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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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Quantitative evaluations of earthquake early warning performance using “Did You Feel It?” and post-alert surveys Quantitative evaluations of earthquake early warning performance using “Did You Feel It?” and post-alert surveys
We examine responses to the U.S. Geological Survey’s “Did You Feel It?” (DYFI) survey and its companion earthquake early warning (EEW) questionnaire to assess the performance of the U.S. ShakeAlert EEW system directly from the alert recipients’ perspectives. ShakeAlert rapidly detects earthquakes and develops alert information, but as official alert delivery partners issue these alerts...
Authors
Jessie K. Saunders, David J. Wald
Spatiotemporal drivers of water quality and phytoplankton communities in a cyanobacteria-dominated reservoir provide management insights Spatiotemporal drivers of water quality and phytoplankton communities in a cyanobacteria-dominated reservoir provide management insights
Reservoirs serve critical roles providing drinking water, irrigation, flood control, hydropower, recreation, fisheries, and aquatic habitat. Yet their physical position, complex shape, and large watersheds make reservoirs especially susceptible to eutrophication and harmful algal bloom (HAB) production. Boysen Reservoir, WY, is a high priority for proactive nutrient management because it...
Authors
Linnea A. Rock, William W. Fetzer, Lindsay Patterson, Samuel J. Sillen, Ron Steg, Annika W. Walters, Sarah M. Collins
Comparing SMART and ELECTRE methods for multi-criteria decision analysis: A case study evaluating conservation strategies Comparing SMART and ELECTRE methods for multi-criteria decision analysis: A case study evaluating conservation strategies
Tradeoffs are part of the inherent challenge of making decisions. Defaulting to a prevalent method can mask methodological variation and potential improvement in decision quality. We applied and compared methods for multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in real-world environmental planning. Decision makers at a global conservation organization formed teams to review and prioritize the...
Authors
David M. Martin, David R. Smith
Widespread thiamine deficiency in California salmon linked to an anchovy-dominated marine prey base Widespread thiamine deficiency in California salmon linked to an anchovy-dominated marine prey base
Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency in marine systems is a globally significant threat to marine life. In 2020, newly hatched Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) fry in California’s Central Valley (CCV) hatcheries swam in corkscrew patterns and died at unusually high rates due to a lack of this essential vitamin. We subsequently investigated the impacts and causes of thiamine...
Authors
Nate Mantua, Heather M. Bell, Anne E. Todgham, Miles E. Daniels, Jacques Rinchard, Jarrod R. Ludwig, John Field, Steven T Lindley, Freya Elizabeth Rowland, Catherine A. Richter, David Walters, Bruce P. Finney, Anne R. Distajo Haskell, Donald Tillitt, Dale C. Honeyfield, Taylor N. Lipscomb, Kevin Kwak, Jason Kindopp, Dennis E. Cocherell, Abigail Ward, Thomas H. Williams, Jeff Harding, Nann A. Fangue, Carson Jeffres, Rocio Iliana Ruiz-Cooley, Steven Litvin, Scott Foott, Mark Adkison, Brett Kormos, Peggy Harte, Frederick S. Colwell, Christopher P. Suffridge, Kelly Shannon, Amanda Cranford, Charlotte Ambrose, Aimee N. Reed, Rachel C. Johnson
Effects of total suspended solids on photomineralization of dissolved organic matter in the Peace-Athabasca Delta, Canada Effects of total suspended solids on photomineralization of dissolved organic matter in the Peace-Athabasca Delta, Canada
Northern deltas receive chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) from their watersheds, which can be oxidized to carbon dioxide upon absorption of sunlight (i.e., photomineralized). These deltas also receive total suspended solids (TSS), which may shade sunlight absorption by CDOM, thus limiting photomineralization. To quantify this interaction for the first time, we measured
Authors
Wayana Dolan, Tamlin M. Pavelsky, Julianne Davis, Nathan LaFramboise, Catherine Polik, Rose Cory
Urban trees and cooling: A review of the recent literature (2018 to 2024) Urban trees and cooling: A review of the recent literature (2018 to 2024)
Urban trees mitigate extreme heat through shading and evapotranspiration, but cooling effectiveness varies with tree traits, spatial configurations, and climate. This systematic mapping review synthesizes findings from 115 studies (2018 to 2024) using RepOrting standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses (ROSES) protocols. Studies were categorized based on geographic location, climate...
Authors
Michael Alonzo, Peter Christian Ibsen, Dexter Locke
Automated methods for processing camera trap video data for distance sampling Automated methods for processing camera trap video data for distance sampling
Context Population monitoring is an essential need for tracking biodiversity and judging efficacy of conservation management actions, both globally and in the Pacific. However, population monitoring efforts are often temporally inconsistent and limited to small scales. Motion-activated cameras (‘camera traps’) offer a way to cost-effectively monitor populations, but they also generate...
Authors
Trevor Bak, Richard J. Camp, Matthew D. Burt, Scott Vogt
Timing of Steller’s Eider remigial molt has delayed over 26-year span Timing of Steller’s Eider remigial molt has delayed over 26-year span
The Steller’s Eider is a sea duck that uses specific molting areas in lagoons in southwest Alaska, and these molting populations have declined in recent decades. The annual flight feather molt is a significant stage in avian life-history. The focus of this study was to characterize the phenology of Steller’s Eider flight feather molt timing and explore if molt timing is (1) earlier, (2)...
Authors
Sadie E. Ulman, Tuula E. Hollmen, Paul L. Flint
Dynamic environments generate geographic fluctuations in population structure of an inland shorebird Dynamic environments generate geographic fluctuations in population structure of an inland shorebird
Species distributions depend on fine-scale ecological processes and population growth trajectories and are influenced by climate and weather changes. However, the characterization of inter-population dynamics underlying the geographic distributions of migratory organisms remains challenging. We adopted a stable isotope approach to investigate the dynamic population geography of a...
Authors
Andrea Contina, Scott W. Yanco, Allison K. Pierce, Hanna B. Vander Zanden, Craig A. Stricker, Gabriel J. Bowen, Michael B. Wunder
Leveraging wildfire to augment forest management and amplify forest resilience Leveraging wildfire to augment forest management and amplify forest resilience
Successive catastrophic wildfire seasons in western North America have escalated the urgency around reducing fire risk to communities and ecosystems. In historically frequent-fire forests, fuel buildup as a result of fire exclusion is contributing to increased fire severity. The probability of high-severity fire can be reduced by active forest management that reduces fuels, prompting...
Authors
Kristen I. Shive, Clarke Alexandra Knight, Zachary L Steel, Charlotte K. Stanley, Kristen N. Wilson
Seasonal rotation of California pocket beaches Seasonal rotation of California pocket beaches
Pocket beaches are short, headland-bound coastal landforms that may exhibit shoreline rotation in response to time-varying wave conditions. Here we examine the presence, location and style of pocket beach rotation along the 1700 km coast of California using a comprehensive 22-year satellite-derived shoreline dataset. These analyses identify 23 pocket beaches that exhibit annual cycles of...
Authors
Jonathan A. Warrick, Daniel D. Buscombe, Kilian Vos, Andrew C. Ritchie, Bob Battalio
Niche partitioning among three apex piscivorous fishes: Evidence of limited intraguild predation Niche partitioning among three apex piscivorous fishes: Evidence of limited intraguild predation
This study aimed to understand the ecological relationship among burbot Lota lota, brown trout Salmo trutta and lake trout Salvelinus namaycush, with a focus on burbot, a species of greatest conservation need in Wyoming. While we hypothesised a reciprocal intraguild predation dynamic, where competition and predation occur between predators based on size or age structure, our findings...
Authors
Robert W. Eckelbecker, Christopher S. Guy, Paul C. Gerrity, Joe W. Deromedi, Travis E. Neebling, Mark A. Smith