Publications
Listed here are publications, reports and articles by the Land Change Science Program in the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area.
Filter Total Items: 1284
Permafrost history in the sporadic zone as context for recent carbon loss using acryostratigraphy, plant macrofossil, and stable isotope approach Permafrost history in the sporadic zone as context for recent carbon loss using acryostratigraphy, plant macrofossil, and stable isotope approach
Permafrost and landscape history, in addition to ground ice content, are increasingly identified as important components in predicting permafrost thaw trajectories. Together with cryostratigraphy, plant remains and stable isotopes can provide useful information about past permafrost aggradation and thaw. We applied these methods with radiocarbon dating on peat and permafrost cores in the...
Authors
Miriam C. Jones, Lesleigh Anderson, Eva Anne Stephani, Benjamin M. Jones
Freshwater biogeochemical hotspots: High primary production and ecosystem respiration in shallow waterbodies Freshwater biogeochemical hotspots: High primary production and ecosystem respiration in shallow waterbodies
Ponds, wetlands, and shallow lakes (collectively “shallow waterbodies”) are among the most biogeochemically active freshwater ecosystems. Measurements of gross primary production (GPP), respiration (R), and net ecosystem production (NEP) are rare in shallow waterbodies compared to larger and deeper lakes, which can bias our understanding of lentic ecosystem processes. In this study, we...
Authors
Joseph Rabaey, Meredith Holgerson, David Richardson, Mikkel R. Andersen, Sheel Bansal, Lauren E. Bortolotti, James Cotner, Daniel Hornbach, Kenneth T. Martinsen, Eric Moody, Olivia F. Schloegel
Significant challenges to the sustainability of the California coast considering climate change Significant challenges to the sustainability of the California coast considering climate change
Climate change is an existential threat to the environmental and socioeconomic sustainability of the coastal zone and impacts will be complex and widespread. Evidence from California and across the United States shows that climate change is impacting coastal communities and challenging managers with a plethora of stressors already present. Widespread action could be taken that would...
Authors
Karen M. Thorne, Glen M. MacDonald, Francisco P. Chavez, Richard F. Ambrose, Patrick L. Barnard
Crop type classification, trends, and patterns of central California agricultural fields from 2005 to 2020 Crop type classification, trends, and patterns of central California agricultural fields from 2005 to 2020
California produces many key agricultural products in the United States. Current geospatial agricultural datasets are limited in mapping accuracy, spatial context, or observation period. This study uses machine learning and high-resolution imagery to produce a time series of crop maps to assess crop type trends and patterns across central California from 2005 to 2020. National...
Authors
Britt Windsor Smith, Christopher E. Soulard, Jessica J. Walker
Isotopic evidence against North Pacific Deep Water formation during late Pliocene warmth Isotopic evidence against North Pacific Deep Water formation during late Pliocene warmth
Several modelling and observational studies suggest deep water formation in the subpolar North Pacific as a possible alternative mode of thermohaline circulation that occurred in the warm Pliocene, a time when global atmospheric partial pressure of carbon dioxide was like the modern atmosphere (~400 ppm). We test this hypothesis by measuring the δ13C of the benthic foraminifer...
Authors
Joseph Novak, Rocio Caballero-Gill, Rebecca Rose, Timothy D. Herbert, Harry J. Dowsett
Urban tree cover provides consistent mitigation of extreme heat in arid but not humid cities Urban tree cover provides consistent mitigation of extreme heat in arid but not humid cities
Urban land cover types influence the urban microclimates. However, recent work indicates the magnitude of land cover's microclimate influence is affected by aridity. Moreover, this variation in cooling and warming potentials of urban land cover types can substantially alter the exposure of urban areas to extreme heat. Our goal is to understand both the relative influences of urban land...
Authors
Peter Christian Ibsen, Benjamin Crawford, Lucila Marie Corro, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Brandon E McNellis, G. Darrel Jenerette, Jay E. Diffendorfer
Multi-decadal vegetation transformations of a New Mexico ponderosa pine landscape after severe fires and aerial seeding Multi-decadal vegetation transformations of a New Mexico ponderosa pine landscape after severe fires and aerial seeding
Wildfires and climate change are having transformative effects on vegetation composition and structure, and post-fire management may have long-lasting impacts on ecosystem reorganization. Post-fire aerial seeding treatments are commonly used to reduce runoff and soil erosion, but little is known about how seeding treatments affect native vegetation recovery over long periods of time...
Authors
Andreas Paul Wion, Jens T. Stevens, Kay Beeley, Rebecca Oertel, Ellis Q. Margolis, Craig D. Allen
Rising seas could cross thresholds for initiating coastal wetland drowning within decades across much of the United States Rising seas could cross thresholds for initiating coastal wetland drowning within decades across much of the United States
Accelerated sea-level rise is an existential threat to coastal wetlands, but the timing and extent of wetland drowning are debated. Recent data syntheses have clarified future relative sea-level rise exposure and sensitivity thresholds for drowning. Here, we integrate these advances to estimate when and where rising sea levels could cross thresholds for initiating wetland drowning across...
Authors
Michael Osland, Bogdan Chivoiu, James B. Grace, Nicholas Enwright, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Kevin J. Buffington, Karen M. Thorne, Joel A. Carr, William V. Sweet, Brady Couvillion
Drought as an emergent driver of ecological transformation in the twenty-first century Drought as an emergent driver of ecological transformation in the twenty-first century
Under climate change, ecosystems are experiencing novel drought regimes, often in combination with stressors that reduce resilience and amplify drought’s impacts. Consequently, drought appears increasingly likely to push systems beyond important physiological and ecological thresholds, resulting in substantial changes in ecosystem characteristics persisting long after drought ends (i.e
Authors
Wynne Emily Moss, Shelley Crausbay, Imtiaz Rangwala, Jay Wason, Clay Trauernicht, Camille S. Stevens-Rumann, Anna Sala, Caitlin M. Rottler, Gregory T. Pederson, Brian W. Miller, Dawn Magness, Jeremy S. Littell, Lee Frelich, Abby G. Frazier, Kimberly R. Davis, Jonathan Coop, Jennifer M. Cartwright, Robert K Booth
Four decades of data indicate that planted mangroves stored up to 75% of the carbon stocks found in intact mature stands Four decades of data indicate that planted mangroves stored up to 75% of the carbon stocks found in intact mature stands
Mangroves’ ability to store carbon (C) has long been recognized, but little is known about whether planted mangroves can store C as efficiently as naturally established (i.e., intact) stands and in which time frame. Through Bayesian logistic models compiled from 40 years of data and built from 684 planted mangrove stands worldwide, we found that biomass C stock culminated at 71 to 73% to...
Authors
Carine F. Bourgeois, Richard A. MacKenzie, Sahadev Sharma, Rupesh K. Bhomia, Nels G. Johnson, Andre S. Rovai, Thomas A. Worthington, Ken Krauss, Kangkuso Analuddin, Jacob J. Bukoski, Jose Alan Castillo, Angie Elwin, Leah Glass, Tim C. Jennerjahn, Mwita M. Mangora, Cyril Marchand, Michael Osland, Ismael A. Ratefinjanahary, Raghab Ray, Severino G. Salmo, Sigit D. Sasmito, Rempei Suwa, Pham Hong Tinh, Carl C. Trettin
Accelerating glacier volume loss on Juneau Icefield driven by hypsometry and melt-accelerating feedbacks Accelerating glacier volume loss on Juneau Icefield driven by hypsometry and melt-accelerating feedbacks
Globally, glaciers and icefields contribute significantly to sea level rise. Here we show that ice loss from Juneau Icefield, a plateau icefield in Alaska, accelerated after 2005 AD. Rates of area shrinkage were 5 times faster from 2015–2019 than from 1979–1990. Glacier volume loss remained fairly consistent (0.65–1.01 km3 a−1) from 1770–1979 AD, rising to 3.08–3.72 km3 a−1 from 1979...
Authors
Bethan Davies, Robert McNabb, Jacob Bendle, Jonathan L. Carrivick, Jeremy Ely, Tom Holt, Bradley Markle, Christopher J. McNeil, Lindsey Nicholson, Mauri Pelto
Modeling the mid-Piacenzian warm climate using the water isotope-enabled Community Earth System Model (iCESM1.2-ITPCAS) Modeling the mid-Piacenzian warm climate using the water isotope-enabled Community Earth System Model (iCESM1.2-ITPCAS)
The mid-Piacenzian Warm Period (MPWP, ~ 3.264–3.025 Ma) is the most recent example of a persistently warmer climate in equilibrium with atmospheric CO2 concentrations similar to today. Towards studying patterns and dynamics of a warming climate the MPWP is often compared to today. Following the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project, Phase 2 (PlioMIP2) protocol we prepare a water isotope...
Authors
Yong Sun, Baohuang Su, Harry J. Dowsett, Haibin Wu, Jun Hu, Christian Stepanek, Zhongyu Xiong, Xiayu Yuan, Gilles Ramstein