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Robert Gleason

Robert Gleason is the Center Director at the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Jamestown, North Dakota.

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Map of Prairie Pothole Region

Science Team about Energy and Plains and Potholes Environments (STEPPE)

Brine Contamination to Plains and Potholes Environments from Energy Development in the Williston Basin
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center
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Science Team about Energy and Plains and Potholes Environments (STEPPE)

Brine Contamination to Plains and Potholes Environments from Energy Development in the Williston Basin
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Migratory birds in a wetland.

Understanding the Links Between Climate, Ecosystem Processes, Wetland Management, and Bird Communities in the Prairie Pothole Region of the Northern Great Plains

In semi-arid regions, riparian and wetland ecosystems function as important migratory and breeding habitats and add significantly to local and regional biodiversity; however, these ecosystems are increasingly threatened by climate change and the potential synergistic effects of increasing demand for water and invasion by exotic species. As a continuation of our inaugural USGS National Climate Chan
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Understanding the Links Between Climate, Ecosystem Processes, Wetland Management, and Bird Communities in the Prairie Pothole Region of the Northern Great Plains

In semi-arid regions, riparian and wetland ecosystems function as important migratory and breeding habitats and add significantly to local and regional biodiversity; however, these ecosystems are increasingly threatened by climate change and the potential synergistic effects of increasing demand for water and invasion by exotic species. As a continuation of our inaugural USGS National Climate Chan
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Filter Total Items: 18

Large increases in methane emissions expected from North America’s largest wetland complex

Natural methane (CH4) emissions from aquatic ecosystems may rise because of human-induced climate warming, although the magnitude of increase is highly uncertain. Using an exceptionally large CH4 flux dataset (~19,000 chamber measurements) and remotely sensed information, we modeled plot- and landscape-scale wetland CH4 emissions from the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), North America’s largest wetla
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Sheel Bansal, Max Post van der Burg, Rachel Fern, John W. Jones, Rachel Lo, Owen P. McKenna, Brian Tangen, Zhen Zhang, Robert A. Gleason
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Land management strategies influence soil organic carbon stocks of prairie potholes of North America

Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks of Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) wetlands in the central plains of Canada and the United States are highly variable due to natural variation in biota, soils, climate, hydrology, and topography. Land-use history (cropland, grassland) and land-management practices (drainage, restoration) also affect SOC stocks. We conducted a region-wide assessment of wetland SOC stoc
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Sheel Bansal, Brian Tangen, Robert A. Gleason, Pascal Badiou, Irena F. Creed
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Greenhouse gas fluxes of a shallow lake in south-central North Dakota, USA

Greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes of aquatic ecosystems in the northern Great Plains of the U.S. represent a significant data gap. Consequently, a 3-year study was conducted in south-central North Dakota, USA, to provide an initial estimate of GHG fluxes from a large, shallow lake. Mean GHG fluxes were 0.02 g carbon dioxide (CO2) m−2 h−1, 0.0009 g methane (CH4) m−2 h−1, and 0.0005 mg nitrous oxide (N2O)
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Brian Tangen, Raymond Finocchiaro, Robert A. Gleason, Charles F. Dahl
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Effects of land use on greenhouse gas fluxes and soil properties of wetland catchments in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America

Wetland restoration has been suggested as policy goal with multiple environmental benefits including enhancement of atmospheric carbon sequestration. However, there are concerns that increased methane (CH4) emissions associated with restoration may outweigh potential benefits. A comprehensive, 4-year study of 119 wetland catchments was conducted in the Prairie Pothole Region of the north-central U
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Brian A. Tangen, Raymond G. Finocchiaro, Robert A. Gleason
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Land Management Research Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Brine contamination to aquatic resources from oil and gas development in the Williston Basin, United States

The Williston Basin, which includes parts of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota in the United States and the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Canada, has been a leading domestic oil and gas producing region for more than one-half a century. Currently, there are renewed efforts to develop oil and gas resources from deep geologic formations, spurred by advances in recovery technologies
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Tara L. Chesley-Preston, James L. Coleman, Robert A. Gleason, Seth S. Haines, Karen E. Jenni, Timothy L. Nieman, Zell E. Peterman, Max Post van der Burg, Todd M. Preston, Bruce D. Smith, Brian A. Tangen, Joanna N. Thamke
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Greenhouse gas fluxes of grazed and hayed wetland catchments in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Ecoregion

Wetland catchments are major ecosystems in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) and play an important role in greenhouse gases (GHG) flux. However, there is limited information regarding effects of land-use on GHG fluxes from these wetland systems. We examined the effects of grazing and haying, two common land-use practices in the region, on GHG fluxes from wetland catchments during 2007 and 2008. Flu
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Raymond G. Finocchiaro, Brian A. Tangen, Robert A. Gleason
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Assessment of sediments in the riverine impoundments of national wildlife refuges in the Souris River Basin, North Dakota

Accelerated sedimentation of reservoirs and riverine impoundments is a major concern throughout the United States. Sediments not only fill impoundments and reduce their effective life span, but they can reduce water quality by increasing turbidity and introducing harmful chemical constituents such as heavy metals, toxic elements, and nutrients. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refu
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Brian A. Tangen, Murray K. Laubhan, Robert A. Gleason
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Assessment of water-quality data from Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota--2008 through 2012

ong Lake National Wildlife Refuge, located in south-central North Dakota, is an important habitat for numerous migratory birds and waterfowl, including several threatened or endangered species. The refuge is distinguished by Long Lake, which is approximately 65 square kilometers and consists of four primary water management units. Water levels in the Long Lake units are maintained by low-level dik
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Brian A. Tangen, Raymond G. Finocchiaro, Robert A. Gleason, Michael J. Rabenberg, Charles F. Dahl, Mike J. Ell
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

A model for evaluating effects of climate, water availability, and water management on wetland impoundments--a case study on Bowdoin, Long Lake, and Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuges

Many wetland impoundments managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) National Wildlife Refuge System throughout the northern Great Plains rely on rivers as a primary water source. A large number of these impoundments currently are being stressed from changes in water supplies and quality, and these problems are forecast to worsen because of projected changes to climate and land use. For
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Brian A. Tangen, Robert A. Gleason, John F. Stamm
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

A multi-refuge study to evaluate the effectiveness of growing-season and dormant-season burns to control cattail

Proliferation of invasive cattails (for example, Typha x glauca, T. angustifolia) is a concern of wetland managers across the country, and numerous methods have been used to control the spatial extent and density of the plant. To date, however, no single method has proven widely or consistently effective at reducing the long-term growth and spread of these species. We performed a multi-refuge stud
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Robert A. Gleason, Brian A. Tangen, Murray K. Laubhan, Socheata Lor
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Valuing ecosystem and economic services across land-use scenarios in the Prairie Pothole Regions of the Dakotas, USA

This study uses biophysical values derived for the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North and South Dakota, in conjunction with value transfer methods, to assess environmental and economic tradeoffs under different policy-relevant land-use scenarios over a 20-year period. The ecosystem service valuation is carried out by comparing the biophysical and economic values of three focal services (i.e. ca
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William R. Gascoigne, Dana Hoag, Lynne Koontz, Brian A. Tangen, Terry L. Shaffer, Robert A. Gleason
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

USDA conservation program and practice effects on wetland ecosystem services in the Prairie Pothole Region

Implementation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) has resulted in the restoration of >2 million ha of wetland and grassland habitats in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR). Restoration of habitats through these programs provides diverse ecosystem services to society, but few investigators have evaluated the environmental
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Robert A. Gleason, Ned Euliss, Brian Tangen, M. K. Laubhan, B.A. Browne
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
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Local Biologist Honored for Research Contributions to Crane Conservation

Dr. Gary Krapu, retired U.S. Geological Survey wildlife biologist and North Dakota native, recently received the L. H. Walkinshaw Crane Conservation...
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