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The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
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Native crayfish shows high desiccation tolerance and potential to outcompete invader Native crayfish shows high desiccation tolerance and potential to outcompete invader
Biological invasions threaten global biodiversity, with aquatic systems being particularly susceptible. Invasive crayfish drive native crayfish imperilment in North America and worldwide. Despite the probable increase in extreme hydrological events, the synergistic effects from invasive species and drought on crayfish are understudied. The invasion of Faxonius neglectus chaenodactylus in...
Authors
Leah M. Bayer, Daniel D. Magoulick
Reservoir operational strategies for sustainable sand management in the Colorado River Reservoir operational strategies for sustainable sand management in the Colorado River
Climate change and increasing societal demands for water pose challenges for the management of dam-regulated rivers. Management decisions impact the environment of these rivers, creating the need to balance societal needs with environmental conservation. Here we present a modeling framework that optimizes resource benefits within imposed water use goals for the Colorado River in Grand...
Authors
Gerard Lewis Salter, David J. Topping, Jianghao Wang, John C. Schmidt, Charles B. Yackulic, Lucas Bair, Erich R. Mueller, Paul E. Grams
Effects of dietary selenium on the amphipod Hyalella azteca and the midge Chironomus dilutus Effects of dietary selenium on the amphipod Hyalella azteca and the midge Chironomus dilutus
Chronic selenium (Se) water quality criteria are based primarily on dietary organoselenium exposure and subsequent reproductive effects in fish. Available chronic Se toxicity data suggests that invertebrates are less sensitive than fish, but chronic invertebrate studies are limited. We evaluated yeast-based diets for chronic toxicity studies with Hyalella azteca and Chironomus dilutus...
Authors
John M. Besser, Danielle M. Cleveland, David D. Harper, Rebecca A. Dorman, Aida Farag
Habitat features influencing waterbird use of managed wetlands enrolled in a public-private partnership for land conservation: The California Waterfowl Habitat Program Habitat features influencing waterbird use of managed wetlands enrolled in a public-private partnership for land conservation: The California Waterfowl Habitat Program
Draining, water diversion, and development have greatly reduced the availability of freshwater wetland habitat around the world, and many remaining wetlands are on private lands. Public–private partnership programs can be an important means for promoting habitat conservation and management on private lands. We investigated bird use of 117 wetlands enrolled in the California Waterfowl...
Authors
C. Alex Hartman, Joshua T. Ackerman, Sarah H. Peterson, Brady Lynn Fettig, Mark P. Herzog
Interrogating process deficiencies in large-scale hydrologic models with interpretable machine learning Interrogating process deficiencies in large-scale hydrologic models with interpretable machine learning
Large-scale hydrologic models are increasingly being developed for operational use in the forecasting and planning of water resources. However, the predictive strength of such models depends on how well they resolve various functions of catchment hydrology, which are influenced by gradients in climate, topography, soils, and land use. Most assessments of hydrologic model uncertainty have...
Authors
Admin Husic, John Christopher Hammond, Adam N. Price, Joshua Roundy
A glimpse into the future of tectonic tremor monitoring A glimpse into the future of tectonic tremor monitoring
Tectonic tremor is a weak, long-duration seismic signal often observed in subduction zones and on some other plate-bounding faults. Because of tremor's characteristically low amplitude (and low signal-to-noise) and lack of clear phase arrivals, detecting and locating tremor usually requires techniques distinct from those applied to typical earthquakes. Major advances in detection and...
Authors
David R. Shelly
Reduced Atlantic reef growth past 2 °C warming amplifies sea-level impacts Reduced Atlantic reef growth past 2 °C warming amplifies sea-level impacts
Coral reefs form complex physical structures that can help to mitigate coastal flooding risk1,2. This function will be reduced by sea-level rise (SLR) and impaired reef growth caused by climate change and local anthropogenic stressors3. Water depths above reef surfaces are projected to increase as a result, but the magnitudes and timescales of this increase are poorly constrained, which...
Authors
Chris T. Perry, Didier de Bakker, Alice Webb, Steeve Comeau, Ben Harvey, Chris Cornwall, Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip, Esmerelda Perez-Cervantes, John T Morris, Ian C. Enochs, Lauren T. Toth, Aaron O'Dea, Erin M. Dillon, Erik H, Meesters, William F. Precht
Energetic value of Arctic forage-sized fish with implications for a nearshore seabird predator Energetic value of Arctic forage-sized fish with implications for a nearshore seabird predator
Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida, also called polar cod) are considered the single most important Arctic forage fish due to their high abundance and nutritional quality. Because Arctic cod are strongly ice associated and prefer colder waters, their frequency in coastal waters has declined with warming, decreasing availability to nearshore predators. To consider the nutritional quality of...
Authors
Ashley E. Stanek, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Kenneth H. Dunton, Vanessa R. von Biela
Ecophysiology of two mesophotic octocorals intended for restoration: Effects of light and temperature Ecophysiology of two mesophotic octocorals intended for restoration: Effects of light and temperature
Light and temperature are driving forces that shape the evolution and physiology of mesophotic organisms. On the Mississippi-Alabama continental shelf, octocorals dominate the mesophotic seascape and provide habitat for many fish and invertebrate species. Gaps in knowledge regarding the fundamental physiological responses of these species to light and temperature are of particular...
Authors
Kassidy Lange, Allisan Aquilina-Beck, Mark Mccauley, Julia Johnstone, Amanda Demopoulos, Thomas Greig, Jody M. Beers, Heather L. Spalding, Peter J. Etnoyer
Variation and controls of sediment oxygen demand in backwater lakes of the Upper Mississippi River during winter Variation and controls of sediment oxygen demand in backwater lakes of the Upper Mississippi River during winter
Many ecological processes affect the availability of winter dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in rivers, a key feature of overwintering fish habitat. Sediment oxygen demand (SOD) contributes to DO depletion, particularly during ice-covered periods, and may cause hypoxic conditions in backwater lakes, affecting the availability of suitable overwintering habitat. Understanding the...
Authors
Patrik Mathis Perner, Rebecca M. Kreiling, Kathi Jo Jankowski, Eric A. Strauss
Hydrologic connectivity in floodplain systems: A multiscale review of concepts, metrics and management Hydrologic connectivity in floodplain systems: A multiscale review of concepts, metrics and management
Hydrologic connectivity (HC), particularly in floodplain systems, is pivotal in regulating ecosystem services by facilitating the movement of nutrients, sediments, chemicals, and biota. However, human interventions such as dam construction, levee installation, water management practices, and alterations in vegetation have significantly disrupted natural HC patterns globally. To provide a
Authors
Hafez Ahmad, Leandro E. Miranda, Corey Garland Dunn, Melanie R. Boudreau, Michael E. Colvin
To heal or not to heal?: 2. The moment-recurrence time behavior of repeating earthquakes in the 2011 Prague, Oklahoma aftershock sequence is consistent with laboratory healing rates To heal or not to heal?: 2. The moment-recurrence time behavior of repeating earthquakes in the 2011 Prague, Oklahoma aftershock sequence is consistent with laboratory healing rates
The timing and failure conditions of an earthquake are governed by the interplay between fault reloading and restrengthening. The moment-recurrence time behavior of repeating earthquakes can give observational estimates of fault healing rates; however, it is difficult to link these observed healing rates to laboratory studies of frictional healing in part because of uncertainty in...
Authors
Kristina Okamoto, Heather Savage, Elizabeth S. Cochran, Emily Brodsky, Rachel E. Abercrombie