Publications
Listed here are publications, reports and articles by the Land Change Science Program in the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area.
Filter Total Items: 1145
Holocene paleoclimate change in the western US: The importance of chronology in discerning patterns and drivers Holocene paleoclimate change in the western US: The importance of chronology in discerning patterns and drivers
Sediment in lakes and meadows forms a powerful archive that can be used to reconstruct environmental change through time. Reconstructions of lake level, of chemical, biological, and hydrological conditions, and of surrounding vegetation provide detailed information about past climate conditions, both locally and regionally. Indeed, most of our current knowledge of centennial- to...
Authors
Susan Zimmerman, David Wahl
Large stocks of peatland carbon and nitrogen are vulnerable to permafrost thaw Large stocks of peatland carbon and nitrogen are vulnerable to permafrost thaw
Over many millennia, northern peatlands have accumulated large amounts of carbon and nitrogen, thus cooling the global climate. Over shorter timescales, peatland disturbances can trigger losses of peat and release of greenhouses gases. Despite their importance to the global climate, peatlands remain poorly mapped, and the vulnerability of permafrost peatlands to warming is uncertain...
Authors
Gustaf Hugelius, Julie Loisel, Sarah Chadburn, Robert B. Jackson, Miriam C. Jones, Glen MacDonald, Maija Marushchak, David Olefeldt, Maara S. Packalen, Matthias B. Siewert, Claire C. Treat, Merritt Turetsky, Carolina Voigt, Zicheng Yu
2,200-Year tree-ring and lake-sediment based snowpack reconstruction for the northern Rocky Mountains highlights the historic magnitude of recent snow drought 2,200-Year tree-ring and lake-sediment based snowpack reconstruction for the northern Rocky Mountains highlights the historic magnitude of recent snow drought
In recent decades, Rocky Mountain accumulated snowpack levels have experienced rapid declines, yet long-term records of snowpack prior to the installation of snowpack observation stations in the early and mid 20th century are limited. To date, a small number of tree-ring based reconstructions of April 1 Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) in the northern Rocky Mountains have extended modern...
Authors
Spruce W. Schoenemann, Justin Martin, Gregory T. Pederson, David B. McWethy
Solar and sensor geometry, not vegetation response, drive satellite NDVI phenology in widespread ecosystems of the western United States Solar and sensor geometry, not vegetation response, drive satellite NDVI phenology in widespread ecosystems of the western United States
Satellite-derived phenology metrics are valuable tools for understanding broad-scale patterns and changes in vegetated landscapes over time. However, the extraction and interpretation of phenology in ecosystems with subtle growth dynamics can be challenging. US National Park Service monitoring of evergreen pinyon-juniper ecosystems in the western US revealed an unexpected winter-peaking
Authors
Jodi R. Norris, Jessica J. Walker
Mangrove blue carbon in the face of deforestation, climate change, and restoration Mangrove blue carbon in the face of deforestation, climate change, and restoration
Coastal wetlands have disproportionately high carbon densities, known as blue carbon, compared to most terrestrial ecosystems. Mangroves and their blue carbon stocks are at risk globally from land‐use and land‐cover change (LULCC) activities such as aquaculture, alongside biophysical disturbances such as sea‐level rise and cyclones. Global estimates of carbon emissions from mangrove loss...
Authors
Daniel A. Friess, Ken Krauss, Pierre Taillardat, Maria Fernanda Adame, Erik S. Yando, Clint Cameron, Sigit D. Sasmito, Meriadec Sillanpaa
Processes influencing marsh elevation change in low- and high-elevation zones of a temperate salt marsh Processes influencing marsh elevation change in low- and high-elevation zones of a temperate salt marsh
The movement of salt marshes into uplands and marsh submergence as sea level rises is well documented; however, predicting how coastal marshes will respond to rising sea levels is constrained by a lack of process-based understanding of how various marsh zones adjust to changes in sea level. To assess the way in which salt marsh zones differ in their elevation response to sea-level change...
Authors
Linda K. Blum, Robert R. Christian, Donald Cahoon, Patricia L. Wiberg
Boreal blazes: Biomass burning and vegetation types archived in the Juneau Icefield Boreal blazes: Biomass burning and vegetation types archived in the Juneau Icefield
The past decade includes some of the most extensive boreal forest fires in the historical record. Warming temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, the desiccation of thick organic soil layers, and increased ignition from lightning all contribute to a combustive combination. Smoke aerosols travel thousands of kilometers, before blanketing the surfaces on which they fall, such as the...
Authors
Natalie Kehrwald, Jeramy Roland Jasmann, Melissa E. Dunham, David G. Ferris, Erich C. Osterburg, Joshua Kennedy, Jeremy C. Havens, Larry B. Barber, Sarah K. Fortner
Modelling marsh-forest boundary transgression in response to storms and sea-level rise Modelling marsh-forest boundary transgression in response to storms and sea-level rise
The lateral extent and vertical stability of salt marshes experiencing rising sea levels depend on interacting drivers and feedbacks with potential for non‐linear behaviors. A two‐dimensional transect model was developed to examine changes in marsh and upland forest lateral extent and to explore controls on marsh inland transgression. Model behavior demonstrates limited and abrupt forest...
Authors
Joel A. Carr, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Matthew Kirwan
Mortality predispositions of conifers across western USA Mortality predispositions of conifers across western USA
Conifer mortality rates are increasing in western North America, but the physiological mechanisms underlying this trend are not well understood.We examined tree‐ring‐based radial growth along with stable carbon (C) and oxygen (O) isotope composition (δ13C and δ18O, respectively) of dying and surviving conifers at eight old‐growth forest sites across a strong moisture gradient in the...
Authors
Wenzhi Wang, Nathan B. English, Charlotte Grossiord, Arthur Gessler, Adrian Das, Nathan L. Stephenson, Christopher H. Baisan, Craig D. Allen, Nate G. McDowell
Integrating airborne remote sensing and field campaigns for ecology and Earth system science Integrating airborne remote sensing and field campaigns for ecology and Earth system science
In recent years, the availability of airborne imaging spectroscopy (hyperspectral) data has expanded dramatically. The high spatial and spectral resolution of these data uniquely enable spatially explicit ecological studies including species mapping, assessment of drought mortality and foliar trait distributions. However, we have barely begun to unlock the potential of these data to use...
Authors
K. Dana Chadwick, Philip G. Brodrick, Kathleen Grant, Tristan Goulden, Amanda Henderson, Nicola Falco, Haruko Wainwright, Kenneth Williams, Markus Bill, Ian Breckheimer, Eoin Brodie, Heidi Steltzer, C. F. Rick Williams, Benjamin Blonder, Jiancong Chen, Baptiste Dafflon, Joan Damerow, Matt Hancher, Aizah Khurram, Jack Lamb, Corey R. Lawrence, Maeve McCormick, John Musinsky, Samuel Pierce, Alexander Polussa, Maceo Hastings Porro, Andea Scott, Hans Wu Singh, Patrick O. Sorensen, Charuleka Varadharajan, Bizuayehu Whitney, Katharine Maher
Generalized models to estimate carbon and nitrogen stocks of organic soil horizons in Interior Alaska Generalized models to estimate carbon and nitrogen stocks of organic soil horizons in Interior Alaska
Boreal ecosystems comprise one tenth of the world’s land surface and contain over 20 % of the global soil carbon (C) stocks. Boreal soils are unique in that its mineral soil is covered by what can be quite thick layers of organic soil. These organic soil layers, or horizons, can differ in their state of decomposition, source vegetation, and disturbance history. These differences result...
Authors
Kristen L. Manies, Mark Waldrop, Jennifer W. Harden
Soil organic carbon stocks and sequestration rates of inland, freshwater wetlands: Sources of variability and uncertainty Soil organic carbon stocks and sequestration rates of inland, freshwater wetlands: Sources of variability and uncertainty
Impacts of land use, specifically soil disturbance, are linked to reductions of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. Correspondingly, ecosystem restoration is promoted to sequester SOC to mitigate anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, which are exacerbating global climate change. Restored wetlands have relatively high potential to sequester carbon compared to other ecosystems, but SOC...
Authors
Brian Tangen, Sheel Bansal