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Publications

Listed here are publications, reports and articles by the Land Change Science Program in the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area.

Filter Total Items: 1145

Tropical cyclones and the organization of mangrove forests: A review Tropical cyclones and the organization of mangrove forests: A review

Background Many mangrove ecosystems are periodically exposed to high velocity winds and surge from tropical cyclones and often recover with time and continue to provide numerous societal benefits in the wake of storm events. Scope This review focuses on the drivers and disturbance mechanisms (visible and functional) that tropical cyclones of various intensities have on mangrove ecosystem
Authors
Ken Krauss, Michael Osland

Research Note: How old are the people who die in avalanches? A look into the ages of avalanche victims in the United States (1950-2018) Research Note: How old are the people who die in avalanches? A look into the ages of avalanche victims in the United States (1950-2018)

Since the winter of 1950-1951, 1084 individuals perished in snow avalanches in the United States. In this study, we analyze the ages of those killed (n=900) by applying non-parametric methods to annual median ages and for age groups and primary activity groups. Change point detection results suggest a significant change in 1990 in the median age of avalanche fatalities. Significant...
Authors
Erich Peitzsch, Sara Boilen, Karl Birkeland, Spencer Logan

Integrating stream gage data and Landsat imagery to complete time-series of surface water extents in Central Valley, California Integrating stream gage data and Landsat imagery to complete time-series of surface water extents in Central Valley, California

Accurate monitoring of surface water location and extent is critical for the management of diverse water resource phenomena. The multi-decadal archive of Landsat satellite imagery is punctuated by missing data due to cloud cover during acquisition times, hindering the assembly of a continuous time series of inundation dynamics. This study investigated whether streamflow volume...
Authors
Jessica J. Walker, Christopher Soulard, Roy Petrakis

Reducing wet ammonium deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park: The development and evaluation of a pilot early warning system for agricultural operations in eastern Colorado Reducing wet ammonium deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park: The development and evaluation of a pilot early warning system for agricultural operations in eastern Colorado

Agricultural emissions are the primary source of ammonia (NH3) deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), a Class I area, that is granted special air quality protections under the Clean Air Act. Between 2014 and 2016, the pilot phase of the Colorado agricultural nitrogen early warning system (CANEWS) was developed for agricultural producers to voluntarily and temporarily minimize...
Authors
Aaron Pena, Russ Schumacher, Scott Denning, William Faulkner, Jill Baron, Jay Ham, Dennis Ojima, Jeffrey Collett

Reanalysis of the U.S. Geological Survey Benchmark Glaciers: Long-term insight into climate forcing of glacier mass balance Reanalysis of the U.S. Geological Survey Benchmark Glaciers: Long-term insight into climate forcing of glacier mass balance

Mountain glaciers integrate climate processes to provide an unmatched signal of regional climate forcing. However, extracting the climate signal via intercomparison of regional glacier mass balance records can be problematic when methods for extrapolating and calibrating direct glaciological measurements are mixed or inconsistent. To address this problem, we reanalyzed and compared long...
Authors
Shad O’Neel, Christopher J. McNeil, Louis C. Sass, Caitlyn Florentine, Emily Baker, Erich Peitzsch, Daniel McGrath, Andrew Fountain, Daniel Fagre

Scenarios of climate adaptation potential on protected working lands from management of soils Scenarios of climate adaptation potential on protected working lands from management of soils

Management of protected lands may enhance ecosystem services that conservation programs were designed to protect. Practices that build soil organic matter (SOM) on agricultural lands also increase soil water holding capacity, potentially reducing climatic water deficit (CWD), increasing actual evapotranspiration (AET) and increasing groundwater recharge (RCH). We developed nine spatially...
Authors
Kristin Byrd, P. Alvarez, Benjamin Sleeter, Lorraine Flint, D. Cameron, J. Creque

The long-term effects of Hurricanes Wilma and Irma on soil elevation change in Everglades mangrove forests The long-term effects of Hurricanes Wilma and Irma on soil elevation change in Everglades mangrove forests

Mangrove forests in the Florida Everglades (USA) are frequently affected by hurricanes that produce high-velocity winds, storm surge, and extreme rainfall, but also provide sediment subsidies that help mangroves adjust to sea-level rise. The long-term influence of hurricane sediment inputs on soil elevation dynamics in mangrove forests are not well understood. Here, we assessed the...
Authors
Laura Feher, Michael Osland, Gordon Anderson, William Vervaeke, Ken Krauss, Kevin Whelan, Karen Balentine, Ginger Tiling-Range, Thomas Smith, Donald Cahoon

Discoveries and novel insights in ecology using structural equation modeling Discoveries and novel insights in ecology using structural equation modeling

As we enter the era of data science (Lortie 2018), quantitative analysis methodologies are proliferating rapidly, leaving ecologists with the task of choosing among many alternatives. The use of structural equation modeling (SEM) by ecologists has increased in recent years, prompting us to ask users a number of questions about their experience with the methodology. Responses indicate an
Authors
Daniel Laughlin, James Grace

Quantifying hydrologic controls on local- and landscape-scale indicators of coastal wetland loss Quantifying hydrologic controls on local- and landscape-scale indicators of coastal wetland loss

Background and Aims Coastal wetlands have evolved to withstand stressful abiotic conditions through the maintenance of hydrologic feedbacks among vegetation production and flooding. However, disruption of these feedbacks can lead to ecosystem collapse, or a regime shift from vegetated wetland to open water. To prevent the loss of critical coastal wetland habitat, we must improve...
Authors
Camille Stagg, Michael Osland, Jena Moon, Courtney Hall, Laura Feher, William Jones, Brady Couvillion, Stephen Hartley, William Vervaeke

Winter climate change and the poleward range expansion of a tropical invasive tree (Brazilian pepper ‐ Shinus terebinthifolius) Winter climate change and the poleward range expansion of a tropical invasive tree (Brazilian pepper ‐ Shinus terebinthifolius)

Winter climate change is expected to lead to the tropicalization of temperate ecosystems, where tropical species expand poleward in response to a decrease in the intensity and duration of winter temperature extremes (i.e., freeze events). In the southeastern United States, freezing temperatures control the northern range limits of many invasive non‐native species. Here, we examine the...
Authors
Michael Osland, Laura Feher

Temperature thresholds for black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) freeze damage, mortality, and recovery in North America: Refining tipping points for range expansion in a warming climate Temperature thresholds for black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) freeze damage, mortality, and recovery in North America: Refining tipping points for range expansion in a warming climate

Near the tropical‐temperate transition zone, warming winter temperatures are expected to facilitate the poleward range expansion of freeze‐sensitive tropical organisms. In coastal wetlands of eastern and central North America, freeze‐sensitive woody plants (mangroves) are expected to expand northward into regions currently dominated by freeze‐tolerant herbaceous salt marsh plants. To...
Authors
Michael Osland, Richard Day, Courtney T. Hall, Laura Feher, Anna Armitage, Just Cebrian, Kenneth H. Dunton, Randall Hughes, David Kaplan, Amy Langston, Aaron Macy, Carolyn Weaver, Gordon Anderson, Karen Cummins, Ilka Feller, Caitlin Snyder
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