penaluna, Deanna H. Olson, Rebecca L. Flitcroft, Matthew A. Weber, J. Ryan Bellmore, Steven M. Wondzell, Jason B. Dunham, Sherri L. Johnson, Gordon H. Reeves

Herpetological monitoring and assessment on the Trinity River, Trinity County, California—Final report Herpetological monitoring and assessment on the Trinity River, Trinity County, California—Final report

The primary goal of the Trinity River Restoration Program is to rehabilitate the fisheries on the dam-controlled Trinity River. However, maintaining and enhancing other wildlife populations through the restoration initiative is also a key objective. Foothill yellow-legged frogs (Rana boylii) and western pond turtles (Actinemys marmorata) have been identified as important herpetological...
Authors
Melissa L. Snover, M. J. Adams

Salmon redd identification using environmental DNA (eDNA) Salmon redd identification using environmental DNA (eDNA)

Introduction The purpose of this project was to develop a technique to use environmental DNA (eDNA) to distinguish between redds made by Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and redds made by Coho salmon (O. kisutch) and to distinguish utilized redds from test/abandoned redds or scours that have the appearance of redds. The project had two phases: Phase 1. Develop, test, and...
Authors
David S. Pilliod, Matthew B. Laramie

Conservation of native Pacific trout diversity in western North America Conservation of native Pacific trout diversity in western North America

Pacific trout Oncorhynchus spp. in western North America are strongly valued in ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural views, and have been the subject of substantial research and conservation efforts. Despite this, the understanding of their evolutionary histories, overall diversity, and challenges to their conservation is incomplete. We review the state of knowledge on these important...
Authors
Brooke E. Penaluna, Alicia Abadia-Cardoso, Jason B. Dunham, Francisco J Garcia de Leon, Robert E. Gresswell, Arturo Ruiz Luna, Eric B. Taylor, Bradley B. Shepard, Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Kevin R. Bestgen, Kevin H. Rogers, Marco A Escalante, Ernest R. Keeley, Gabriel Temple, Jack E. Williams, Kathleen Matthews, Ron Pierce, Richard L. Mayden, Ryan Kovach, John Carlos Garza, Kurt D. Fausch

Combined use of isotopic and hydrometric data to conceptualize ecohydrological processes in a high-elevation tropical ecosystem Combined use of isotopic and hydrometric data to conceptualize ecohydrological processes in a high-elevation tropical ecosystem

Few high-elevation tropical catchments worldwide are gauged and even fewer are studied using combined hydrometric and isotopic data. Consequently, we lack information needed to understand processes governing rainfall-runoff dynamics and to predict their influence on downstream ecosystem functioning. To address this need, we present a combination of hydrometric and water stable isotopic
Authors
Giovanny M Mosquera, Rolando Celleri, Patricio X Lazo, Kellie B Vache, Steven S. Perakis, Patricio Crespo
Was this page helpful?