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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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Managing ecosystems with resist-accept-direct (RAD) Managing ecosystems with resist-accept-direct (RAD)
In recent years considerable interest has been generated in a new approach known as resist–accept–direct, or RAD, for managing ecosystems in the face of climate change. Under RAD, strategic responses to climate change are described in terms of three broad categories: resisting climate transformation, accepting the transformation and continuing to manage as best one can, and directing the
Authors
Byron K. Williams, Ellie Brown
Invasive-dominated grasslands in Hawaiʻi are resilient to disturbance Invasive-dominated grasslands in Hawaiʻi are resilient to disturbance
Non-native-dominated landscapes may arise from invasion by competitive plant species, disturbance and invasion of early-colonizing species, or some combination of these. Without knowing site history, however, it is difficult to predict how native or non-native communities will reassemble after disturbance events. Given increasing disturbance levels across anthropogenically impacted...
Authors
Stephanie G. Yelenik, Eli T. Rose, Susan Cordell
Comparison of sediment and water column nutrient processing rates in agricultural streams of contrasting buffer land use Comparison of sediment and water column nutrient processing rates in agricultural streams of contrasting buffer land use
Watershed nutrient management often focuses on actions that reduce the movement of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from agricultural lands into streams. One area of management focus is the buffer of land adjacent to streams. Wetlands and forests in this buffer can intercept and retain N and P from the landscape. In addition to directly intercepting agricultural nutrients, natural...
Authors
James H. Larson, Sean Bailey, Rebecca M. Kreiling, Lynn A. Bartsch, Paul C. Frost, Marguerite A. Xenopoulos, Nolan J.T. Pearce, Mary Anne Evans
Submarine avalanche deposits hold clues to past earthquakes Submarine avalanche deposits hold clues to past earthquakes
Earthquakes and other natural events sometimes shake the seafloor near coastlines severely enough to cause underwater avalanches that rush down steep slopes, scouring the seabed and carrying sediment to greater depths. These fast-moving sediment-laden flows, called turbidity currents, have at times damaged underwater infrastructure like pipelines and communications cables, as they did...
Authors
Valerie J. Sahakian, Debi Kilb, Joan S. Gomberg, Nora M. Nieminski, Jake Covault
Evaluation and refinement of chlorophyll-a algorithms for high-biomass blooms in San Francisco Bay (USA) Evaluation and refinement of chlorophyll-a algorithms for high-biomass blooms in San Francisco Bay (USA)
A massive bloom of the raphidophyte Heterosigma akashiwo occurred in summer 2022 in San Francisco Bay, causing widespread ecological impacts including events of low dissolved oxygen and mass fish kills. The rapidly evolving bloom required equally rapid management response, leading to the use of near-real-time image analysis of chlorophyll from the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI)...
Authors
Raphael M. Kudela, David B. Senn, Emily T. Richardson, Keith Bouma-Gregson, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Lawrence Sim
All tidal wetlands are blue carbon ecosystems All tidal wetlands are blue carbon ecosystems
Managing coastal wetlands is one of the most promising activities to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases, and it also contributes to meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. One of the options is through blue carbon projects, in which mangroves, saltmarshes, and seagrass are managed to increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, other...
Authors
Maria Fernanda Adame, Jeffrey Kelleway, Ken Krauss, Catherine E. Lovelock, Janine B. Adams, Stacey M. Trevathan-Tackett, Gregory B. Noe, Luke Jeffrey, Mike Ronan, Maria Zann, Paul E. Carnell, Naima Iram, Damien T. Maher, Daniel Murdiyarso, Sigit D. Sasmito, Da B. Tran, Paul Dargusch, J. Boone Kauffman, Laura S. Brophy
Multiple stressors mediate the effects of warming on leaf decomposition in a large regulated river Multiple stressors mediate the effects of warming on leaf decomposition in a large regulated river
Predicting how increasing temperatures interact with other global change drivers to influence the structure and dynamics of Earth's ecosystems is a primary challenge in ecology. Our study made use of multiple simultaneous “natural experiments” to examine how rapid warming, declining nutrients, invasive consumers, and riparian invasive species management interact to influence leaf...
Authors
Eric Arthur Scholl, Kyle R. Hanus, Tyler Gardner, Theodore Kennedy
Distinct yet adjacent earthquake sequences near the Mendocino Triple Junction: 20 December 2021 Mw 6.1 and 6.0 Petrolia, and 20 December 2022 Mw 6.4 Ferndale Distinct yet adjacent earthquake sequences near the Mendocino Triple Junction: 20 December 2021 Mw 6.1 and 6.0 Petrolia, and 20 December 2022 Mw 6.4 Ferndale
Two earthquake sequences occurred a year apart at the Mendocino Triple Junction in northern California: first the 20 December 2021 �w 6.1 and 6.0 Petrolia sequence, then the 20 December 2022 �w 6.4 Ferndale sequence. To delineate active faults and understand the relationship between these sequences, we applied an automated deep‐learning workflow to create enhanced and relocated...
Authors
Clara Yoon, David R. Shelly
Analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequence data demonstrates that monophyly of myotis occultus is complicated by greater sampling of myotis lucifugus Analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequence data demonstrates that monophyly of myotis occultus is complicated by greater sampling of myotis lucifugus
The validity of Myotis occultus as a species unique from Myotis lucifugus has been a source of debate. Most recently, many authorities treat M. occultus as a distinct species, at least in part because a previous study showed that M. occultus and M. l. carissima (the subspecies that occurs in closest geographic proximity to M. occultus) form separate monophyletic clades based on sequences...
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Daniel R. Taylor
New diagnostic assessment of MCMC algorithm effectiveness, efficiency, reliability, and controllability New diagnostic assessment of MCMC algorithm effectiveness, efficiency, reliability, and controllability
Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) is a robust statistical approach for estimating posterior distributions. However, the significant computational cost associated with MCMC presents a considerable challenge, complicating the selection of an appropriate algorithm tailored to the specific problem at hand. This study introduces a novel and comprehensive framework for evaluating the performance...
Authors
Hossein KavianiHamedani, Julianne D. Quinn, Jared David Smith
White-tailed deer detection rates increase when coyotes are present White-tailed deer detection rates increase when coyotes are present
Predator species can indirectly affect prey species through the cost of anti-predator behavior responses, which may involve shifts in occupancy, space use, or movement. Quantifying the various strategies implemented by prey species to avoid adverse interactions with predators can lead to a better understanding of potential population-level repercussions. Therefore, the purpose of this...
Authors
Hannah L. Clipp, Sarah M. Pesi, Madison L. Miller, Laura C. Gigliotti, Brett P. Skelly, Christopher T. Rota
Data-driven adjustments for combined use of NGA-East hard-rock ground motion and site amplification models Data-driven adjustments for combined use of NGA-East hard-rock ground motion and site amplification models
Model development in the Next Generation Attenuation-East (NGA-East) project included two components developed concurrently and independently: (1) earthquake ground-motion models (GMMs) that predict the median and aleatory variability of various intensity measures conditioned on magnitude and distance, derived for a reference hard-rock site condition with an average shear-wave velocity...
Authors
Maria E. Ramos-Sepulveda, Jonathan P. Stewart, Grace Alexandra Parker, Morgan P. Moschetti, Eric M. Thompson, Scott J. Brandenberg, Youssef M A Hashash, Ellen Rathje