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Biota connect aquatic habitats throughout freshwater ecosystem mosaics Biota connect aquatic habitats throughout freshwater ecosystem mosaics

Freshwater ecosystems are linked at various spatial and temporal scales by movements of biota adapted to life in water. We review the literature on movements of aquatic organisms that connect different types of freshwater habitats, focusing on linkages from streams and wetlands to downstream waters. Here, streams, wetlands, rivers, lakes, ponds, and other freshwater habitats are viewed...
Authors
Kate A. Schofield, Laurie C. Alexander, Caroline E. Ridley, Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Ken M. Fritz, Bradley Autrey, Julie DeMeester, William G. Kepner, Charles R. Lane, Scott Leibowitz, Amina I. Pollard

Featured collection introduction: Connectivity of streams and wetlands to downstream waters Featured collection introduction: Connectivity of streams and wetlands to downstream waters

Connectivity is a fundamental but highly dynamic property of watersheds. Variability in the types and degrees of aquatic ecosystem connectivity presents challenges for researchers and managers seeking to accurately quantify its effects on critical hydrologic, biogeochemical, and biological processes. However, protecting natural gradients of connectivity is key to protecting the range of...
Authors
Laurie C. Alexander, Ken M. Fritz, Kate Schofield, Bradley Autrey, Julie DeMeester, Heather E. Golden, David C. Goodrich, William G. Kepner, Hadas R. Kiperwas, Charles R. Lane, Stephen D. LeDuc, Scott Leibowitz, Michael G. McManus, Amina I. Pollard, Caroline E. Ridley, Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Parker J. Wigington

Connectivity of streams and wetlands to downstream waters: An integrated systems framework Connectivity of streams and wetlands to downstream waters: An integrated systems framework

Interest in connectivity has increased in the aquatic sciences, partly because of its relevance to the Clean Water Act. This paper has two objectives: (1) provide a framework to understand hydrological, chemical, and biological connectivity, focusing on how headwater streams and wetlands connect to and contribute to rivers; and (2) briefly review methods to quantify hydrological and...
Authors
Scott G. Leibowitz, Parker J. Wigington, Kate A. Schoefield, Laurie C. Alexander, Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Heather E. Golden

A North American Hydroclimate Synthesis (NAHS) of the Common Era A North American Hydroclimate Synthesis (NAHS) of the Common Era

This study presents a synthesis of century-scale hydroclimate variations in North America for the Common Era (last 2000 years) using new age models of previously published multiple proxy-based paleoclimate data. This North American Hydroclimate Synthesis (NAHS) examines regional hydroclimate patterns and related environmental indicators, including vegetation, lake water elevation, stream...
Authors
Jessica R. Rodysill, Lesleigh Anderson, Thomas M. Cronin, Miriam C. Jones, Robert S. Thompson, David B. Wahl, Debra A. Willard, Jason A. Addison, Jay R. Alder, Katherine H. Anderson, Lysanna Anderson, John A. Barron, Christopher E. Bernhardt, Steven W. Hostetler, Natalie M. Kehrwald, Nicole Khan, Julie N. Richey, Scott W. Starratt, Laura E. Strickland, Michael Toomey, Claire C. Treat, G. Lynn Wingard

Capture versus capture zones: Clarifying terminology related to sources of water to wells Capture versus capture zones: Clarifying terminology related to sources of water to wells

The term capture, related to the source of water derived from wells, has been used in two distinct yet related contexts by the hydrologic community. The first is a water‐budget context, in which capture refers to decreases in the rates of groundwater outflow and (or) increases in the rates of recharge along head‐dependent boundaries of an aquifer in response to pumping. The second is a...
Authors
Paul M. Barlow, Stanley A. Leake, Michael N. Fienen

Wetlands inform how climate extremes influence surface water expansion and contraction Wetlands inform how climate extremes influence surface water expansion and contraction

Effective monitoring and prediction of flood and drought events requires an improved understanding of how and why surface water expansion and contraction in response to climate varies across space. This paper sought to (1) quantify how interannual patterns of surface water expansion and contraction vary spatially across the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) and adjacent Northern Prairie (NP)...
Authors
Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Charles R. Lane, Michael L. McManus, Laurie C. Alexander, Jay R. Christensen

SWToolbox: A surface-water tool-box for statistical analysis of streamflow time series SWToolbox: A surface-water tool-box for statistical analysis of streamflow time series

This report is a user guide for the low-flow analysis methods provided with version 1.0 of the Surface Water Toolbox (SWToolbox) computer program. The software combines functionality from two software programs—U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) SWSTAT and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) DFLOW. Both of these programs have been used primarily for computation of critical low-flow...
Authors
Julie E. Kiang, Kate Flynn, Tong Zhai, Paul Hummel, Gregory E. Granato

The geochemistry of loess: Asian and North American deposits compared The geochemistry of loess: Asian and North American deposits compared

Loess is widely distributed over Asia and North America and constitutes one of the most important surficial deposits that serve as terrestrial records of the Quaternary. The oldest Pleistocene loess in China is likely ∼2.6 Ma, thus spanning much or all of the Pleistocene. In North America, most loess is no older than the penultimate glacial period, with the exception of Alaska, where the...
Authors
Daniel R. Muhs

Anthropogenic impact in the Mayan Lowlands of Petén, Guatemala, during the last 5500 years Anthropogenic impact in the Mayan Lowlands of Petén, Guatemala, during the last 5500 years

Trace and rare earth elements from a Lake Peten Itzá (Guatemala) sediment core depict the geochemical dynamics affecting the lake from ~5500 y BP to the present. This timing encompasses the Preclassic (4000 to 1700 y BP) and Classic Periods (1700-1000 y BP) when thriving Maya societies extensively cleared land for agriculture. We demonstrate that this land use occurred during times of...
Authors
D. Battistel, Marco Roman, A Marchetti, Natalie M. Kehrwald, Marta Radaelli, Eleanora Balliana, Giuseppina Toscano, Carlo Barbante

Variability of hydrological droughts in the conterminous United States, 1951 through 2014 Variability of hydrological droughts in the conterminous United States, 1951 through 2014

Spatial and temporal variability in the frequency, duration, and severity of hydrological droughts across the conterminous United States (CONUS) was examined using monthly mean streamflow measured at 872 sites from 1951 through 2014. Hydrological drought is identified as starting when streamflow falls below the 20th percentile streamflow value for 3 consecutive months and ending when...
Authors
Samuel H. Austin, David M. Wolock, David L. Nelms

The sensitivity of ecosystem service models to choices of input data and spatial resolution The sensitivity of ecosystem service models to choices of input data and spatial resolution

Although ecosystem service (ES) modeling has progressed rapidly in the last 10–15 years, comparative studies on data and model selection effects have become more common only recently. Such studies have drawn mixed conclusions about whether different data and model choices yield divergent results. In this study, we compared the results of different models to address these questions at...
Authors
Kenneth J. Bagstad, Erika Cohen, Zachary H. Ancona, Steven McNulty, Ge Sun

Prospects for reconstructing paleoenvironmental conditions from organic compounds in polar snow and ice Prospects for reconstructing paleoenvironmental conditions from organic compounds in polar snow and ice

Polar ice cores provide information about past climate and environmental changes over periods ranging from a few years up to 800,000 years. The majority of chemical studies have focused on determining inorganic components, such as major ions and trace elements as well as on their isotopic fingerprint. In this paper, we review the different classes of organic compounds that might yield
Authors
Chiara Giorio, Natalie M. Kehrwald, Carlo Barbante, Markus Kalberer, Amy C.F. King, Elizabeth R. Thomas, Eric W. Wolff, Piero Zennaro
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