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Nathaniel (Than) Hitt, PhD (Former Employee)

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USGS

Project eTrout

Welcome to Project eTrout [instructional video]! Click here to begin. Click here for a summary of results. Virtual reality (VR) provides exciting opportunities for environmental education and research. We invite your participation in a new program to engage students, anglers, and citizen scientists in fish ecology and climate change research using new VR methods. Participants will learn about fish...
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Eastern Ecological Science Center
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Project eTrout

Welcome to Project eTrout [instructional video]! Click here to begin. Click here for a summary of results. Virtual reality (VR) provides exciting opportunities for environmental education and research. We invite your participation in a new program to engage students, anglers, and citizen scientists in fish ecology and climate change research using new VR methods. Participants will learn about fish...
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LSC Fish Health Laboratory

USGS Expands Studies of Brook Trout

The USGS has established an experimental stream lab in the Leetown Science Center.
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Chesapeake Bay Activities
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USGS Expands Studies of Brook Trout

The USGS has established an experimental stream lab in the Leetown Science Center.
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Native westslope cutthroat trout swim in the north fork of the Flathead River in northwestern Montana.

The Past as a Prelude to the Future: Assessing Climate Effects on Native Trout in the U.S.

Salmonids (a family of fish that includes salmon, trout, and char) are a keystone species for both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and can be an early warning indicator of ecosystem health. Salmonids also have strong societal values and contribute enormously to regional economies and Native American cultures. Today, many native salmonid populations are small, highly fragmented, and...
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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The Past as a Prelude to the Future: Assessing Climate Effects on Native Trout in the U.S.

Salmonids (a family of fish that includes salmon, trout, and char) are a keystone species for both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and can be an early warning indicator of ecosystem health. Salmonids also have strong societal values and contribute enormously to regional economies and Native American cultures. Today, many native salmonid populations are small, highly fragmented, and isolated fr
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Maury River, Virginia

Bringing People, Data, and Models Together – Addressing Impacts of Climate Change on Stream Temperature

This study set out to answer the question: “What data and modeling frameworks are needed to provide scientists reliable, climate-informed, water temperature estimates for freshwater ecosystems that can assist watershed management decision making?” To accomplish this, the study gathered existing stream temperature data, identified data gaps, deployed stream temperature monitoring devices...
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Bringing People, Data, and Models Together – Addressing Impacts of Climate Change on Stream Temperature

This study set out to answer the question: “What data and modeling frameworks are needed to provide scientists reliable, climate-informed, water temperature estimates for freshwater ecosystems that can assist watershed management decision making?” To accomplish this, the study gathered existing stream temperature data, identified data gaps, deployed stream temperature monitoring devices, and devel
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Spatial patterns of dewatering within watersheds of Shenandoah National Park, Virginia 2016 - 2021 (ver. 2.0, December 2021)

These data describe longitudinal (upstream to downstream) patterns of dewatering during summer baseflow (July-September) conditions in nine watersheds in Shenandoah National park. In July-August of 2016 all nine watersheds (Jeremy's Run, Hazel River, Piney River, Hughes River, Staunton River, Whiteoak Canyon Run, Paine Run, Meadow Run, and Big Run) were evaluated for dewatering. In...
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Eastern Ecological Science Center

Stream temperature and sculpin growth data collected from Catoctin Mountain Park in 2019

This Data Release includes records of stream temperature during summer months of 2019 (10 sites) and records of Blue Ridge sculpin (Cottus caeruleomentum) weight for fish held in experimental enclosures for 45 days during the temperature sampling period (5 sites).
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Eastern Ecological Science Center

Video data for trout abundance estimation

Rapid advances in video technology are enabling new strategies for species abundance estimation. Here we provide estimates of fish abundance derived from video data collected in a series of stream pools in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia (n=41). Two 360-degree cameras were simultaneously used at each pool site where 15-minutes of underwater footage was collected. Environmental data...
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Eastern Ecological Science Center

Brook trout movement data related to cover and forage in an experimental stream system with associated water quality parameters

Brook trout is a species of conservation concern in the eastern US. In 2016, we evaluated brook trout movement patterns in response to food and cover treatments in an experimental stream system using RFID monitoring techniques at the USGS Leetown Science Center in Kearneysville, WV. Brook trout were tagged with 12mm HDX Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags and monitored with Multi...
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Eastern Ecological Science Center

Seismic data for study of shallow mountain bedrock limits seepage-based headwater climate refugia, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

A combination of long-term daily temperature records and depth to bedrock measurements were used to parametrize one-dimensional models of shallow aquifer vertical heat transport in Shenandoah National Park, VA, USA. Depth to bedrock can directly influence shallow aquifer flow and thermal sensitivity, but is typically ill-defined along the stream corridor in steep mountain catchments. We...
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Water Resources Mission Area, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program

Water and air temperature data from Shenandoah Valley streams, Virginia (2017)

This Data Release provides hourly records of air and water temperature within 5 watersheds (Beaver Creek, Dry River, Mossy Creek, Passage Creek & Spout Run) in the Shenandoah Valley, VA in the summer of 2017. Data loggers were deployed and retrieved by Trout Unlimited personnel and volunteers.
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Eastern Ecological Science Center

Stream fish species abundance and associated physical habitat data in Catoctin Mountain Park (2015-2016)

This Data Release provides records of fish species abundance collected during summer 2015 using single pass backpack electrofishing within sections of Owens Creek, Big Hunting Creek, and Blue Blazes Creek (a tributary to Big Hunting Creek) in Maryland (USA). We also provide water and air temperature data collected during at 30 minute increments summers of 2015 and 2016. Stream physical...
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Eastern Ecological Science Center

Temperature data for study of shallow mountain bedrock limits seepage-based headwater climate refugia, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

A combination of long-term daily temperature records and depth to bedrock measurements were used to parameterize one-dimensional models of shallow aquifer vertical heat transport in Shenandoah National Park, VA, USA. Spatially discontinuous roving water surface and bank temperatures surveys were performed with a handheld thermal infrared camera in September and December 2015 along the...
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Water Resources Mission Area, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Air-water temperature data for the study of groundwater influence on stream thermal regimes in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia (ver. 2.0, May 3, 2018)

USGS Leetown Science Center scientists collected hourly air and water temperature data at 79 site locations within nine watersheds in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia over four water years (2012-2015). Data were collected using HOBO Pro V2 thermographs (accuracy = 0.2 degrees Celsius, drift = less than 0.1 degrees Celsius per year per year).
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Eastern Ecological Science Center
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Spout Run temperature study revisited- Part II: New insights for trout habitat from TU & USGS collaboration 2022

The Winchester TU Chapter partnered with US Geological Survey scientists to forecast habitat conditions for brook trout in Virginia. The results can be viewed here: https://chesapeake.usgs.gov/fishforecast/ TU members deployed stream temperature gages within several streams across the region: Dry River, Passage Creek, Spout Run, Beaver Creek, Mossy Creek. The USGS then used the...
Authors
Nathaniel P. Hitt
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Eastern Ecological Science Center

Stream size, temperature, and density explain body sizes of freshwater salmonids across a range of climate conditions

Climate change and anthropogenic activities are altering the body sizes of fishes, yet our understanding of factors influencing body size for many taxa remains incomplete. We evaluated the relationships between climate, environmental, and landscape attributes and the body size of different taxa of freshwater trout (Salmonidae) in the USA. Hierarchical spatial modeling across a gradient...
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Robert K. Al-Chokhachy, Benjamin Letcher, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Jason B. Dunham, Timothy Joseph Cline, Nathaniel P. Hitt, James Roberts, David A. Schmetterling
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Life history strategies of stream fishes linked to predictors of hydrologic stability

Life history theory provides a framework to understand environmental change based on species strategies for survival and reproduction under stable, cyclical, or stochastic environmental conditions. We evaluated environmental predictors of fish life history strategies in 20 streams intersecting a national park within the Potomac River basin in eastern North America. We sampled stream...
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Nathaniel P. Hitt, Andrew P Landsman, Richard L. Raesly
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Comparative morphology of freshwater sculpin inhabiting different environmental conditions in the Chesapeake Bay headwaters

We compared body morphology of two freshwater sculpin taxa that inhabit distinct environmental conditions in the Chesapeake Bay watershed of eastern North America: Potomac sculpin (C. girardi, Robins; PS) and checkered sculpin (C. sp. cf. girardi; CS). Both taxa are endemic to the study area, but PS are more broadly distributed than CS which are limited to karst groundwater-dominated...
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Nathaniel P. Hitt, Karmann G. Kessler, Hannah Eisemann Macmillan, Karli M Rogers, Richard L. Raesly
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities

Response of aquatic life to coal mining in Appalachia

No abstract available.
Authors
George T. Merovich, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Eric R. Merriam, Jess W. Jones
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Assessing native fish restoration potential in Catoctin Mountain Park

Biological conservation is a fundamental purpose of the National Park system, and Catoctin Mountain Park (CATO) supports high-quality habitat for native fishes in the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay watershed in eastern North America. However, native Blue Ridge sculpin (Cottus caeruleomentum) have been extirpated in Big Hunting Creek above Cunningham Falls in CATO. Prior research...
Authors
Nathaniel P. Hitt, Karmann G. Kessler, Zachary A. Kelly, Karli M. Rogers, Hannah Eisemann Macmillan, Heather L. Walsh
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities

Heed the data gap: Guidelines for using incomplete datasets in annual stream temperature analyses

Stream temperature data are useful for deciphering watershed processes important for aquatic ecosystems. Accurately extracting signal trends from stream temperature is essential for predicting responses of environmental and ecological indicators to change. Missing data periods are common for various reasons, and pose a challenge for scientists using temperature signal analysis to support...
Authors
Zachary Johnson, Brittany G. Johnson, Martin Briggs, Craig D. Snyder, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Warren Devine
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Modeling occupancy of rare stream fish species in the upper Cumberland and Kentucky River Basins

Biological conservation often requires an understanding of how environmental conditions affect species occurrence and detection probabilities. We used a hierarchical framework to evaluate these effects for several Appalachian stream fish species of conservation concern: Chrosomus cumberlandensis (BSD; blackside dace), Etheostoma sagitta (CAD; Cumberland arrow darter), and Etheostoma...
Authors
Nathaniel P. Hitt, Karli M. Rogers, Karmann G. Kessler, Hannah Eisemann Macmillan
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Comparison of underwater video with electrofishing and dive‐counts for stream fish abundance estimation

Advances in video technology enable new strategies for stream fish research. We compared juvenile (age‐0) and adult (age 1+) Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis abundance estimates from underwater video with backpack electrofishing and dive‐count methods across a series of stream pools in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia (n = 41). Video methods estimated greater mean abundance of adult...
Authors
Nathaniel P. Hitt, Karli M Rogers, Craig D. Snyder, C. Andrew Dolloff
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities

Paired air-water annual temperature patterns reveal hydrogeological controls on stream thermal regimes at watershed to continental scales

Despite decades of research into air and stream temperature dynamics, paired air-water annual temperature signals have been underutilized to characterize watershed processes. Annual stream temperature dynamics are useful in classifying fundamental thermal regimes and can enhance process-based interpretation of stream temperature controls, including deep and shallow groundwater discharge...
Authors
Zachary Johnson, Brittany G. Johnson, Martin Briggs, Warren Devine, Craig D. Snyder, Nathaniel P. Hitt, D. Hare, T. Minkova
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Water Resources Mission Area

Spatial and temporal trends in Potomac River fish abundance linked to species traits

Analysis of species abundance trends can inform an understanding of the underlying mechanisms. We evaluated spatial and temporal trends in fish species abundance in the non-tidal Potomac River (USA) from a dataset comprising 2841 seine-hauls with > 250,000 individual fish records across 10 sites and 43 years (1975-2017). The dataset contained 47 species from 7 taxonomic families, with...
Authors
Nathaniel P. Hitt, Karli Rogers, Zachary A. Kelly, Josh Henesy, John E. Mullican
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Distribution and status of trout and char in North America

No abstract available.
Authors
Phaedra Budy, Kevin H. Rogers, Yoichiro Kanno, Brooke E. Penaluna, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Gary P. Thiede, Jason B. Dunham, Chad Mellison, William Somer, James DeRito
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Cooperative Research Units

Non-USGS Publications**

Hitt, N.P. and M. Hendryx. 2010. Ecological integrity of streams linked to human cancer mortality rates. EcoHealth 7:91-104.
Hitt, N.P. and P.L. Angermeier. 2008. River-stream connectivity affects fish bioassessment performance. Environmental Management 42:132-150.
Hitt, N.P. and P.L. Angermeier. 2008. Evidence for fish dispersal from spatial analysis of stream network topology. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 27:304-320.
Hitt, N.P. and B.R. Murphy. 2007. An inquiry-based case study for conservation biology. Journal of Virginia Science Education 2:43-50.
Hitt, N.P. and P.L. Angermeier. 2006. Effects of adjacent streams on local fish assemblage structure in western Virginia: implications for biomonitoring. American Fisheries Society Symposium 48:75-86.
Vignieri, S.N., E.M. Hallerman, B.J. Bergstrom, D.J. Hafner, A.P. Martin, P. Devers, P. Grobler and N.P. Hitt. 2006. Mistaken view of taxonomy undermines conservation of an evolutionarily distinct mouse: a response to Ramey et al. Journal of Animal Conservation 9:237-243.
Allendorf, F.W., R. Leary, N.P. Hitt, K. Knudsen, M. Boyer and P. Spruell. 2005. Cutthroat trout hybridization and the U.S. Endangered Species Act: one species, two policies. Conservation Biology 19:1326-1328.
Hitt, N.P. and C.A. Frissell. 2004. A case study of surrogate species in aquatic conservation planning. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 14:625-633.
Allendorf, F.W., R. Leary, N.P. Hitt, K. Knudsen, L. Lundquist, and P. Spruell. 2004. Intercrosses and the U.S. Endangered Species Act: should hybridized populations be included as westslope cutthroat trout? Conservation Biology 18: 1203-1213.
Hitt, N.P., C.A. Frissell, C.C. Muhlfeld and F.W. Allendorf. 2003. Spread of hybridization between native westslope cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi, and non-native rainbow trout, O. mykiss. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 60:1440-1451.
Hitt, N.P. 2003. Immediate effects of wildfire on stream temperature. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 18:171-173.

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

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