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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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Upstream experience and experimental translocation of invasive bigheaded carps results in increased upstream passage success at a navigation lock in a large river Upstream experience and experimental translocation of invasive bigheaded carps results in increased upstream passage success at a navigation lock in a large river
Fish movements in regulated rivers can be challenging to study because anthropogenic modifications, such as locks and dams, can influence animal behavior. Upper Mississippi River Lock and Dam 19 (LD 19), for example, is an invasive carp movement bottleneck due to an impassable dam. Upstream fish passage at LD19 is restricted to the lock chamber, making it an optimal location to test...
Authors
Andrea K. Fritts, Daniel K. Gibson-Reinemer, Brent C. Knights, Amanda S. Milde, Jessica C. Stanton, Marybeth K. Brey, Douglas Appel, Aaron R. Cupp, Sarah Tripp, James T. Lamer, Mark W. Fritts
Deep structure of Siletzia in the Puget Lowland: Imaging an obducted plateau and accretionary thrust belt with potential fields Deep structure of Siletzia in the Puget Lowland: Imaging an obducted plateau and accretionary thrust belt with potential fields
Detailed understanding of crustal components and tectonic history of forearcs is important due to their geological complexity and high seismic hazard. The principal component of the Cascadia forearc is Siletzia, a composite basaltic terrane of oceanic origin. Much is known about the lithology and age of the province. However, glacial sediments blanketing the Puget Lowland obscure its...
Authors
Megan L. Anderson, Richard J. Blakely, Ray Wells, Joseph D. Dragovich
Life-history connections to long-term fish population trends in a species-rich temperate river Life-history connections to long-term fish population trends in a species-rich temperate river
Fishes exhibit a diverse range of traits encompassing life-history strategies, feeding behaviours and spawning behaviours. These traits mediate fish population responses to changing environmental conditions such as those caused by anthropogenic stressors. The Conasauga River, located in northwestern Georgia and southeastern Tennessee, USA, hosts a diverse assemblage of over 75 species of
Authors
Andrew J. Nagy, Mary Freeman, Brian J. Irwin, Seth J. Wenger
Stress-driven recurrence and precursory moment-rate surge in caldera collapse earthquakes Stress-driven recurrence and precursory moment-rate surge in caldera collapse earthquakes
Predicting the recurrence times of earthquakes and understanding the physical processes that immediately precede them are two outstanding problems in seismology. Although geodetic measurements record elastic strain accumulation, most faults have recurrence intervals longer than available measurements. Foreshocks provide the principal observations of processes before mainshocks, but...
Authors
Paul Segall, Mark V. Matthews, David R. Shelly, Taiyi Wang, Kyle R. Anderson
Constraints from GPS measurements on plate coupling within the Makran subduction zone and tsunami scenarios in the western Indian Ocean Constraints from GPS measurements on plate coupling within the Makran subduction zone and tsunami scenarios in the western Indian Ocean
Plate-coupling estimates and previous seismicity indicate that portions of the Makran megathrust of southern Pakistan and Iran are partially coupled and have the potential to produce future magnitude 7+ earthquakes. However, the GPS observations needed to constrain coupling models are sparse and lead to an incomplete understanding of regional earthquake and tsunami hazard. In this study...
Authors
Guo Cheng, William D. Barnhart, David Small
A global assessment of environmental and climate influences on wetland macroinvertebrate community structure and function A global assessment of environmental and climate influences on wetland macroinvertebrate community structure and function
Estimating organisms' responses to environmental variables and taxon associations across broad spatial scales is vital for predicting their responses to climate change. Macroinvertebrates play a major role in wetland processes, but studies simultaneously exploring both community structure and community trait responses to environmental gradients are still lacking. We compiled a global...
Authors
Luis B. Epele, Emilio A. Williams-Subiza, Matthew S. Bird, Aurelie Boissezon, Dani Boix, Elaine Demierre, Conor Fair, Patricia Garcia, Stephanie Gascon, Marta G. Grech, Hamish S. Greig, Michael Jeffries, Jamie M. Kneitel, Olga Loskutova, Leonardo Maltchik, Luz M. Manzo, Gabriela Mataloni, Kyle McLean, Musa C. Mlambo, Beat Oertli, Mateus M. Pires, Jordi Sala, Erica E. Scheibler, Cristina Stenert, Haitao Wu, Scott A Wissinger, Darold P. Batzer
Chemical composition of leachates from hydraulic fracturing proppants from surficial releases in southeastern New Mexico Chemical composition of leachates from hydraulic fracturing proppants from surficial releases in southeastern New Mexico
Resin-coated proppants (RCPs) are used in hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells to improve well performance; however, these proppants could be a cause for environmental concern if they are disposed of improperly. In this study, we investigate the water-leachable organic and inorganic constituents from proppants collected from surficial releases of RCPs in southeastern New Mexico...
Authors
Matthew S. Varonka, Terry G. Gregston, Michael Villalobos, Jacqueline Benefield, William H. Orem
Precision of four calcified structures for age estimation of Black Carp Precision of four calcified structures for age estimation of Black Carp
Objective Black Carp Mylopharyngodon piceus is an emerging invasive species in North America with an expanding population in the Mississippi River basin. Current aging methods use a suite of structures for age estimation, and a single structure is needed to minimize processing time, to maximize consistency of age and growth measurements, and to allow for back-calculation of individual...
Authors
Patrick Kroboth, Anne Marie Herndon, Cortney Cox, Jesse Robert Fischer
Local and systemic replicative fitness for viruses in specialist, generalist, and non-specialist interactions with salmonid hosts Local and systemic replicative fitness for viruses in specialist, generalist, and non-specialist interactions with salmonid hosts
Host tissues represent diverse resources or barriers for pathogen replicative fitness. We tested whether viruses in specialist, generalist, and non-specialist interactions replicate differently in local entry tissue (fin), and systemic target tissue (kidney) using infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) and three salmonid fish hosts. Virus tissue replication was host specific, but...
Authors
David James Páez, Gael Kurath, Rachel L. Powers, Kerry A. Naish, Maureen K. Purcell
Establishing quantitative benchmarks for soil erosion and ecological monitoring, assessment, and management Establishing quantitative benchmarks for soil erosion and ecological monitoring, assessment, and management
Soil erosion can have a multitude of negative impacts on agroecosystems and society and there remains an urgent need for tools to support its management. Quantitative benchmarks based on holistic understanding of erosion processes, ecosystem function, and land use objectives can be used with monitoring data and models to inform assessments and make objective and actionable decisions...
Authors
Nicholas P. Webb, Brandon L. Edwards, Alexandra Heller, Sarah E. McCord, Jeremy W. Schallner, Ronald S. Treminio, Brandi E. Wheeler, Nelson G. Stauffer, Sheri Spiegal, Michael C. Duniway, Alexander C.E. Traynor, Emily Kachergis, Carrie-Ann Houdeshell
Pesticides in small volume plasma samples: Method development and application to smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) from the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA Pesticides in small volume plasma samples: Method development and application to smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) from the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
Nontarget organisms are exposed to pesticides following applications in agricultural and urban settings, potentially resulting in deleterious effects. Direct measurements of pesticides in biological tissues may aid in characterizing exposure, accumulation, and potential toxicity versus analyses in environmental media alone (e.g., water, soil, and air). Plasma represents a nonlethal...
Authors
Michael S. Gross, Vicki S. Blazer, Michelle L. Hladik
Variability in weather and site properties affect fuel and fire behavior following fuel treatments in semiarid sagebrush-steppe. Variability in weather and site properties affect fuel and fire behavior following fuel treatments in semiarid sagebrush-steppe.
Fuel-treatments targeting shrubs and fire-prone exotic annual grasses (EAGs) are increasingly used to mitigate increased wildfire risks in arid and semiarid environments, and understanding their response to natural factors is needed for effective landscape management. Using field-data collected over four years from fuel-break treatments in semiarid sagebrush-steppe, we asked 1) how the...
Authors
Samuel J. Price, Matthew J. Germino