Publications
Listed here are publications, reports and articles by the Land Change Science Program in the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area.
Filter Total Items: 1284
Urban trees and cooling: A review of the recent literature (2018 to 2024) Urban trees and cooling: A review of the recent literature (2018 to 2024)
Urban trees mitigate extreme heat through shading and evapotranspiration, but cooling effectiveness varies with tree traits, spatial configurations, and climate. This systematic mapping review synthesizes findings from 115 studies (2018 to 2024) using RepOrting standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses (ROSES) protocols. Studies were categorized based on geographic location, climate...
Authors
Michael Alonzo, Peter Christian Ibsen, Dexter Locke
Discovery of an intact Quaternary paleosol, Georgia Bight, USA Discovery of an intact Quaternary paleosol, Georgia Bight, USA
A previously buried paleosol was found on the continental shelf during a study of sea floor scour, nucleated by large artificial reef structures such as vessel hulks, barges, train cars, military vehicles, etc., called “scour nuclei”. It is a relic paleo-land surface of sapling-sized tree stumps, root systems, and fossil animal bone exhumed by scour processes active adjacent to the...
Authors
Ervan G. Garrison, Matthew Newton, Benjamin Prueitt, Emily C. Jones, Debra A. Willard
The stratigraphic record of the mid-Piacenzian warm period on the Atlantic Coastal Plain The stratigraphic record of the mid-Piacenzian warm period on the Atlantic Coastal Plain
Anthropogenic climate change is an existential threat to our planet, impacting everything from the delicate balance of ecosystems to the availability of vital resources. Coastal regions, particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to rising sea levels and changing weather patterns, are experiencing increased erosion, flooding, and habitat loss. Understanding how coastal...
Authors
Harry J. Dowsett, Whittney Spivey
Multi-model comparison of salt marsh longevity under relative sea-level rise Multi-model comparison of salt marsh longevity under relative sea-level rise
Understanding salt marsh resilience under increasing sea levels can inform for management decisions. We compared temporal projections from various wetland process-based models and a geospatially derived metric (i.e., marsh lifespan) to understand key considerations and uncertainties about salt marsh resilience when using these products for decision-making. The influences of lidar...
Authors
Melinda Martinez, Kevin J. Buffington, Neil K. Ganju, Zafer Defne, Kate Ackerman, Karen M. Thorne, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Joel A. Carr
Elevated CO2 enables brackish marsh transgression into freshwater forested wetlands while stimulating CH4 emissions Elevated CO2 enables brackish marsh transgression into freshwater forested wetlands while stimulating CH4 emissions
Wetlands are significant carbon (C) sinks and are expected to promote greater C assimilation as atmospheric CO2 concentrations rise. However, the fate of C with environmental change along fresh-to-oligohaline wetland transitions is not well understood. We established an ex-situ mesocosm experiment to mimic future elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations (eCO2, 720 ppm) versus current (380...
Authors
Luzhen Chen, Donald R. Schoolmaster, Ken Krauss, Camille Stagg, Nicole Cormier, Rebecca Moss, Yiyi Xiong, Nathaniel B. Weston
Assessing causes and consequences of winter surface water dynamics in California’s Central Valley using satellite remote sensing Assessing causes and consequences of winter surface water dynamics in California’s Central Valley using satellite remote sensing
California's Central Valley is increasingly vulnerable to winter floods. A comprehensive spatial baseline of flood extents is critical for inundation analyses that can enhance future flood predictions, but cloud cover has prevented the regular observation of surface water extents with optical satellite imagery. In this study, we leveraged the daily resolution of Moderate Resolution...
Authors
Christine M. Albano, Christopher E. Soulard, Blake A. Minor, Jessica J. Walker, Britt Windsor Smith, Eric K. Waller, Michael D. Bartles, Tom Corringham, Anthony T. O'Geen, Melissa M. Rohde, Anne Wein
Optimizing the effectiveness of connectivity modifiers to reduce dryland degradation Optimizing the effectiveness of connectivity modifiers to reduce dryland degradation
Dryland degradation from unsustainable land use and increasing aridity often manifests as bare, interconnected areas that facilitate the loss or redistribution of resources (soil, seeds, and nutrients) through wind and run-off. Physical structures like branches and stick bundles, which disrupt these pathways and retain resources, are crucial for rehabilitation and restoration...
Authors
Kristina E. Young, Brandon L. Edwards, Michael C. Duniway, Nicholas P. Webb
Monitoring visitor activity and informal trail disturbance in Yosemite Valley meadows to assess temporal changes in use and impacts Monitoring visitor activity and informal trail disturbance in Yosemite Valley meadows to assess temporal changes in use and impacts
Montane meadows provide vital habitat that supports ecosystems, regulate hydrological processes, and offer valuable recreational opportunities. Meadows account for 3 % of Yosemite National Park's area, including Yosemite Valley, and are particularly susceptible to human impacts such as formation of informal trails. We collected observational data on visitor activity and quantified social...
Authors
Sheri A. Shiflett, Jeffery S. Jenkins, Rachel F. Mattos, Kai Thiry, Peter Christian Ibsen, Melissa Booher, Angela Tricomi, Nicole D Athearn
Linking fire radiative power to land cover, fire history, and environmental setting in Alaska, 2003–2022 Linking fire radiative power to land cover, fire history, and environmental setting in Alaska, 2003–2022
Background Fire radiative power (FRP) shows promise as a diagnostic and predictive indicator of fire behavior and post-fire effects in Alaska, USA. Aims To investigate relationships between FRP, vegetation functional groups, and environmental settings in Alaska (2003–2022) under various fire history conditions. Methods We tested for distinctness of MODIS FRP distributions associated with...
Authors
Jessica J. Walker, Rachel A. Loehman, Britt Windsor Smith, Christopher E. Soulard
Biocrust mosses and cyanobacteria exhibit distinct carbon uptake responses to variations in precipitation amount and frequency Biocrust mosses and cyanobacteria exhibit distinct carbon uptake responses to variations in precipitation amount and frequency
Dryland organisms exhibit varied responses to changes in precipitation, including event size, frequency, and soil moisture duration, influencing carbon uptake and reserve management strategies. This principle, central to the pulse-reserve paradigm, has not been thoroughly evaluated in biological soil crusts (biocrusts), essential primary producers on dryland surfaces. We conducted two...
Authors
Kristina E. Young, Osvaldo E. Sala, Anthony Darrouzet-Nardi, Colin L Tucker, Rebecca A Finger-Higgens, Megan Elyse Starbuck, Sasha C. Reed
Flexible phenology of a C4 grass linked to resiliency to seasonal and multiyear drought events in the American southwest Flexible phenology of a C4 grass linked to resiliency to seasonal and multiyear drought events in the American southwest
Rising temperatures are predicted to further limit dryland water availability as droughts become more intense and frequent and seasonal precipitation patterns shift. Vegetation drought stress may increase mortality and cause declines and delays in phenological events, thereby impacting species' capacity to persist and recover from extreme drought conditions. We compare phenological...
Authors
Rebecca A Finger-Higgens, David L. Hoover, Anna C. Knight, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer, Michael C. Duniway
Fine-resolution satellite remote sensing improves spatially distributed snow modeling to near real time Fine-resolution satellite remote sensing improves spatially distributed snow modeling to near real time
Given the highly variable distribution of seasonal snowpacks in complex mountainous environments, the accurate snow modeling of basin-wide snow water equivalent (SWE) requires a spatially distributed approach at a sufficiently fine grid resolution (
Authors
Graham A. Sexstone, Garrett Alexander Akie, David J. Selkowitz, Theodore B. Barnhart, David M. Rey, Claudia León-Salazar, Emily Carbone, Lindsay A. Bearup