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Mercury mobilization and export from the Greenland Ice Sheet using an ice-to-ocean approach Mercury mobilization and export from the Greenland Ice Sheet using an ice-to-ocean approach
The Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is a poorly constrained source of mercury (Hg) to Arctic ecosystems. We measured Hg concentrations and stable isotopes along an ice-to-ocean continuum to identify controls on GrIS Hg export. Early-season permafrost melt and rainfall produced high filtered total mercury (fTHg, ~17 pM) and monomethylmercury (MMHg, ~2 pM). As subglacial drainage evolved...
Authors
Amina Nikol Youssef, Sarah E. Janssen, Carl Lamborg, Michael T. Tate, Marissa Despins, Eva L. Doting, Brett A. Poulin, David McCabe, Leah M. Hopf, Emma K. Ferrer, Abe Doroshow, Guillaume Lamarche-Gagnon, Ian Delaney, Marjolein Gevers, Jade Hatton, Iris Kubler-Dudgeon, Jack Geary Murphy, Amina T. Schartup, Marek Stibal, Johannes West, Jon R. Hawkings
Holistic understanding of uncertainty for collaborative and proactive global change decision making Holistic understanding of uncertainty for collaborative and proactive global change decision making
Global change is accelerating and pushing the planet's ecosystems beyond the range of historical observations, creating increasing uncertainty in future system conditions. Despite general agreement that proactive environmental action is warranted, environmental decision conversations often end by identifying additional data needed to reduce uncertainty before taking novel action. Given...
Authors
Nicole K. Ward, Aaron D. Shultz, Amanda L. Sesser, Michael W. Price, Dawn R. Magness, Abigail J. Lynch, Jonathan F. Hansen, Kelly G. Guilbeau
Background and geologic model for the 2024 U.S. Geological Survey assessment of undiscovered conventional petroleum resources in the Norphlet Formation, U.S. Gulf Coast Background and geologic model for the 2024 U.S. Geological Survey assessment of undiscovered conventional petroleum resources in the Norphlet Formation, U.S. Gulf Coast
The Upper Jurassic Norphlet Formation is a stratigraphic unit located in the subsurface of the United States Gulf coastal plain and offshore Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico). The Norphlet consists of clastic sediments derived from the southern Appalachian highlands, and was deposited in a continental dryland setting on the margins of the early Gulf of America rift basin. The formation...
Authors
John W. Counts
Postglacial ecosystem development of a hydrothermal landscape in Yellowstone National Park Postglacial ecosystem development of a hydrothermal landscape in Yellowstone National Park
The Yellowstone geo-ecosystem has been the subject of much research, but the ecological history of the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field and its iconic geyser basins is less known. In this investigation, paleoenvironmental analyses of sediment cores from lakes in Lower Geyser Basin were compared with regional records and paleoclimate model simulations to reconstruct the vegetation...
Authors
Cathy Whitlock, Christopher M. Schiller, Steven W. Hostetler, Shaul Hurwitz, Mio Alt, Sabrina R. Brown, Lauren N. Harrison, Jay R. Alder, Kailey Busch, Jake Shelly, David B. McWethy
Tectonic controls on volcanism and associated hydrothermal activity in a sediment-dominated mid-ocean ridge; Escanaba Trough Tectonic controls on volcanism and associated hydrothermal activity in a sediment-dominated mid-ocean ridge; Escanaba Trough
Mid-ocean ridges, the Earth's most extensive volcanic system, exhibit unique characteristics in sediment-dominant environments. Thick sediment cover insulates the crust and channels fluid along pathways that can lead to the formation of distinct crustal alteration patterns, exceptionally large mineral deposits, and specialized chemosynthetic ecosystems. This study presents an...
Authors
Chris Galley, John Jamieson, Amy Gartman, Isobel Yeo, Masako Tominaga, Maurice Tivey, Carlos Braga, Laura Moore, Sharon Walker
Adaptation and response in drylands: A dryland research agenda and campaign strategy Adaptation and response in drylands: A dryland research agenda and campaign strategy
Dryland ecosystems cover 41% of Earth's land surfaces, account for 44% of cultivated lands and 60% of food sources, and make large contributions to the global water and carbon cycles. However, these ecosystems are experiencing unprecedented extremes including heatwaves, floods, and droughts as well as hotter temperatures and often declining water resource availability. These ecosystems...
Authors
Andrew F. Feldman, Sasha C. Reed, Konrad Wessels, Dennis S. Ojima, David J.P. Moore, William K. Smith, Niall P. Hanan, Cibele Amaral, Flurin Babst, Joel A. Biederman, Marcy Litvak, Natasha MacBean, Benjamin Poulter, Russell L. Scott, Alicja Babst-Kostecka, Julia K. Green, Raymond F. Kokaly, Ryan Pavlick, Robert Swap, Shawn P. Serbin, Compton J. Tucker, Lixin Wang, Jennifer D. Watts, Alejandro Flores, James Rattling Leaf Sr., Sativa Cruz, Nikki Tulley, Robert A. Washington-Allen, Karen Prentice, Emily Kachergis, Julian Reyes, Jasmine Ryan, Michael D. SanClements, Henry W. Loescher, Allison K. Leidner, Tyson Swetnam
Beaver dam analogs as nature-based solutions to mitigate snowpack loss in northern New Mexico Beaver dam analogs as nature-based solutions to mitigate snowpack loss in northern New Mexico
Reductions in snow have left many streams in northern New Mexico dry or with very low flows during the summer. Base flow, defined as the contribution of groundwater to streamflow, can sustain streamflow during the summer and during drought conditions. Beaver dam analogs can be used to “slow the flow,” or increase the infiltration of rain-based runoff to replenish shallow groundwater...
Authors
David Moeser, Benjamin Linhoff, Justin Nichols, Jake Kurzweil
Triple oxygen isotope compositions of isotopic reference waters: Implications for VSMOW-Scale and VSMOW-SLAP-Scale Δ′¹⁷O calibration Triple oxygen isotope compositions of isotopic reference waters: Implications for VSMOW-Scale and VSMOW-SLAP-Scale Δ′¹⁷O calibration
Triple oxygen isotope ratios of waters are commonly reported on the VSMOW–SLAP scale, whereas comparison with theoretical calculations and assessment of instrumental scale distortion require accurate constraints on the measured isotopic compositions of the primary isotopic reference materials (iRMs) themselves. In particular, the measured δ17OVSMOW and Δ′17OVSMOW values for SLAP and its...
Authors
Ryoji Tanaka, Andreas Pack, Tyler B. Coplen
Evaluating U.S. Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program LiDAR data as a source for building height Evaluating U.S. Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program LiDAR data as a source for building height
Accurate building height information is used for numerous urban applications, including infrastructure modeling, disaster risk assessment, and energy demand estimation. The U.S. Geological Survey collects airborne lidar data to support the three-dimensional elevation program (3DEP). The high point density and vertical accuracy of the lidar point clouds are optimal for 3D mapping. Few...
Authors
Jung-Kuan Liu, Ethan J. Shavers, Samantha T. Arundel, Rongjun Qin
The impacts of cover crop biomass on satellite-based detectability of cover crops in Maryland The impacts of cover crop biomass on satellite-based detectability of cover crops in Maryland
Cover crop adoption in the U.S. has increased over the past decades, increasing the need to quantify their performance and environmental benefits. While remote sensing (RS)-based approaches for detecting cover crop presence have been developed, there has been limited research on how cover crops with varied biomass and management practices influence detectability. Using unique field-level...
Authors
Yide Xu, Qu Zhou, Kaiyu Guan, Sheng Wang, W. Dean Hively, Jyoti Jennewein, Alison Thieme, Steven B. Mirsky, Zhangliang Chen
Analyzing land characteristics associated with historical large-scale solar photovoltaic deployment in the United States Analyzing land characteristics associated with historical large-scale solar photovoltaic deployment in the United States
Large-scale solar (LSS) deployment has accelerated rapidly across the United States, yet comprehensive understanding of its siting patterns remains limited. Here, we present a national-scale geospatial assessment of land characteristics converted for LSS development and apply statistical analyses to evaluate whether installations are disproportionately concentrated within specific land...
Authors
Jianyu Gu, Jordan Macknick, Ben Hoen, Jay E. Diffendorfer, K. Sydny Fujita, Zachary H. Ancona, James McCall, Dylan Harrison-Altas
The electric vehicle “EV”-crane—A next-generation system for fluvial sediment and water-quality sampling using an electric cart with integrated crane and accessories The electric vehicle “EV”-crane—A next-generation system for fluvial sediment and water-quality sampling using an electric cart with integrated crane and accessories
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), with support from the Federal Interagency Sedimentation Project (FISP), developed the electric vehicle (EV)-crane, a modified electric cart equipped with a rigid swivel-mounted crane and integrated accessory holders. The EV-crane was developed to improve the efficiency and safety of fluvial sediment and water-quality sampling from bridges. USGS field...
Authors
Joel T. Groten, J. William Lund, David J. Brannon