Publications
Listed here are publications, reports and articles by the Land Change Science Program in the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area.
Filter Total Items: 1145
Using a vegetation index to assess wetland condition in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America Using a vegetation index to assess wetland condition in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America
Wetlands deliver a suite of ecosystem services to society. Anthropogenic activities, such as wetland drainage, have resulted in considerable wetland loss and degradation, diminishing the intrinsic value of wetland ecosystems worldwide. Protecting remaining wetlands and restoring degraded wetlands are common management practices to preserve and reclaim wetland benefits to society...
Authors
Brian Tangen, Sheel Bansal, Seth Jones, Cami Dixon, Amanda Nahlik, Edward S. DeKeyser, Christina Hargiss, David M. Mushet
Microbiome assembly in thawing permafrost and its feedbacks to climate Microbiome assembly in thawing permafrost and its feedbacks to climate
The physical and chemical changes that accompany permafrost thaw directly influence the microbial communities that mediate the decomposition of formerly frozen organic matter, leading to uncertainty in permafrost–climate feedbacks. Although changes to microbial metabolism and community structure are documented following thaw, the generality of post-thaw assembly patterns across...
Authors
Jessica Ernakovich, Robyn Barbato, Virginia Rich, Christina Schädel, Rebecca Hewitt, Stacey Doherty, Emily Whalen, Benjamin Abbott, Jiri Barta, Christina Biasi, Chris Chabot, Jenni Hultman, Christian Knoblauch, Maggie Lau Vetter, Mary-Cathrine Leewis, Susanne Liebner, Rachel Mackelprang, Tullis Onstott, Andreas Richter, Ursel Schutte, Henri Siljanen, Neslihan Tas, Ina Timling, Tatiana Vishnivetskaya, Mark Waldrop, Matthias Winkel
Causality guided machine learning model on wetland CH4 emissions across global wetlands Causality guided machine learning model on wetland CH4 emissions across global wetlands
Wetland CH4 emissions are among the most uncertain components of the global CH4 budget. The complex nature of wetland CH4 processes makes it challenging to identify causal relationships for improving our understanding and predictability of CH4 emissions. In this study, we used the flux measurements of CH4 from eddy covariance towers (30 sites from 4 wetlands types: bog, fen, marsh, and...
Authors
Kunxiaojia Yuan, Qing Zhu, Fa Li, William Riley, Margaret Torn, Housen Chu, Gavin McNicol, Mingshu Chen, Sara Knox, Kyle Delwiche, Huayi Wu, Dennis Baldocchi, Hongxu Ma, Ankur Desai, Jiquan Chen, Torsten Sachs, Masahito Ueyama, Oliver Sonnentag, Manuel Helbig, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, Gerald Jurasinski, Franziska Koebsch, David Campbell, Hans Schmid, Annalea Lohila, Mathias Goeckede, Mats Nilsson, Thomas Friborg, Joachim Jansen, Donatella Zona, Eugenie Euskirchen, Eric Ward, Gil Bohrer, Zhenong Jin, Licheng Liu, Hiroki Iwata, Jordan Goodrich, Robert Jackson
Over the hills and through the farms: Land use and topography influence genetic connectivity of northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) in the Prairie Pothole Region Over the hills and through the farms: Land use and topography influence genetic connectivity of northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) in the Prairie Pothole Region
Context Agricultural land-use conversion has fragmented prairie wetland habitats in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), an area with one of the most wetland dense regions in the world. This fragmentation can lead to negative consequences for wetland obligate organisms, heightening risk of local extinction and reducing evolutionary potential for populations to adapt to changing environments...
Authors
Justin Waraniak, David M. Mushet, Craig Stockwell
Diminishing Arctic lakes Diminishing Arctic lakes
The Arctic is home to the largest surface water fraction of any terrestrial biome, containing thousands of low-lying lakes. Now, it appears that some Arctic lakes are drying due to rising air temperatures and autumn rains, causing permafrost to thaw and water bodies to drain.
Authors
Rebecca Finger-Higgens
Using paleoecological data to inform decision making: A deep-time perspective Using paleoecological data to inform decision making: A deep-time perspective
Latest climate models project conditions for the end of this century that are generally outside of the human experience. These future conditions affect the resilience and sustainability of ecosystems, alter biogeographic zones, and impact biodiversity. Deep-time records of paleoclimate provide insight into the climate system over millions of years and provide examples of conditions very...
Authors
Harry Dowsett, Peter Jacobs, Kim de Mutsert
U.S. Geological Survey Benchmark Glacier Project U.S. Geological Survey Benchmark Glacier Project
The U.S. Geological Survey Benchmark Glacier Project combines decades of direct glaciological data with remote sensing data to advance the quantitative understanding of glacier-climate interactions. The global loss of glaciers, and consequent implications for water resources, sea level rise, and ecosystem function underscores the importance of U.S. Geological Survey glaciology research...
Authors
Caitlyn Florentine, Lisa McKeon
Barium enrichment in the non-spinose planktic foraminifer, Globorotalia truncatulinoides Barium enrichment in the non-spinose planktic foraminifer, Globorotalia truncatulinoides
Observations of elevated barium-to-calcium ratios (Ba/Ca) in Globorotalia truncatulinoides have been attributed to contaminant phases, deep calcification depth and diagenetic processes. Here we investigate intra- and inter-test Ba/Ca variability in the non-spinose planktic foraminifer, G. truncatulinoides, from a sediment trap time series in the northern Gulf of Mexico to gain insights...
Authors
Julie Richey, Jennifer S. Fehrenbacher, Caitlin E. Reynolds, Catherine Davis, Howard Spero
Tephrochronology of the Miocene Monterey and Modelo Formations, California Tephrochronology of the Miocene Monterey and Modelo Formations, California
Tuff beds have been known in the Miocene Monterey and Modelo Formations since the initial descriptions; however, age control and correlation is predominantly biostratigraphy. Here we combine tephrochronology and biostratigraphy in order to provide numerical age control for eight sedimentary sequences of the Monterey and Modelo Formations from Monterey, California to Orange County...
Authors
Jeffrey Knott, Andrei M. Sarna-Wojcicki, John Barron, Elmira Wan, Nancy Heizler, Priscilla Martinez
Classifying mixing regimes in ponds and shallow lakes Classifying mixing regimes in ponds and shallow lakes
Lakes are classified by thermal mixing regimes, with shallow waterbodies historically categorized as continuously mixing systems. Yet, recent studies demonstrate extended summertime stratification in ponds, underscoring the need to reassess thermal classifications for shallow waterbodies. In this study, we examined the summertime thermal dynamics of 34 ponds and shallow lakes across...
Authors
Meredith Holgerson, David Richardson, Joseph Roith, Lauren Bortolotti, Kerri Finlay, Daniel Hornbach, Kshitij Gurung, Andrew Ness, Mikkel R. Andersen, Sheel Bansal, Jacques Finlay, Jacob Cianci-Gaskill, Shannon Hahn, Benjamin Janke, Cory McDonald, Jorrit Mesman, Rebecca North, Cassandra Roberts, Jon Sweetman, Jackie Webb
Climate change risks to global forest health: Emergence of unexpected events of elevated tree mortality worldwide Climate change risks to global forest health: Emergence of unexpected events of elevated tree mortality worldwide
Recent observations of elevated tree mortality following climate extremes, like heat and drought, raise concerns about climate change risks to global forest health. We currently lack both sufficient data and understanding to identify whether these observations represent a global trend towards increasing tree mortality. Here, we document events of sudden and unexpected elevated tree...
Authors
Henrik Hartmann, Ana Bastos, Adrian Das, Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert, William Hammond, Jordi Martínez-Vilalta, Nate McDowell, Jennifer Powers, Thomas A. M. Pugh, Katinka Ruthrof, Craig D. Allen
A model of the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss applied to a Louisiana salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain A model of the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss applied to a Louisiana salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain
The potential for carbon sequestration in coastal wetlands is high due to protection of carbon (C) in flooded soils. However, excessive flooding can result in the conversion of the vegetated wetland to open water. This transition results in the loss of wetland habitat in addition to the potential loss of soil carbon. Thus, in areas experiencing rapid wetland submergence, such as the...
Authors
Donald Schoolmaster, Camille Stagg, Courtney Creamer, Claudia Laurenzano, Eric Ward, Mark Waldrop, Melissa M. Baustian, Tiong Aw, Sergio Merino, Rachel Villani, Laura Scott