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Filter Total Items: 171122

Climate change vulnerability of Arctic char across Scandinavia

Climate change is anticipated to cause species to shift their ranges upward and poleward, yet space for tracking suitable habitat conditions may be limited for range-restricted species at the highest elevations and latitudes of the globe. Consequently, range-restricted species inhabiting Arctic freshwater ecosystems, where global warming is most pronounced, face the challenge of coping with changi
Authors
Clint C. Muhlfeld, Timothy Cline, Anders Finstad, Dag O. Hessen, Sam Perrin, Jens Thaulow, Diane Whited, Leif Asbjorn Vollestad

Think regionally, act locally: Perspectives on co-design of spatial conservation prioritization tools and why end-user engagement altered our approach

Coproduction represents an inclusive approach for developing decision-support resources because it seeks to integrate scientific knowledge and end-user needs. Unfortunately, spatial decision support systems (SDSS) coproduction has sometimes resulted in limited utility for end-users, partially due to scarce SDSS coproduction guidance. To initiate coproduction, we held a series of workshops to co-de
Authors
Nicholas J. Van Lanen, Jessica E. Shyvers, Bryan C. Tarbox, Adrian P. Monroe, Patrick J. Anderson, Daniel Jones, Katharine G. Dahm, Cameron L. Aldridge

External quality-assurance project report for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program National Trends Network and Mercury Deposition Network, 2021–22

The U.S. Geological Survey Precipitation Chemistry Quality Assurance project (PCQA) operated five distinct programs to provide external quality-assurance monitoring for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) National Trends Network (NTN) and Mercury Deposition Network (MDN) during 2021–22. The NTN programs included (1) a field audit program to evaluate sample contamination and stabilit
Authors
Noel A. Deyette, Gregory A. Wetherbee, RoseAnn Martin

Effects of harmful algal blooms on amphibians and reptiles are under-reported and under-represented

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a persistent and increasing problem globally, yet we still have limited knowledge about how they affect wildlife. Although semi-aquatic and aquatic amphibians and reptiles have experienced large declines and occupy environments where HABs are increasingly problematic, their vulnerability to HABs remains unclear. To inform monitoring, management, and future research,
Authors
Brian J. Halstead, Kelly Smalling, Blake R. Hossack

Histological analysis of deepwater sculpin ovaries supports single spawning reproductive strategy

Deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii) were considered extirpated from Lake Ontario prior to the 1990s but have since resurged and are now an abundant offshore demersal species. As deepwater sculpin reproduction is poorly described, an investigation of their gonadal development and fecundity was conducted to better understand their reproductive biology. To evaluate spawning period duration a
Authors
Jarrod R. Ludwig, Brian C. Weidel, Brian O'Malley, Michael Connerton, Jacques Rinchard

Low-level dietary clothianidin exposure preferentially causes prepupal mortality of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus)

Data from prior research indicate the prepupal stage of the monarch butterfly life cycle is more sensitive to clothianidin exposure than the larval stage. A set of experiments was conducted to determine if the dietary clothianidin exposures that cause prepupal mortality are environmentally relevant. Monarch larvae were raised from egg to pupae on clothianidin-contaminated swamp milkweed plants (As
Authors
Timothy Bargar

Rangewide occupancy of a flagship species, the Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica) in southern California: Habitat associations and recovery from wildfire

The Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica), a federally threatened species, is a flagship species for regional conservation planning in southern California (USA). An inhabitant of coastal sage scrub vegetation, the gnatcatcher has declined in response to habitat loss and fragmentation, exacerbated by catastrophic wildfires. We documented the status of gnatcatchers thro
Authors
Barbara E. Kus, Kristine L. Preston, Alexandra Houston

Effect of water delivery and irrigation for riparian restoration in the Colorado River Delta, Mexico

Along Mexico's arid Colorado River Delta, the riparian corridor lacks water due to a reduction in frequent flows, climate change, human infrastructure, and altered riparian landcover from disturbances to invasive species, fire, and high soil and water salinities, which have led to declines in riparian plant health in recent decades. Restoration efforts focusing on small plots have successfully rev
Authors
Pamela L. Nagler, Ibrahima Sall, Martha Gomez-Sapiens, Karl W. Flessa, Armando Barreto-Muñoz, Kamel Didan

Isotopic evaluation of the National Water Model reveals missing agricultural irrigation contributions to streamflow across the western United States

The National Water Model (NWM) provides critical analyses and projections of streamflow that support water management decisions. However, the NWM performs poorly in lower-elevation rivers of the western United States (US). The accuracy of the NWM depends on the fidelity of the model inputs and the representation and calibration of model processes and water sources. To evaluate the NWM performance
Authors
Annie L. Putman, Patrick Cullen Longley, Morgan C. McDonnell, James E. Reddy, Michelle Patricia Katoski, Olivia L. Miller, J. Renee Brooks

Coastal Science Navigator companion guide—Discover the U.S. Geological Survey coastal science products you need

The Coastal Science Navigator is an online gateway to a wide variety of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) coastal change hazards-related information, data, and tools relevant to stakeholders’ scientific and decision-making needs. The products within the Coastal Science Navigator provide data related to past, present, and future threats to our coastlines. The filter search allows users to see all avail
Authors
Mira Anderberg, Sara Ernst

Nitrogen load estimates from six nonpoint sources on Long Island, New York, from 1900 to 2019

Estimates of nitrogen loading from nonpoint sources on Long Island, New York, at or just below the land surface, are essential for assessing the current and future effects of nitrogen on the island’s drinking water and fresh and marine surface receiving waters. Annual estimates of nitrogen loading for the 120 years from 1900 to 2019 for major nonpoint nitrogen sources—septic systems, residential f
Authors
Jack Monti,, Donald A. Walter, Kalle L. Jahn

Analysis of water use associated with hydraulic fracturing and determination of baseline water quality in watersheds within the shale play of eastern Ohio, 2021–23

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, performed a two-part study to (1) assess water use and temporal trends and changes in streamflow, and to (2) characterize 2021–23 baseline water quality, as they relate to oil and gas extraction activities in selected eastern Ohio watersheds. Between calendar years 2010 and 2019, hydraulic fracturing water wi
Authors
S. Alex Covert, G.F. Koltun