Publications

Large magnitude snow avalanches (destructive size ≥ D3) impact settlements, transportation corridors, and public safety worldwide. In Colorado, United States, avalanches have killed more people than any other natural hazard since 1950. In March 2019, a large magnitude avalanche cycle occurred throughout the entire mountainous portion of Colorado resulting in more than 1000 reported...

Executive Summary Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum in Artedi, 1792; Chinook salmon) were historically abundant in the McCloud River but are now extirpated from this tributary owing to dam construction and lack of passage. Planning efforts to restore populations above Shasta and Keswick Dams are currently underway, including an evaluation of potential source populations. One potential...

No abstract available.

This chapter summarizes the location, status, and projections of glaciers in Alaska and western North America. Recent events, including the 2021 surge of Muldrow Glacier in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, are summarized. The implications of glacier loss for ecosystems, water resources, and mountain hazards are discussed.

Igneous activity, including shallow intrusions and volcanism, has the potential to disrupt underground critical infrastructure. Notably, future underground infrastructure projects like high-level radioactive waste repositories must be sited in areas of extremely low disruption probability by igneous activity. In Germany, according to the Repository Site Selection Act of 2017...

This report presents the results of a cooperative study by the U.S. Geological Survey and Missouri Department of Natural Resources to quantify sediment transport source contributions in the Medicine Creek drainage basin. Understanding relative source contributions provides valuable information for selecting the conservation practices that may be most effective in reducing sediment and...

Naegleria fowleri is a thermophilic free-living amoeba (FLA) and the causative agent of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, posing public health risks in warm freshwater environments. This multiyear, multiagency study surveyed 40 thermally impacted recreational waters across five western United States national parks and recreation areas–Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National...

Controlling invasive wildlife species relies on the ability to efficiently remove individuals from the invaded environment. Thus, maximizing capture potential is of high interest, particularly for species that are difficult to capture. For invasive species such as the Argentine black and white tegu lizard (Salvator merianae), increasing attraction to traps could increase the probability...

Alaska's glaciers are losing mass at the fastest rate of any region globally, significantly affecting both the volume and distribution of water across the landscape. Though glaciers in the Alaska region (as defined by glaciologists this includes both Alaska and portions of adjacent Canada) range from sea level to nearly 6200 m (20,320 ft), the majority of glacier area in the Alaska...

Flooding and channel change in the Taiya River Basin in recent decades have directly affected park infrastructure and cultural resources. The complexities of flooding and channel change are compounded by the changing sediment and flow regime from a changing climate and shrinking glaciers, which will continue to drive dynamic riverine change. Streamflow data and geomorphic interpretation...

The influence of permafrost thaw on aquatic ecosystems is complex. Carbon, nutrients, and metals in stream discharge result in changing stream color, chemistry, and temperature. These different processes create a mosaic of spatially and temporally dynamic disturbances across the landscape with complex effects on the ecology.

Viruses are the most abundant and diverse organisms on Earth, though only a small portion cause disease. Understanding viral diversity is key to understanding and predicting pathogen emergence and zoonotic spillover. Here, we use meta-transcriptomic sequencing to examine the viral communities in the ileum of 25 Northern Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) from various locations across Texas...