All Publications
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The composition of Io
Io is unlike any other body in the Solar System making questions about its chemical composition especially interesting and challenging. This chapter examines the many different, but frustratingly indirect, constraints we have on the bulk composition of this restless moon. A detailed consideration of Io’s lavas is used to illustrate how decades of research have bounded, but not pinned down, the che
Authors
Laszlo P. Kestay, Terry-Ann Suer
Temporal trends in agricultural water use and the relationships to hydroclimatic factors in the High Plains aquifer region
The High Plains aquifer (HPA) is the primary water source for agricultural irrigation in the US Great Plains. The water levels in many locations of the aquifer have declined steadily over the past several decades because the rate of water withdrawals exceeds recharge, which has been a serious concern to the water resources management in the region. We evaluated temporal trends and variations in ag
Authors
Lei Ji, Gabriel B. Senay
Network analysis of a northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) maternity colony in a suburban forest patch
Many bat species are highly social, forming groups of conspecifics, particularly during the maternity season. In temperate North America, these social groups are typically comprised of closely related individuals or individuals that share some common trait (i.e. reproductive state or shared hibernacula from the previous winter). In the summer, when bats use forests for day-roosts, these social gro
Authors
Katherine M. Gorman, Elaine L. Barr, Tomás Nocera, W. Mark Ford
USGS Colorado Water Science Center bookmark
The U.S. Geological Survey Colorado Water Science Center conducts water resource activities in Colorado in cooperation with different entities throughout the State. These activities include extensive data-collection efforts and interpretive studies to address many different issues of concern to Colorado water resource planners, managers, and others. Results are documented in report products and as
Authors
Jeannette H. Oden
2019 Volcanic activity in Alaska—Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory
The Alaska Volcano Observatory responded to eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, increased seismicity, and other significant activity at 17 volcanic centers in Alaska in 2019. The most notable volcanic activity was an eruption of Shishaldin Volcano, featuring eruptive activity that produced lava flows, lahars, and ash. Weak explosive activity also took place at Great Sitkin Volcano and
Authors
Tim R. Orr, Cheryl E. Cameron, Hannah R. Dietterich, James P. Dixon, Max L. Enders, Ronni Grapenthin, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Matthew W. Loewen, John A. Power, Cheryl Searcy, Gabrielle Tepp, Liam Toney, Christopher F. Waythomas, Aaron G. Wech
Pacific Barrow’s Goldeneye refine migratory phenology in response to overwintering temperatures and annual snow melt
Timing of seasonal bird migrations is broadly determined by internal biological clocks, which are synchronized by photoperiod, but individuals often refine their migratory timing decisions in response to external factors. Using 11 years of satellite telemetry data, we show that Pacific Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica), at higher latitudes, initiated spring and molt migrations later and fal
Authors
Jesse Kemp, W. Sean Boyd, Tesia M. Forstner, Daniel Esler, Timothy D. Bowman, David C. Douglas, Danica H. Hogan, Malcolm McAdie, Jonathan Thompson, Megan Willie, David Green
Effects of landscape cover and yard features on feral and free-roaming cat (Felis catus) distribution, abundance and activity patterns in a suburban area
Feral and free-roaming domestic cats (Felis catus) are invasive predators throughout the world. In some areas, cats occur in higher densities than native mammalian predators and can have severe effects upon prey populations. We set 48 wildlife game cameras in residential yards in Arkansas, USA, to evaluate which landscape and yard features influenced cat abundance occurring in yards. In addition,
Authors
Emily Johansson, Brett Alexander DeGregorio
Archaeological sites in Grand Canyon National Park along the Colorado River are eroding owing to six decades of Glen Canyon Dam operations
The archaeological record documenting human history in deserts is commonly concentrated along rivers in terraces or other landforms built by river sediment deposits. Today that record is at risk in many river valleys owing to human resource and infrastructure development activities, including the construction and operation of dams. We assessed the effects of the operations of Glen Canyon Dam – whi
Authors
Joel B. Sankey, Amy E. East, Helen C. Fairley, Joshua Caster, Jennifer Dierker, Ellen Brennan, Lonnie Pilkington, Nathaniel Dylan Bransky, Alan Kasprak
Trends and population estimate of the threatened Buff-breasted Sandpiper Calidris subruficollis wintering in coastal grasslands of southern Brazil
Information about population sizes, trends, and habitat use is key for species conservation and management. The Buff-breasted Sandpiper Calidris subruficollis (BBSA) is a long-distance migratory shorebird that breeds in the Arctic and migrates to south-eastern South America, wintering in the grasslands of southern Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. Most studies of Nearctic migratory species occur in
Authors
Fernando A. Faria, Rafael A. Dias, Glayson A. Bencke, Leandro Bugoni, Nathan R. Senner, Juliana B. Almeida, Guilherme Tavares Nunes, Maycon S. S. Gonçalves, James E. Lyons
Monitoring status and trends in genetic diversity for the Convention on Biological Diversity: An ongoing assessment of genetic indicators in nine countries
Recent scientific evidence shows that genetic diversity must be maintained, managed, and monitored to protect biodiversity and nature's contributions to people. Three genetic diversity indicators, two of which do not require DNA-based assessment, have been proposed for reporting to the Convention on Biological Diversity and other conservation and policy initiatives. These indicators allow an appro
Authors
Sean M. Hoban, Jessica M. da Silva, Alicia Mastretta-Yanes, Catherine E. Grueber, Myriam Heuertz, Margaret Hunter, Joachim Mergeay, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Keiichi Fukaya, Fumiko Ishihama, Rebecca Jordan, Viktoria Köppä, María Camila Latorre-Cárdenas, Anna J. MacDonald, Victor Rincon-Parra, Per Sjögren-Gulve, Naoki Tani, Henrik Thurfjell, Linda Laikre
Survival of Common Loon chicks appears unaffected by Bald Eagle recovery in northern Minnesota
Recovering species are not returning to the same environments or communities from which they disappeared. Conservation researchers and practitioners are thus faced with additional challenges in ensuring species resilience in these rapidly changing ecosystems. Assessing the resilience of species in these novel systems can still be guided by species’ ecology, including knowledge of their population
Authors
Jennyffer Cruz, Steve K. Windels, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Shawn M. Crimmins, Benjamin Zuckerberg
Facing our freshwater crisis via fluid and agile communication: A grand challenge
Earth has been labeled the blue planet because of its abundance of water that covers most of its surface, but the majority is salt water in our oceans. Oceans account for ~352 million km2 or 69% of the planet's surface, land for 150 million km2 or 29%, and fresh water for 9 million km2 or 2% (Shiklomanov, 2000). Most of the fresh water is locked away in glaciers and ice sheets on Greenland and Ant
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda