Publications
This list of publications includes peer-review journal articles, official USGS publications series, reports and more authored by scientists in the Ecosystems Mission Area. A database of all USGS publications, with advanced search features, can be accessed at the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Filter Total Items: 42268
Assessing the potential for evaluation of wildland fire models using remotely sensed data—Summary proceedings from a U.S. Geological Survey workshop in 2024 Assessing the potential for evaluation of wildland fire models using remotely sensed data—Summary proceedings from a U.S. Geological Survey workshop in 2024
On September 19, 2024, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) held a virtual workshop titled “Potential for Evaluation of Fire Models with Remote Sensing Data Workshop” to assess the feasibility of using remotely sensed datasets to evaluate next-generation wildland fire behavior models. Remote sensing and fire modelling experts gathered to: (1) assess the suitability of a variety of...
Authors
Sophie R. Bonner, Kurtis J. Nelson, Peter G. Rinkleff, Chad M. Hoffman, Paul F. Steblein
Using public participatory geographic information systems (PPGIS) to explore uses and values for Mojave Trails National Monument, California Using public participatory geographic information systems (PPGIS) to explore uses and values for Mojave Trails National Monument, California
Many people ascribe a variety of values to public lands and waters, but some values are more difficult to assess and quantify than others. Public participatory geographic information systems (PPGIS) are tools that have been used to help quantify and map the public’s diverse values for a landscape. This work describes the first known Office of Management and Budget–approved use of PPGIS...
Authors
Emily J. Wilkins, Sarah M. Lindley, Karla Rogers, Rudy Schuster, Mark T. Hannon, Parker T. Rowland, Michael J. Runnels
Permafrost–wildfire interactions: active layer thickness estimates for paired burned and unburned sites in northern high latitudes Permafrost–wildfire interactions: active layer thickness estimates for paired burned and unburned sites in northern high latitudes
As the northern high-latitude permafrost zone experiences accelerated warming, permafrost has become vulnerable to widespread thaw. Simultaneously, wildfire activity across northern boreal forest and Arctic/subarctic tundra regions impacts permafrost stability through the combustion of insulating organic matter, vegetation, and post-fire changes in albedo. Efforts to synthesis the...
Authors
Anna Talucci, Michael M. Loranty, Jean E. Holloway, Brendan M. Rogers, Heather D. Alexander, Natalie Baillargeon, Jennifer L. Baltzer, Logan T. Berner, Amy Breen, Leya Brodt, Brian Buma, Jacqueline Dean, Clement J.F. Delcourt, Lucas R. Diaz, Catherine M. Dieleman, Thomas A. Douglas, Gerald Frost, Benjamin V. Gaglioti, Rebecca E. Hewitt, Teresa N. Hollingsworth, M. Torre Jorenson, Mark J. Lara, Rachel A. Loehman, Michelle C. Mack, Kristen L. Manies, Christina Minions, Susan M. Natali, Jonathan A. O'Donnell, David Olefeldt, Alison K. Paulson, Adrian V. Rocha, Lisa B. Saperstein, T.A. Shestakova, Seeta Sistla, Oleg Sizov, Andrey Soromotin, Merritt R. Turetksy, Sander Veraverbeke, Michelle A. Walvoord
Simulated soundscapes and transfer learning boost the performance of acoustic classifiers under data scarcity Simulated soundscapes and transfer learning boost the performance of acoustic classifiers under data scarcity
1. The biodiversity crisis necessitates spatially extensive methods to monitor multiple taxonomic groups for evidence of change in response to evolving environmental conditions. Programs that combine passive acoustic monitoring and machine learning are increasingly used to meet this need. These methods require large, annotated datasets, which are time-consuming and expensive to produce...
Authors
Matthew J. Weldy, Damon B. Lesmeister, Tom Denton, Adam Duarte, Ben J. Vernasco, Amandine Gasc, Jennifer Rowe, Michael J. Adams, Matthew G. Betts
Grand Canyon River Alert System—Implementing an emergency alert system for wilderness recreation Grand Canyon River Alert System—Implementing an emergency alert system for wilderness recreation
The Grand Canyon River Alert System (GCRAS) provides government-issued emergency alerts to wilderness recreationalists in the Grand Canyon, who are often outside the bounds of cellular signal reception. GCRAS is a collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey (Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center), National Weather Service, Coconino County Emergency Management, and National...
Authors
Joseph E. Thomas, Thomas M. Gushue, Erica Byerley, Paul Grams
Glaciers in Western Canada-conterminous US and Switzerland experience unprecedented mass loss over the last four years (2021–2024) Glaciers in Western Canada-conterminous US and Switzerland experience unprecedented mass loss over the last four years (2021–2024)
Over the period 2021–2024, glaciers in Western Canada and the conterminous US (WCAN-US), and Switzerland respectively lost mass at rates of 22.2 ± 9.0 and 1.5 ± 0.3 Gt yr−1 representing a twofold increase in mass loss compared to the period 2010–2020. Since 2020, total ice volume was depleted by 12% (WCAN-US) and 13% (Switzerland). Meteorological conditions that favored high rates of...
Authors
Brian Menounos, Matthias Huss, Shawn Marshall, Mark Ednie, Caitlyn Florentine, Lea Hartl
Widespread thiamine deficiency in California salmon linked to an anchovy-dominated marine prey base Widespread thiamine deficiency in California salmon linked to an anchovy-dominated marine prey base
Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency in marine systems is a globally significant threat to marine life. In 2020, newly hatched Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) fry in California’s Central Valley (CCV) hatcheries swam in corkscrew patterns and died at unusually high rates due to a lack of this essential vitamin. We subsequently investigated the impacts and causes of thiamine...
Authors
Nate Mantua, Heather M. Bell, Anne E. Todgham, Miles E. Daniels, Jacques Rinchard, Jarrod R. Ludwig, John Field, Steven T Lindley, Freya Elizabeth Rowland, Catherine A. Richter, David Walters, Bruce P. Finney, Anne R. Distajo Haskell, Donald Tillitt, Dale C. Honeyfield, Taylor N. Lipscomb, Kevin Kwak, Jason Kindopp, Dennis E. Cocherell, Abigail Ward, Thomas H. Williams, Jeff Harding, Nann A. Fangue, Carson Jeffres, Rocio Iliana Ruiz-Cooley, Steven Litvin, Scott Foott, Mark Adkison, Brett Kormos, Peggy Harte, Frederick S. Colwell, Christopher P. Suffridge, Kelly Shannon, Amanda Cranford, Charlotte Ambrose, Aimee N. Reed, Rachel C. Johnson
Mixed natal origins present management challenges for a non-native fish established throughout a modified river network Mixed natal origins present management challenges for a non-native fish established throughout a modified river network
Expansion of non-native brown trout (Salmo trutta) in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam motivated reevaluation of suppression strategies to minimize potential impacts to native fishes in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA. Brown trout are one of several non-native fish species of management concern in this river reach, and understanding their natal sources and movement patterns may...
Authors
Michael K. Akland, Karin E. Limburg, Brian Daniel Healy, William E. Pine
Scoping decision-maker needs and science availability to support regional natural capital accounting in the U.S. Colorado River Basin Scoping decision-maker needs and science availability to support regional natural capital accounting in the U.S. Colorado River Basin
Natural capital accounting has the potential to yield important policy insights at multiple scales, but there remains a disconnect between regional-scale natural capital accounts and their use for informing policy. In this paper, we propose a roadmap that could lead to the creation of policy-relevant regional accounts, with steps split across an initial scoping phase and a subsequent...
Authors
Aaron Joey Enriquez, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Katharine G. Dahm, Alicia Torregrosa, Rudy Schuster
Drought and deluge— Opportunities for climate-change adaptation in US national parks Drought and deluge— Opportunities for climate-change adaptation in US national parks
In a changing climate, resource management depends on anticipating changes and considering uncertainties. To facilitate effective decision making on public lands, we regionally summarized the magnitude and uncertainty of projected change in management-relevant climate variables for 332 national park units across the contiguous US. Temperature, frequency of extreme precipitation events...
Authors
Meagan Ford Oldfather, Amber N. Runyon, Kyra Clark-Wolf, Wynne Emily Moss, Imtiaz Rangwala, Anthony Ciocco, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Helen Sofaer, Brian W. Miller
Long-term geomorphic response of a southwestern USA river following establishment and removal of an invasive riparian tree Long-term geomorphic response of a southwestern USA river following establishment and removal of an invasive riparian tree
Invasion of non-native riparian vegetation along southwestern USA rivers is associated with channel narrowing and simplification, prompting numerous and varied removal efforts. Channel width and migration rate often, but not always, increase following treatment. The cause of this variability and the duration of response is poorly understood. Using flow records and aerial imagery we...
Authors
Michael L. Scott, Erin Williams, Jonathan M. Friedman, John R. Spence, Phoebe B. McNeally
An Eastern Ribbonsnake, Thamnophis sauritus (Linnaeus, 1766), scavenging on a roadkilled Cuban Treefrog, Osteopilus septentrionalis, (Duméril & Bibron, 1841), in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA An Eastern Ribbonsnake, Thamnophis sauritus (Linnaeus, 1766), scavenging on a roadkilled Cuban Treefrog, Osteopilus septentrionalis, (Duméril & Bibron, 1841), in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA
No abstract available.
Authors
Sarah Payne, Eleanor Lane, Faith Dunlap, Madison Vasquez, Matthew Fox Metcalf, Lisa Marie McBride, Sarah Rae Sherburne, Christina Romagosa, Amanda Marie Kissel, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Mark Robert Sandfoss