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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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Subduction intraslab-interface fault interactions in the 2022 Mw 6.4 Ferndale, California earthquake sequence Subduction intraslab-interface fault interactions in the 2022 Mw 6.4 Ferndale, California earthquake sequence
The Mendocino triple junction, the intersection of the Pacific, North American, and Gorda plates, activates a collection of disparate faults that reconcile Cascadia subduction with San Andreas transform motion. The December 20, 2022, Mw 6.4 Ferndale, California earthquake occurred within this complex zone as strike-slip faulting within the subducting Gorda slab. Here, we analyze the...
Authors
David R. Shelly, Dara Elyse Goldberg, Kathryn Zerbe Materna, Robert John Skoumal, Jeanne L. Hardebeck, Clara Yoon, William L. Yeck, Paul S. Earle
When to target control efforts? Using novel GPS telemetry to quantify drivers of invasive Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae) movement When to target control efforts? Using novel GPS telemetry to quantify drivers of invasive Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae) movement
In South Florida, the Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae), a large, omnivorous lizard, has become a recent threat to the Everglades ecosystem. The increase in tegu observations, especially near ecologically sensitive areas such as Everglades National Park, makes informed management critical to contain the tegu population. Using Very High Frequency (VHF) and Global...
Authors
Brittany M. Mason, Sergio A. Balaguera-Reina, Adam Benjamin, Frank J. Mazzotti, Hartwig H. Hochmair, Hardin Waddle
Modeling protective action decision-making in earthquakes by using explainable machine learning and video data Modeling protective action decision-making in earthquakes by using explainable machine learning and video data
Earthquakes pose substantial threats to communities worldwide. Understanding how people respond to the fast-changing environment during earthquakes is crucial for reducing risks and saving lives. This study aims to study people’s protective action decision-making in earthquakes by leveraging explainable machine learning and video data. Specifically, this study first collected real-world...
Authors
Xiaojian Zhang, Xilei Zhao, Dare Baldwin, Sara K. McBride, Josephine Bellizzi, Elizabeth S. Cochran, Nicolas Luco, Matthew Wood, Thomas J. Cova
Small forested watershed weathers effects of climate change better than a nearby urban watershed in Northern Virginia, USA Small forested watershed weathers effects of climate change better than a nearby urban watershed in Northern Virginia, USA
South Fork Quantico Creek (SFQ; 19.8 square kilometre (km2), forested) and Fourmile Run (4MR; 32.4-km2, urban) are small watersheds in northern Virginia, United States. Precipitation and streamflow data for both watersheds were examined from water year (WY) 1952 through 2022. Temporal changes in hydrologic metrics were identified by calculating trends in annual precipitation, annual peak...
Authors
Aaron J. Porter, Karen C Rice
Integrative phylogenetic, phylogeographic and morphological characterisation of the Unio crassus species complex reveals cryptic diversity with important conservation implications Integrative phylogenetic, phylogeographic and morphological characterisation of the Unio crassus species complex reveals cryptic diversity with important conservation implications
The global decline of freshwater mussels and their crucial ecological services highlight the need to understand their phylogeny, phylogeography and patterns of genetic diversity to guide conservation efforts. Such knowledge is urgently needed for Unio crassus, a highly imperilled species originally widespread throughout Europe and southwest Asia. Recent studies have resurrected several...
Authors
Manuel Lopes-Lima, Juergen Geist, Sarah Egg, Lubos Beran, Ani Bikashvili, Bert Van Bocxlaer, Arthur E. Bogan, Ivan N. Bolotov, O. A. Chelpanovskaya, Karel Douda, Vasco Fernandes, André Gomes-dos-Santos, Duarte V. Goncalves, Mustafa E. Gurlek, Nathan Johnson, Ioannis Karaouzas, Umit Kebapci, Alexander V. Kondakov, Ralph Kuehn, Jasna Lajtner, Levan Mumladze, Karl-Otto Nagel, Eike Neubert, Martin Osterling, John M. Pfeiffer, Vincent Prie, Nicoletta Riccardi, Jerzy Sell, Lea D. Schneider, Spase Shumka, Ioan Sirbu, Grita Skujiene, Chase H. Smith, Ronaldo Sousa, Katharina Stockl, Jouni Taskinen, Amílcar Teixeira, Milcho Todorov, Teodora Trichkova, Maria Urbanska, Santtu Valila, Simone Varandas, Joana Verissimo, Ilya V. Vikhrev, G. Woschitz, Katarzyna Zajac, Tadeusz Zajac, David T. Zanatta, Alexandra Zieritz, Stamatis Zogaris, Elsa Froufe
Rising water temperature in rivers: Ecological impacts and future resilience Rising water temperature in rivers: Ecological impacts and future resilience
Rising water temperatures in rivers due to climate change are already having observable impacts on river ecosystems. Warming water has both direct and indirect impacts on aquatic life, and further aggravates pervasive issues such as eutrophication, pollution, and the spread of disease. Animals can survive higher temperatures through physiological and/or genetic acclimation, behavioral...
Authors
Matthew F. Johnson, Lindsey K. Albertson, Adam C. Algar, Stephen J. Dugdale, Patrick Edwards, Judy England, Christopher Gibbins, So Kazama, Daisuke Komori, Andrew Maccoll, Eric Arthur Scholl, Robert Wilby, Fabio de Oliveira Roque, Paul F. Wood
Writing SMART objectives for natural resource and environmental management Writing SMART objectives for natural resource and environmental management
In natural resource and environmental management, well-written objectives are critical for effective decision-making and the achievement of desired outcomes. This article aims to improve practitioners' ability to identify and write SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) objectives for natural resource and environmental management.We differentiate between research...
Authors
Caleb A. Aldridge, Michael E. Colvin
Potential use of poultry farms by wild waterfowl in California's Central Valley varies across space, times of day, and species: implications for influenza transmission risk Potential use of poultry farms by wild waterfowl in California's Central Valley varies across space, times of day, and species: implications for influenza transmission risk
Interactions between wildlife and livestock can lead to cross-species disease transmission, which incurs economic costs and threatens wildlife conservation. Wild waterfowl are natural hosts of avian influenza viruses (AIVs), are often abundant near poultry farms, and have been linked to outbreaks of AIVs in poultry. Interspecific and seasonal variation in waterfowl movement and habitat...
Authors
Claire S. Teitelbaum, Michael L. Casazza, Cory T. Overton, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Elliott Matchett, Fiona McDuie, Austen Lorenz, Joshua T. Ackerman, Susan E.W. De La Cruz, Diann J. Prosser
Exploring landscape and geologic controls on spatial patterning of streambank groundwater discharge in a mixed land use watershed Exploring landscape and geologic controls on spatial patterning of streambank groundwater discharge in a mixed land use watershed
Preferential groundwater discharge features along stream corridors are ecologically important at local and stream network scales, yet we lack quantification of the multiscale controls on the spatial patterning of groundwater discharge. Here we identify physical attributes that best explain variation in the presence and lateral extent of preferential groundwater discharges along two 5th...
Authors
Kevin E. Jackson, Eric M. Moore, Ashley M. Helton, Adam B. Haynes, Janet R. Barclay, Martin A. Briggs
Prokaryotic microbial ecology as an ecosurveillance tool for eukaryotic pathogen colonisation: Meiothermus and Naegleria fowleri Prokaryotic microbial ecology as an ecosurveillance tool for eukaryotic pathogen colonisation: Meiothermus and Naegleria fowleri
Naegleria fowleri has been detected in drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) in Australia, Pakistan and the United States and is the causative agent of the highly fatal disease primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. Previous small scale field studies have shown that Meiothermus may be a potential biomarker for N. fowleri. However, correlations between predictive biomarkers in small...
Authors
Natalia Malinowski, Matthew J. Morgan, Jason Wylie, Tom Walsh, Sergio Domingos, Suzanne Metcalfe, Anna H. Kaksonen, Elliott P. Barnhart, Rebecca C. Mueller, Brent M. Peyton, Geoffrey J. Puzon
Evaluating the context dependency of large river nursery habitats for fishes in the lower Red River catchment Evaluating the context dependency of large river nursery habitats for fishes in the lower Red River catchment
Both fine- and coarse-scale physicochemical conditions affect the quantity and quality of nursery habitats within riverine ecosystems. Nursery habitats in large, braided, and sandbed streams such as the lower Red River of Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas are not well described and likely vary among species. Identification of nursery habitats is important for developing proper conservation...
Authors
Paul Q. Ramsey, John Dattilo, Dennis DeVries, Shannon K. Brewer
A comprehensive assessment of submarine landslides and mass wasting processes offshore southern California A comprehensive assessment of submarine landslides and mass wasting processes offshore southern California
It is critical to characterize submarine landslide hazards near dense coastal populations, especially in areas with active faults, which can trigger slope failure, subsequent tsunamis, and damage seabed infrastructure during earthquake shaking. Offshore southern California, numerous marine geophysical surveys have been conducted over the past decade, and high-resolution bathymetric and...
Authors
M. Walton, James E. Conrad, Antoinette Gabrielle Papesh, Daniel S. Brothers, Jared W. Kluesner, Mary McGann, Peter Dartnell