Publications
This list of publications includes peer-review journal articles, official USGS publications series, reports and more authored by scientists in the Ecosystems Mission Area. A database of all USGS publications, with advanced search features, can be accessed at the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Filter Total Items: 42871
Glacier recession since the Little Ice Age: Implications for water storage in a Rocky Mountain landscape Glacier recession since the Little Ice Age: Implications for water storage in a Rocky Mountain landscape
Glacial ice is a significant influence on local climate, hydrology, vegetation, and wildlife. We mapped a complete set of glacier areas from the Little Ice Age (LIA) using very high-resolution satellite imagery (30-cm) within Glacier National Park, a region that encompasses over 400,000 hectares. We measured glacier change across the park using LIA glacier area as a baseline and used...
Authors
Chelsea Mikle, Daniel B. Fagre
Long-term (37 years) impacts of low-head dams on freshwater shrimp habitat connectivity in northeastern Puerto Rico Long-term (37 years) impacts of low-head dams on freshwater shrimp habitat connectivity in northeastern Puerto Rico
Freshwater migratory shrimp in Puerto Rico depend on watershed connectivity, from stream headwaters to the ocean, to complete their life cycle. Moreover, shrimp populations in different watersheds are known to be connected in an island-wide metapopulation. However, low-head dams paired with water intakes on streams draining the El Yunque National Forest (EYNF) reduce streamflow. Here, we...
Authors
Jessica Chappell, S. Kyle McKay, Mary Freeman, Catherine M. Pringle
Rapid inundation of the southern Florida coastline despite low relative sea-level rise rates during the late-Holocene Rapid inundation of the southern Florida coastline despite low relative sea-level rise rates during the late-Holocene
Sediment cores from Florida Bay, Everglades National Park were examined to determine ecosystem response to relative sea-level rise (RSLR) over the Holocene. High-resolution multiproxy analysis from four sites show freshwater wetlands transitioned to mangrove environments 4–3.6 ka, followed by estuarine environments 3.4–2.8 ka, during a period of enhanced climate variability. We calculate...
Authors
Miriam Jones, G. Lynn Wingard, Bethany Stackhouse, Katherine Keller, Debra A. Willard, Marci E. Marot, Bryan D. Landacre, Christopher E. Bernhardt
Alternative sea lamprey barrier technologies: History as a control tool Alternative sea lamprey barrier technologies: History as a control tool
Currently, application of lampricides and installation of low-head barriers are the only proven means of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) control in the Great Lakes. While sea lamprey cannot climb or jump over low-head barriers, many desirable migratory species also cannot traverse barriers and are unintentionally blocked. Recently, there has been a push to reduce reliance on chemical...
Authors
D.P. Zielinski, R. L. McLaughlin, Theodore R. Castro-Santos, B. Paudel, Pete J. Hrodey, A. M. Muir
A 3-year in-situ measurement of CO2 efflux in coastal wetlands: Understanding carbon loss through ecosystem respiration and its partitioning A 3-year in-situ measurement of CO2 efflux in coastal wetlands: Understanding carbon loss through ecosystem respiration and its partitioning
Understanding the link between ecosystem respiration (Reco) and its influential factors is necessary to evaluate the sources of gaseous carbon loss in coastal wetlands. Seablite (Suaeda salsa Pall.) is the main vegetation type pioneering temperate coastal wetlands in northeast China, and is generally an understudied wetland type. To evaluate the influence of environmental factors on Reco...
Authors
Xueyang Yu, Siyuan Ye, Linda Olsson, Mengjie Wei, Ken Krauss, Hans Brix
Assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in southern Lake Powell, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona and Utah, 2016–17 Assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in southern Lake Powell, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona and Utah, 2016–17
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination related to boat use is one of the most important water-quality issues affecting Lake Powell. High concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water are common around marinas and other areas with extensive motorboat activity because of releases of uncombusted or partially combusted oil and gasoline from boat engines. The fate of...
Authors
Alissa L. Coes, Nicholas V. Paretti, David A. Alvarez, Jamie P. Macy
Twenty-first century California, USA, wildfires: Fuel-dominated vs. wind-dominated fires Twenty-first century California, USA, wildfires: Fuel-dominated vs. wind-dominated fires
Since the beginning of the twenty-first century California, USA, has experienced a substantial increase in the frequency of large wildfires, often with extreme impacts on people and property. Due to the size of the state, it is not surprising that the factors driving these changes differ across this region. Although there are always multiple factors driving wildfire behavior, we believe...
Authors
Jon Keeley, Alexandra D. Syphard
Connectivity in the Crown: Highway 2 wildlife crossings Connectivity in the Crown: Highway 2 wildlife crossings
This report summarizes data collected to inform decisions on how to best mitigate the effects on wildlife migration from increasing traffic, development, and recreation along US highway 2. The highway, railway, and river split the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. This data addresses SO 3362 by providing information on major wildlife trails, observed wildilfe crossings and road kills...
Authors
John S. Waller, Tabitha A. Graves, Brad Anderson, Brandon Kittson, Sarah Mccrimmon Gaulke
Soil texture and precipitation seasonality influence plant community structure in North American temperate shrub steppe Soil texture and precipitation seasonality influence plant community structure in North American temperate shrub steppe
In drylands, the coexistence of grasses and woody plants has been attributed to soil‐water resource partitioning. Soil texture and precipitation seasonality can influence the amount and distribution of water in the soil, and their interaction may play an important role in determining the relative importance of grasses and woody plants. We investigated the influence of this interaction on...
Authors
Rachel R. Renne, John B. Bradford, Ingrid C. Burke, William K. Lauenroth
FLUXNET-CH4 synthesis activity: Objectives, observations, and future directions FLUXNET-CH4 synthesis activity: Objectives, observations, and future directions
This paper describes the formation of, and initial results for, a new FLUXNET coordination network for ecosystem-scale methane (CH4) measurements at 60 sites globally, organized by the Global Carbon Project in partnership with other initiatives and regional flux tower networks. The objectives of the effort are presented along with an overview of the coverage of eddy covariance (EC) CH4...
Authors
Sara H. Knox, Robert B. Jackson, Benjamin Poulter, Gavin McNicol, Etienne Fluet-Chouinard, Zhen Zhang, Gustaf Hugelius, Philippe Bousquet, Josep G Canadell, Marielle Saunois, Dario Papale, Housen Chu, Trevor F. Keenan, Dennis Baldocchi, Margaret S. Torn, Ivan Mammarella, Carlo Trotta, Mika Aurela, Gil Bohrer, David I. Campbell, Alessandro Cescatti, Samuel D. Chamberlain, Jiquan Chen, Weinan Chen, Sigrid Dengel, Ankur R. Desai, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Thomas Friborg, Daniele Gasbarra, Ignacio Goded, Mathias Goeckede, Martin Heimann, Manuel Helbig, Takashi Hirano, David Y. Hollinger, Hiroki Iwata, Minseok Kang, Janina Klatt, Ken Krauss, Lars Kutzbach, Annalea Lohila, Bhaskar Mitra, Timothy H Morin, Mats B. Nilsson, Shuli Niu, Asko Noormets, Walter C. Oechel, Matthias Peichl, Olli Peltola, Michele L. Reba, Andrew D. Richardson, Benjamin R. K. Runkle, Youngryel Ryu, Torsten Sachs, Karina V R Schafer, Hans Peter Schmid, Narasinha Shurpali, Oliver Sonnentag, Angela C I Tang, Masahito Ueyama, Rodrigo Vargas, Timo Vesala, Eric Ward, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Georg Wohlfahrt, Donatella Zona
The Aleutian Low – Beaufort Sea Anticyclone: A climate index for predicting the timing of springtime melt in the Pacific Arctic cryosphere The Aleutian Low – Beaufort Sea Anticyclone: A climate index for predicting the timing of springtime melt in the Pacific Arctic cryosphere
Early and late extremes in the timing of snowmelt have recently been observed in the Pacific Arctic. Subseasonal-to-seasonal forecasts of this timing are important for industry, environmental management and Arctic communities. In northern Alaska, the timing is influenced by the advection of marine air from the north Pacific by the Aleutian Low, modulated by high pressure centered in the...
Authors
Christopher J. Cox, Robert S. Stone, David C. Douglas, Diane Stanitski, Michael Gallagher
Individual behaviour and resource use of thermally stressed brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis portend the conservation potential of thermal refugia Individual behaviour and resource use of thermally stressed brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis portend the conservation potential of thermal refugia
Individual aggression and thermal refuge use were monitored in brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis in a controlled laboratory to determine how fish size and personality influence time spent in forage and thermal habitat patches during periods of thermal stress. On average, larger and more exploratory fish initiated more aggressive interactions and across all fish there was decreased...
Authors
Shannon L. White, B.C. Kline, Nathaniel Hitt, Tyler Wagner