Publications
Listed here are publications, reports and articles by the Land Change Science Program in the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area.
Filter Total Items: 1284
Non-linear responses of glaciated prairie wetlands to climate warming Non-linear responses of glaciated prairie wetlands to climate warming
The response of ecosystems to climate warming is likely to include threshold events when small changes in key environmental drivers produce large changes in an ecosystem. Wetlands of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) are especially sensitive to climate variability, yet the possibility that functional changes may occur more rapidly with warming than expected has not been examined or...
Authors
W. Carter Johnson, Brett Werner, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
Differential response of carbon fluxes to climate in three peatland ecosystems that vary in the presence and stability of permafrost Differential response of carbon fluxes to climate in three peatland ecosystems that vary in the presence and stability of permafrost
Changes in vegetation and soil properties following permafrost degradation and thermokarst development in peatlands may cause changes in net carbon storage. To better understand these dynamics, we established three sites in Alaska that vary in permafrost regime, including a black spruce peat plateau forest with stable permafrost, an internal collapse scar bog formed as a result of...
Authors
Eugenie S. Euskirchen, C.W. Edgar, M.R. Turetsky, Mark P. Waldrop, Jennifer W. Harden
A novel, non-removal method for closing drainage tile for ecological restorations A novel, non-removal method for closing drainage tile for ecological restorations
This article discussing the use of a new method and approach for closing tile for hydrological restorations without removal of the tile pipe and allows for more flexibility in restoration design.
Authors
Raymond Finocchiaro, Dave A. Azure, Michael A. Vargo
Multiscale perspectives of fire, climate and humans in western North America and the Jemez Mountains, USA Multiscale perspectives of fire, climate and humans in western North America and the Jemez Mountains, USA
Interannual climate variations have been important drivers of wildfire occurrence in ponderosa pine forests across western North America for at least 400 years, but at finer scales of mountain ranges and landscapes human land uses sometimes over-rode climate influences. We reconstruct and analyse effects of high human population densities in forests of the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico...
Authors
Thomas W. Swetnam, Joshua Farella, Christopher I. Roos, Matthew J. Liebmann, Donald A. Falk, Craig D. Allen
Data, age uncertainties and ocean δ18O under the spotlight for Ocean2k Phase 2 Data, age uncertainties and ocean δ18O under the spotlight for Ocean2k Phase 2
The oceans make up 71% of the Earth’s surface area and are a major component of the global climate system. They are the world’s primary heat reservoir, and knowledge of the global ocean response to past and present radiative forcing is important for understanding climate change. PAGES’ Ocean2k working group aims to place marine climate of the past century within the context of the...
Authors
Helen V. McGregor, Belen Martrat, Michael N. Evans, Diane Thompson, D. Reynolds, Jason A. Addison
Hydrologic response of desert wetlands to Holocene climate change: preliminary results from the Soda Springs area, Mojave National Preserve, California Hydrologic response of desert wetlands to Holocene climate change: preliminary results from the Soda Springs area, Mojave National Preserve, California
Desert wetlands are common features in arid environments and include a variety of hydrologic facies, including seeps, springs, marshes, wet meadows, ponds, and spring pools. Wet ground conditions and dense stands of vegetation in these settings combine to trap eolian, alluvial, and fluvial sediments that accumulate over time. The resulting deposits are collectively called ground-water...
Authors
Jeffrey S. Pigati, Marith C. Reheis, John P. McGeehin, Jeffrey S. Honke, J. Bright
Addressing potential local adaptation in species distribution models: implications for conservation under climate change Addressing potential local adaptation in species distribution models: implications for conservation under climate change
Species distribution models (SDMs) have been criticized for involving assumptions that ignore or categorize many ecologically relevant factors such as dispersal ability and biotic interactions. Another potential source of model error is the assumption that species are ecologically uniform in their climatic tolerances across their range. Typically, SDMs to treat a species as a single...
Authors
Maria Helena Hallfors, Jishan Liao, Jason D. K. Dzurisin, Ralph Grundel, Marko Hyvarinen, Kevin Towle, Grace C. Wu, Jessica J. Hellmann
Water-quality response to a high-elevation wildfire in the Colorado Front Range Water-quality response to a high-elevation wildfire in the Colorado Front Range
Water quality of the Big Thompson River in the Front Range of Colorado was studied for 2 years following a high‐elevation wildfire that started in October 2012 and burned 15% of the watershed. A combination of fixed‐interval sampling and continuous water‐quality monitors was used to examine the timing and magnitude of water‐quality changes caused by the wildfire. Prefire water quality...
Authors
M. Alisa Mast, Sheila F. Murphy, David W. Clow, Colin A. Penn, Graham A. Sexstone
Isotopes in North American Rocky Mountain snowpack 1993–2014 Isotopes in North American Rocky Mountain snowpack 1993–2014
We present ∼1300 new isotopic measurements (δ18O and δ2H) from a network of snowpack sites in the Rocky Mountains that have been sampled since 1993. The network includes 177 locations where depth-integrated snow samples are collected each spring near peak accumulation. At 57 of these locations snowpack samples were obtained for 10–21 years and their isotopic measurements provide...
Authors
Lesleigh Anderson, Max Berkelhammer, M. Alisa Mast
Rangeland monitoring reveals long-term plant responses to precipitation and grazing at the landscape scale Rangeland monitoring reveals long-term plant responses to precipitation and grazing at the landscape scale
Managers of rangeland ecosystems require methods to track the condition of natural resources over large areas and long periods of time as they confront climate change and land use intensification. We demonstrate how rangeland monitoring results can be synthesized using ecological site concepts to understand how climate, site factors, and management actions affect long-term vegetation...
Authors
Seth M. Munson, Michael C. Duniway, Jamin K. Johanson
Do geographically isolated wetlands influence landscape functions? Do geographically isolated wetlands influence landscape functions?
Geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs), those surrounded by uplands, exchange materials, energy, and organisms with other elements in hydrological and habitat networks, contributing to landscape functions, such as flow generation, nutrient and sediment retention, and biodiversity support. GIWs constitute most of the wetlands in many North American landscapes, provide a...
Authors
Matthew J. Cohen, Irena F. Creed, Laurie C. Alexander, Nandita Basu, Aram J.K. Calhoun, Christopher Craft, Ellen D’Amico, Edward S. DeKeyser, Laurie Fowler, Heather E. Golden, James W. Jawitz, Peter Kalla, L. Katherine Kirkman, Charles R. Lane, Megan Lang, Scott G. Leibowitz, David Bruce Lewis, John Marton, Daniel L. McLaughlin, David M. Mushet, Hadas Raanan-Kiperwas, Mark C. Rains, Lora Smith, Susan C. Walls
Multi-scale predictions of massive conifer mortality due to chronic temperature rise Multi-scale predictions of massive conifer mortality due to chronic temperature rise
Global temperature rise and extremes accompanying drought threaten forests and their associated climatic feedbacks. Our ability to accurately simulate drought-induced forest impacts remains highly uncertain in part owing to our failure to integrate physiological measurements, regional-scale models, and dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs). Here we show consistent predictions of...
Authors
Nathan G. McDowell, A.P. Williams, C. Xu, W. T. Pockman, L. T. Dickman, Sanna Sevanto, R. Pangle, J. Limousin, J.J. Plaut, D.S. Mackay, J. Ogee, Jean-Christophe Domec, Craig D. Allen, Rosie A. Fisher, X. Jiang, J.D. Muss, D.D. Breshears, Sara A. Rauscher, C. Koven