All Working Groups
All Working Groups
Powell Center working groups rarely are just one USGS Mission Area and are sorted into these areas by the groups themselves, though may be relevant to additional areas.
Click on one of the themes below to see the working groups related to that theme or keep scrolling to see all working groups.
Filter Total Items: 85
Critical zone as a mediator of hydroclimate-ecosystem asynchrony
Most regions across the continental United States are experiencing shifts in hydroclimate, such as snow transitioning to rain and changes in streamflow regimes, driven by rising air temperatures.
Identifying root causes of thiamine deficiency complex in global aquatic ecosystems
Thiamine deficiency complex (TDC) is considered one of the top threats to global wildlife, yet we have a poor understanding of the drivers or extent of TDC or the reason(s) why it appears to be increasing in frequency.
Scaling tropical wetland methane fluxes regionally and globally
Wetlands purify water and absorb carbon dioxide but release large amounts of methane. Tropical wetlands are also one of the least understood ecosystems on earth. This knowledge gap is unfortunate because science projects tropical methane emissions to rise. Determining if and when they do will require a baseline—a global synthesis of tropical emissions and their predictors.
A Global Synthesis of Flood Impacts: Understanding the Country-level Vulnerability and Causes
The escalating flood impacts on natural resources, built infrastructure, and human society have become a pressing global concern in the 21st century.
Defining subsidy–stress gradients for metals and relevance for US surface waters
Metals like iron, copper, and zinc are naturally occurring in soils and water, and they are important essential nutrients for animals and plants.
Are we experiencing a riverine silicon surge? Implications for the global carbon cycle
The amounts of silicon (Si), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in rivers are crucial for determining which types of algae grow.
Improving airborne disaster response coordination and communication with real-time open environmental data
Air pollution exposure in the United States is worsening due to changes in the environment and extreme natural events, such as wildfires and volcanic eruptions.
Quantifying the drivers of ecological stability
The accelerating impact of climate-driven perturbations have led to unprecedented levels of mass-mortality events worldwide. Given the impacts that these events could have on ecological function and the provisioning of ecosystem services, understanding the mechanisms underpinning ecological stability is among the most urgent conservation challenges of our time.
Beyond waves and shifting sand: considering ecosystem processes in forecasts of coastal landscape change
Sea-level rise and storms cause major changes on coastal landscapes, including shifts in elevation, ecosystem type (for example, dunes and tidal wetlands), soils, and plant communities. Because these changes can have impacts on human communities, the local economy, and ecosystems, understanding how, when, and why these changes occur can be important for informing policy and natural...
Fiber Optic Seismology for Earthquake Hazards Research, Monitoring and Early Warning
A revolution is underway in seismology that transforms fiber-optic cables into arrays of thousands of seismic sensors. Compared to the traditional monitoring networks using inertial seismometers, the fiber-optic approach can increase the spatial data density by orders of magnitude and enable data processing methodologies that require a high-fidelity wavefield. The Working Group aims to...
Renewable Resilience: City-Scale Geothermal Energy Everywhere
Despite the proven efficacy of geothermal energy as a city-scale heating and cooling resource, the relative newness of most city-scale applications using diverse technologies has resulted in limited widespread adoption. We aim to develop authoritative information suitable for city-managers and other decision-makers. Geothermal resources are ubiquitous and diverse, with technologies...
Synthesizing patterns and drivers of changes in lake zooplankton community dynamics worldwide
Despite the critical services freshwater systems provide, freshwater communities have been vastly under-studied compared to terrestrial and marine biomes. In fact, systematic compilations of freshwater zooplankton are surprisingly rare despite the critical roles zooplankton play in regulating and supporting ecosystem services, serving as key indicator species, and consequently...