USGS EcoNews | Winter 2024 - Vol. 5 | Issue 1
Webinar Series: Incorporating Climate and Environmental Justice into Research and Resource Management
The National CASC hosted a webinar series from February 29 to May 9, 2024 (3-4 PM ET) on how to integrate principles of climate and environmental justice into research and resource management. Speakers shared research and best practices around environmental and climate justice and engaged audiences in facilitated "coffee hours” for participants to learn from one another.
6PPD-Quinone
6PPD-Q is a compound used to make tires more durable and is also linked to toxicity for Coho Salmon and other aquatic species.
Modeling First Records to Guide Invasive Species Biosurveillance in Hawai‘i
Early detection of invasive species can enable their successful eradication. With climate change and dynamic patterns of global trade, it is difficult to predict which new invasive species will next get introduced and where introduction and establishment will occur. We are analyzing where non-native species have first established in Hawai‘i to develop mapped predictions of the relative risk of new invasions across space to enable more efficient biosurveillance for new invasive species.
USGS Updates Major Climate Change Visualization Tool
Aquatic Vegetation Monitoring
The Mississippi River is of global importance to persons and to the wildlife that live on and migrate along the river corridor. Data collected and processed by the Long-Term Resource Monitoring (LTRM) element of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) Program serves to help us understand, restore, and protect this remarkable ecosystem. The LTRM has collected aquatic and floodplain vegetation data for over 25 years, making it one of the largest and longest running aquatic vegetation data sets in the world. With these data, scientists can assess river health status, document trends, and develop models to forecast future conditions. This is especially important for understanding river health and guiding restoration strategies. The LTRM data set is used in numerous ways to help researchers and managers understand how the Upper Mississippi River is changing over time.
USGS scientists coordinate the rescue of over 60 sea turtles in cold weather snap
When water temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, it can mean life or death for Endangered Species Act-protected sea turtles. But scientists at the U.S. Geological survey are doing something about it.
Important paleoenvironmental perspectives on modern climate change
Many fundamental questions exist about how natural systems are responding and will respond to climate change. Our modern observational record (from about 1850 to present) is too short to resolve the full range of climate effects, so we turn to the paleoclimate record.
Fish Slam December 2023
Fifty-four biologists from nine organizations, including USGS, participated in a two-day Fish Slam event on December 13 - 14, 2023 in Southwest Florida.
Increased Mercury, Reduced Insect Diversity, and Food Web impacts from Historical Mercury Mining
U.S. Geological Survey scientists are seeking to understand the impacts of mercury mining on headwater streams, organisms, and food webs, focused on potential effects from historical mining in central Idaho. Mercury associated with mine waste can leave a legacy of contamination that continues to impact stream health in culturally and ecologically important headwater streams after mining activities stop.
Predicting risk of annual grass invasion following fire in sagebrush steppe and rangeland ecosystems
This project analyzes on-the-ground plant monitoring data across sagebrush and rangeland ecosystems to examine how fire, climate, topography, and plant communities influence the success of invasive annual grasses after fires.
Exploring Biodiversity of the Deep Hawaiian Pacific Ocean with Seafloor Mapping and eDNA Technologies
Working in partnership with BOEM and the NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, scientists from the USGS will embark on a 10-day voyage to the outer limits of the U.S. Pacific waters south of Hawai’i to conduct seafloor mapping and autonomous environmental DNA sampling in order to investigate and characterize the geology and biology of the Hawaiian abyssal plain.
Going to Extremes to Uncover the Secrets of Dinosaur's Ponderosa Pine
When resource specialists with the National Park Service noticed some peculiar patterns in Ponderosa pine trees in their park, they sent out a call to Department of Interior partners. They were looking for a dendrochronologist (someone who studies tree rings) who could use their scientific expertise to help unscramble and translate the life story hidden within the rings of the trees.
Webinar Series - Friday's Findings
Friday's Findings is a public webinar series hosted by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area. These half hour webinars are meant to provide listeners an overview of the science topic and chance to ask questions. We hope to offer our audience an opportunity to discover the Ecosystems science capacity within the USGS.