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Ductile and brittle Rio Grande Rift deformation in Oligocene granite records a two-stage rift history in southern Colorado Ductile and brittle Rio Grande Rift deformation in Oligocene granite records a two-stage rift history in southern Colorado
The timing and nature of early deformation in the Rio Grande Rift remains poorly constrained. We present evidence for the earliest structural signature of rift extension in the Sangre de Cristo Range, southern Colorado, based on new geologic mapping, structural analysis, rock magnetic data, and thermochronology. These analyses focus on the ~30.0 Ma granite of Chokecherry Canyon, which...
Authors
Samantha Malavarca, John Singleton, Mark R. Hudson, Gabrielle Ursin, Jeffrey M. Rahl, Martin Wong, Miriam Primus, Hunter Broeder
Key minerals in energy transmission Key minerals in energy transmission
The electrical grid relies on minerals with unique properties to transform, transmit, and convert electricity. Transmission needs are growing—to support the expansion of data centers and link diverse energy resources into the grid. This expansion will require greater quantities of minerals. Although some minerals are produced in the United States, the United States relies on imports for...
Authors
Eliza H. Malakoff
Listening for extinction: Range-wide occupancy highlights critical risks and priorities for northern spotted owls Listening for extinction: Range-wide occupancy highlights critical risks and priorities for northern spotted owls
The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) continues to decline across its range, threatened by habitat disturbances and invasive barred owls (Strix varia). We conducted a range-wide spotted owl occupancy assessment using 2.1 million h of passive acoustic recordings from 4081 survey stations within 1027 randomly selected 5-km2 hexagons across six physiographic regions...
Authors
Damon B. Lesmeister, Julianna M.A. Jenkins, Raymond J. Davis, Natalie M. Rugg, Cara L. Appel, Larissa L. Bailey, Erin Bayne, Chestnut Tara, Leila S. Duchac, Katie M. Dugger, Taylor D. Ellis, Alan B. Franklin, Scott A. Gremel, Aaron Henderson, Edward Henson, J. Mark Higley, James E. Hines, Bruce A. Hollen, William L. Kendall, Taal Levi, Darryl I. MacKenzie, Christopher E. McCafferty, Thomas Munger, David Press, Caroline Provost, Suzanne Reffler, Zachary J. Ruff, James K. Swingle, Erica Tevini, Alaina D. Thomas, Matthew J. Weldy, Kirsten Wert, Angela White, Charles B. Yackulic
Comparative crop yield forecasting using satellite-derived biophysical and agro-climatic predictors in Sub-Saharan Africa Comparative crop yield forecasting using satellite-derived biophysical and agro-climatic predictors in Sub-Saharan Africa
Timely and accurate crop yield forecasting is central to food security early warning systems, particularly in climate-vulnerable regions. While operational forecasting frameworks commonly rely on precipitation and vegetation indices such as NDVI, their ability to provide actionable lead time remains limited. Here, we evaluate the added value of satellite-derived biophysical Essential...
Authors
Barnali Das, Shraddhanand Shukla, Frank Davenport, Greg Husak, Chris Funk, Karyn Tabor, James Rowland, Michael Budde, James Verdin
Morphodynamics of snow barchans at Concordia Station, Antarctica Morphodynamics of snow barchans at Concordia Station, Antarctica
Barchans are crescent-shaped dunes that form and migrate under unimodal wind regimes in areas of low sediment availability. While sand barchan morphodynamics has been extensively studied, snow barchans remain poorly documented. Here, using hourly time-series images taken near Concordia Station, Antarctica, we measure the sizes (lengths 0.3 m to 13 m, widths 0.4 m to 7.5 m) and migration...
Authors
Marine Poizat, Jeanne Alkalla, Ghislain Picard, Laurent Arnaud, Daniel J. Nowacki, Simon Filhol, Eric Lefebvre, Clément Narteau
Bathymetric survey and storage capacity of Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona in 2024 Bathymetric survey and storage capacity of Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona in 2024
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the city of Flagstaff, collected bathymetric, light detection and ranging (lidar), and land-survey data of Upper Lake Mary in Arizona during the months of April and October 2024. The city of Flagstaff uses a combination of groundwater from well fields throughout the Flagstaff area and surface water, mainly from Upper Lake Mary, for...
Authors
Joseph A. Affinati, Matthew A. Kaplinski, Paul E. Grams, Katherine A. Chapman
Black rails in Baja California Black rails in Baja California
Summarizing records from 1905 to 2025, we document the presence and distribution of the California black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus) in northwestern México, particularly Baja California and the Colorado River Delta. This subspecies has a restricted distribution in the western U.S. and northwestern México. We found few records over the past century: sparse detections in the...
Authors
Hiram Rafael Moreno-Higareda, Courtney J. Conway, Héctor Manuel Sánchez-Márquez, Osvel Hinojosa, Enrique Zamora, Hans Sin, Gorgonio Ruiz-Campos, Justyn T. Stahl, Eduardo Palacios, Horacio de la Cueva
Comparative screening of private, public, and bottled drinking water in vitro bioactivity Comparative screening of private, public, and bottled drinking water in vitro bioactivity
This study compares in vitro bioactivity profiles of extracts from private tapwater (51 samples), public tapwater (143 samples), and bottled water (31 samples), using high-throughput, multiplex, transcription factor screening. Of 48 biological end points tested, 25 showed significant (≥50% above the field blank) activity. Frequently detected (≥10% of samples) bioactivities (in decreasing...
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly L. Smalling, Stephanie E. Gordon, Sergei S. Makarov, Alexander V. Medvedev, Molly L. Schreiner
The effect of solar energy development on plant diversity across spatial scales The effect of solar energy development on plant diversity across spatial scales
Utility-scale solar energy development is a novel and rapidly expanding land-use with largely unknown consequences for plant diversity. Construction disturbance and associated increases in environmental heterogeneity in solar facilities relative to undisturbed ecosystems can affect plant diversity at multiple spatial scales. We assessed the effects of modified construction methods...
Authors
Timothy J. Ohlert, Claire C. Karban, Seth M. Munson, Melinda D. Smith
Sediment transport, terrace incision, and sediment chemistry in subbasins of differing land use, Stinking Water Creek Basin near Rangely, Colorado Sediment transport, terrace incision, and sediment chemistry in subbasins of differing land use, Stinking Water Creek Basin near Rangely, Colorado
In many areas of western Colorado, Late Cretaceous Mancos Shale is a source of sediment, salinity, and selenium to surface water. Natural weathering processes and human activity can expose and move sediments from the Mancos Shale, leading to increased salinity and selenium concentrations in surface water. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management...
Authors
Rachel G. Gidley, Shannon A. Mahan, Emma T. Krolczyk, Cory A. Williams, Michael S. Kohn, Michael R. Stevens, Joel W. Homan
Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) survival in southwestern Oregon Ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) survival in southwestern Oregon
The effective conservation and management of small carnivore populations requires understanding species’ life-history traits and identifying important vital rates that drive population trajectories. However, many of these species are rare or elusive and of state or federal conservation concern, and demographic information is often lacking and difficult to obtain. At the northern limit of...
Authors
Lindsay N. Somers, Katie M. Dugger, DeWaine H. Jackson
Family life is critical for migration and survival in a long-lived social bird Family life is critical for migration and survival in a long-lived social bird
Extended parental care is common among birds and particularly well known among long-lived migratory species. Yet, factors influencing the duration of parental care are poorly understood, and empirical evidence for the functional importance of family life for offspring development is scarce. Using unique tracking and genetic data of 55 adult and juvenile migratory Bewick’s swans, among...
Authors
Hans Linssen, E. Emiel van Loon, Robert E. Wilson, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Gotz Eichhorn, Judy Shamoun-Baranes, Bart A. Nolet