Cheryl Horton
Biography
Cheryl Horton is a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Ecological Research
Center. Her work focuses on the distribution, abundance, habitat associations, seasonal variation, and
species composition of seabirds and marine mammals. She is interested in the application of technology
and novel analytic methods to inform marine spatial planning and renewable energy development. As
part of the Seabird Studies Team, Cheryl contributes to projects using digital aerial photography,
tracking data, acoustic monitors, and traditional surveys to study seabirds and the marine environment.
Education
MSc, Wildlife Science, Oregon State University 2014
BS, Natural Resources: Applied Ecology, Cornell University 2006
Research Interests:
- Seabird Ecology, Breeding Biology and Food Web Dynamics
- Tracking and Movement Ecology
- Marine Spatial Planning
- Data Science and Machine Learning
Science and Products
Aerial Seabird and Marine Mammal Surveys
The Seabird Studies Team at the USGS Western Ecological Research Center is conducting aerial photographic surveys of the ocean off central and southern California to create comprehensive maps of seabird and marine mammal distributions. The project is supported by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and will inform planning in advance of potential offshore wind energy development along the...
Santa Cruz Field Station
Scientists at the Santa Cruz Field Station study sea otters and seabirds in their environment. The USGS Western Ecological Research Center has two research missions based in the Santa Cruz region:
Repeating caldera collapse events constrain fault friction at the kilometer scale
Fault friction is central to understanding earthquakes, yet laboratory rock mechanics experiments are restricted to, at most, meter scale. Questions thus remain as to the applicability of measured frictional properties to faulting in situ. In particular, the slip-weakening distance dc">dcdc strongly influences precursory slip during...
Segall, Paul; Anderson, Kyle R.
U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2018 annual report
The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) was established in 2007 as a collaborative interagency partnership to develop and implement science-based conservation actions. During the past 11 years, partners from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), State and Federal land management agencies, universities, and the public have collaborated to...
Anderson, Patrick J.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Alexander, Jason S.; Assal, Timothy J.; Aulenbach, Steven; Bowen, Zachary H.; Chalfoun, Anna D.; Chong, Geneva W.; Copeland, Holly; Edmunds, David R.; Germaine, Steve; Graves, Tabitha; Heinrichs, Julie A.; Homer, Collin G.; Huber, Christopher; Johnston, Aaron; Kauffman, Matthew J.; Manier, Daniel J.; McShane, Ryan R.; Eddy-Miller, Cheryl A.; Miller, Kirk A.; Monroe, Adrian P.; O'Donnell, Michael S.; Ortega, Anna; Walters, Annika W.; Wieferich, Daniel J.; Wyckoff, Teal B.; Zeigenfuss, Linda
Precipitation-driven flood-inundation mapping of the Little Blue River at Grandview, Missouri
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the City of Grandview, Missouri, assessed flooding of the Little Blue River at Grandview resulting from varying precipitation magnitudes and durations and expected land-cover changes. The precipitation scenarios were used to develop a library of flood-inundation maps that included a 3.5-mile...
Heimann, David C.; Voss, Jonathon D.; Rydlund, Jr., Paul H.
System characterization report on Planet’s Dove Classic
Executive SummaryThis report addresses system characterization of Planet’s Dove Classic satellites and is part of a series of system characterization reports produced and delivered by the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Cal/Val Center of Excellence. These reports present and detail the methodology and procedures for...
Kim, Minsu; Park, Seonkyung; Anderson, Cody; Stensaas, Gregory L.
Evaluation of factors affecting migration success of adult sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in the Yakima River, Washington, 2020
A study was conducted during June–October 2020 to evaluate factors affecting the migration success of adult sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in the Yakima River, Washington. A total of 144 adult sockeye salmon were tagged and released during the study. Most fish (112 fish) were collected, tagged with passive integrated transponder (PIT), and...
Kock, Tobias J.; Hansen, Amy C.; Evans, Scott D.; Visser, Richard; Saluskin, Brian; Matala, Andrew; Hoffarth, Paul
Hydrogeology of the Susquehanna River valley-fill aquifer system in the towns of Conklin and Kirkwood, Broome County, New York
The hydrogeology of the Susquehanna River valley-fill aquifer system and adjacent areas in south-central Broome County, New York, was investigated in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The study area encompasses roughly 55.5 square miles and includes the towns of Conklin and Kirkwood. Multiple small,...
Van Hoesen, John G.; Heisig, Paul M.; Fisher, Shannon R.
Hazard analysis of landslides triggered by Typhoon Chata'an on July 2, 2002, in Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia
More than 250 landslides were triggered across the eastern volcanic islands of Chuuk State in the Federated States of Micronesia by torrential rainfall from tropical storm Chata’an on July 2, 2002. Landslides triggered during nearly 20 inches of rainfall in less than 24 hours caused 43 fatalities and the destruction or damage of 231 structures,...
Harp, Edwin L.; Reid, Mark E.; Michael, John A. Ignitions explain more than climate or weather in driving Santa Ana Wind fires
Autumn and winter Santa Ana wind (SAW)–driven wildfires play a substantial role in area burned and societal losses in southern California. Temperature during the event and antecedent precipitation in the week or month prior play a minor role in determining area burned. Burning is dependent on wind intensity and number of human-ignited fires. Over...
Keeley, Jon; Guzman-Morales, Janin; Gershunov, Alexander; Syphard, Alexandra D.; Cayan, Daniel; Pierce, David W; Flannigan, Michael; Brown, Tim J
Water resources of Grant Parish, Louisiana
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Grant Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, about 5.43 million gallons per...
Murphy, Chid J.; White, Vincent E. Response of forage plants to alteration of temperature and spring thaw date: Implications for geese in a warming Arctic
Changes in summer temperatures in Arctic Alaska have led to longer and warmer growing seasons over the last three decades. Corresponding with these changes in climate, the abundance and distributions of geese have increased and expanded over the same period. We used an experimental approach to assess the response of goose forage plants to...
Flint, Paul L.; Meixell, Brandt W. Herring Disease Program - Annual Project Report 2012011-E, February 1, 2010-January 31, 2021
We will investigate fish health factors that may be contributing to the failed recovery of Pacific herring populations in Prince William Sound. Field samples will provide infection and disease prevalence data from Prince William Sound and Sitka Sound to inform the age structured assessment (ASA) model, serological data will indicate the prior...
Hershberger, Paul; Purcell, Maureen K. Cyprosulfamide: Analysis of the herbicide safener and two of its degradates in surface water and groundwater from the Midwestern United States
Herbicide safeners are commonly included in herbicide formulations to selectively protect crops from herbicide toxicity but are poorly understood in terms of their environmental occurrence and fate. This study established an analytical method for a newer safener, cyprosulfamide, and two of its degradates, cyprosulfamide desmethyl and N-...
McFadden, Monica E; Hladik, Michelle