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USGS2025

Preserving and increasing water resources—Natural infrastructure in dryland streams in Baja California Sur, Mexico

The Los Planes watershed of Baja California Sur, Mexico, and its underlying aquifer are experiencing groundwater decline owing to low average annual rainfall (28.1 centimeters per year) and rising water demand from population growth and agricultural activities. This decline in water availability can lead to desertification—a process that changes arable land to desert by degrading soil and vegetation—and can pose serious challenges to livelihoods that depend on the land. To address these issues, a ranch in the Los Planes watershed has installed many natural infrastructures in dryland streams (NIDS) in channels for soil and water conservation. In 2022, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began working with regional researchers and land managers to investigate the effects of NIDS on natural biological, geochemical, and physical processes and determine the efficacy of NIDS for water augmentation in the Los Planes watershed. The USGS also worked with local academic institutions and nonprofit organizations to create public educational opportunities focused on the area’s hydrogeology. These and other collaborative efforts with the U.S. Water Partnership and Innovaciones Alumbra aim at enhancing water resources in the Baja California Sur region and promoting water security and safeguarding community well-being. Resume La cuenca de Los Planes, ubicada en Baja California Sur, México, y su acuífero subyacente, están sufriendo una disminución de las aguas subterráneas debido a la baja precipitación media anual (28.1 centímetros por año) y la alta demanda de agua por parte de una población creciente y la actividad agrícola. Esta disminución de la disponibilidad de agua puede conducir a la desertificación—un proceso que por medio de la degradación del suelo y la vegetación convierte a la tierra cultivable en desierto—representando un serio desafío para los medios de vida de las personas. Para abordar estos problemas, un rancho en la cuenca de Los Planes ha instalado numerosas obras de Infraestructura Natural en Arroyos de Tierras Áridas (INATS) para conservación del suelo y del agua. En 2022, el Servicio Geológico de los Estados Unidos (USGS, por sus siglas en inglés) comenzó a trabajar con investigadores regionales y gestores de tierras para estudiar los efectos de INATS en los procesos biológicos, geoquímicos y físicos, y determinar su eficacia en el aumento de los recursos hídricos en la cuenca de Los Planes. El USGS se ha asociado con instituciones académicas y organizaciones locales sin fines de lucro para crear oportunidades educativas públicas centradas en la hidrogeología de la zona. Estos y otros esfuerzos colaborativos con la Asociación del Agua de Estados Unidos (U.S. Water Partnership) e Innovaciones Alumbra, tienen como objetivo mejorar el uso de los recursos hídricos en la región de Baja California Sur, promover la seguridad hídrica y proteger el bienestar de la comunidad.

Baja California Sur↗
USGS2026

A targeted approach for mapping groundwater discharge to surface water and fish thermal refuge in four Lake Ontario tributaries

The duration, magnitude, and frequency of heatwaves are predicted to increase in the coming decades, a combination that can reduce the survival of many fish species. Across the world, there is broad interest in identifying thermal refuge for heat-intolerant fish species and exploring opportunities to enhance or protect these areas. Because deeper groundwater maintains a relatively constant temperature, groundwater-influenced areas along streams can provide cool-water refuge for fish during periods of extreme heat. A targeted approach was developed for identifying existing cold-water zones and areas of substantial groundwater discharge in four high priority Lake Ontario tributaries. Our approach included: (1) predicting where groundwater discharge is most likely with a simple geospatial model and (2) using model predictions to select field sites for intensive high-resolution study, including ground-based mapping of groundwater features (springs, seeps, tributaries) as well as drone-based optical and thermal infrared surveys. Results from field sites were used to both verify model performance and map different types and aerial extents of thermal anomalies. Geospatial modelling successfully predicted regions of widespread groundwater upwelling, later verified and mapped by field and drone surveys. Comparison of model and field survey results further highlighted specific geospatial layers, such as soil/bedrock types and topographic wetness index, as being particularly useful for predicting groundwater influence on streams in the study area. In addition, a comparison of geospatial model results with a model of fish abundances along the studied streams showed significant positive correlations for many heat-intolerant fish species over a wide geographic area. The approach developed in this study can be applied to other watersheds to highlight areas of probable groundwater discharge and could be used by fishery and water resource managers to support cold-water fish habitat management decision-making and resource conservation.

New York↗
USGS2025

Hydrogeology of unconsolidated and bedrock aquifers along the Salmon River, including Malone, Franklin County, New York

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, investigated the hydrogeology of the unconsolidated and bedrock aquifers along the Salmon River corridor in northern Franklin County, New York. The study area covers roughly 147 square miles and includes the village of Malone and parts of the Towns of Malone, Bellmont, Burke, Constable, Westville, Bangor, Duane, and Franklin, New York. Groundwater is the primary source for water supply within the study area. Eighty-three percent of all residents use public water supplied from two production wells that draw water from a thick, highly productive sand-and-gravel aquifer likely receiving induced infiltration from the Salmon River. Twenty-four percent of the 187 verified domestic wells in the study area outside of the production well service area boundary are screened in typically discontinuous deposits of stratified sand and sand and gravel. Seventy-six percent of the wells are completed in bedrock aquifers including the Potsdam Sandstone, metamorphic rocks, Theresa Formation, and unknown bedrock. Characterizing and understanding potential groundwater resources is critical for protecting the quality of the groundwater. The information in this report may be used to guide delineation of groundwater contributing areas, assess potential threats to aquifers from both point and nonpoint sources, respond to contamination from spills or leaks from underground storage facilities or other sources, and to support assessments for future development of municipal water supplies.

New York↗
USGS2026

Influence of new residential construction varying in housing density on bird species, human tolerance guilds, and communities

Human population growth and changing settlement patterns fuel the development of urban fringe lands worldwide, with implications for biodiversity. We conducted a 12-year study of birds in the fast-developing urban fringe lands of the central Puget Sound region, Washington, USA, to examine the effect of development configuration on birds. We hypothesized that lower-intensity conservation developments, compared to higher-intensity planned community developments, would benefit the overall bird community, as well as native forest birds (avoiders of human development) and avian generalist species (adapters to human development), but that higher-intensity planned community developments would benefit synanthropic species (exploiters of human development). We fit single-species and multi-species occupancy models to test these hypotheses. Consistent with our hypotheses, we found that a greater proportion of the overall community, avoiders, and adapters occupied lower-intensity conservation developments compared to higher-intensity planned community developments. However, we did not detect an effect of development type on the exploiter guild, and we found that species in the exploiter guild are variable in their response to the configuration of suburban developments. We also hypothesized that human tolerance guilds would be a useful predictor of individual species responses to development type. This hypothesis was somewhat supported: we found that, for avoiders, 87% of species in the guild had the same response to development type as the overall guild; for adapters, 63% had the same response as the overall guild, and for exploiters, only 44% had the same response as the overall guild. Our results indicate that the configuration of suburban developments can have a meaningful impact on bird communities, particularly on those species that are most sensitive to any level of development.

Washington↗
USGS2025

Estimating agricultural irrigation water consumption for the High Plains aquifer region with integrated energy- and water-balance evapotranspiration modeling approaches

Estimation of irrigation water use provides essential information for the management and conservation of agricultural water resources. Conventionally, water use data are created based on reports and surveys from water users, whereas manual records may not be complete due to lacking flow meters, measurement gaps, inconsistent methods across regions, and time- and cost-consuming data processing. Alternatively, spatially explicit estimation of irrigation water use can be conducted efficiently using remote sensing evapotranspiration (ET) modeling approaches. In this study, we created a gridded blue water evapotranspiration (BWET) dataset to estimate historical irrigation water consumption (1986 – 2020) in the croplands across the United States High Plains aquifer region. The BWET data were generated by integrating an energy-balance ET model [Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance model (SSEBop)] and a water-balance ET model [Vegetation ET model (VegET)]. BWET in croplands indicates crop consumptive use of irrigation water extracted from surface water and groundwater resources. The BWET estimates were compared with reported irrigation water use data for all counties within the aquifer region. The results revealed high agreement between growing season (May – September) BWET and annual water withdrawal at county level. Specifically, correlation coefficients of volumetric BWET and water withdrawal were 0.90 and 0.96, respectively, for the entire aquifer region and western Kansas. The timeseries of BWET and water withdrawal showed similar temporal trends and high covariations. The BWET estimates were systematically lower than the water withdrawal measurements, which was primarily attributed to blue water losses in the irrigation system. The irrigation efficiency, calculated as the ratio of BWET to water withdrawal depth, was 0.57 and 0.74 for the entire aquifer region and western Kansas, respectively. This study demonstrates the capability of using satellite-based ET models (e.g., SSEBop and VegET) to efficiently estimate crop water consumption and evaluate irrigation efficiency at landscape, county, and regional scales.

Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, ↗
USGS2024

Parsimonious high-resolution landslide susceptibility modeling at continental scales

Landslide susceptibility maps are fundamental tools for risk reduction, but the coarse resolution of current continental-scale models is insufficient for local application. Complex relations between topographic and environmental attributes characterizing landslide susceptibility at local scales are not transferrable across areas without landslide data. Existing maps with multiple susceptibility classifications under-represent landslide potential in moderate and gently sloping terrain. We leverage an extensive landslide database ( N = 613,724), a high-resolution digital elevation model (10-m), and high-performance computing resources, to develop a new nationwide susceptibility map for the contiguous United States, Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico. We calculate four alternative linear and nonlinear thresholds of topographic slope and relief using an objective split-sample calibration. We down-sample our results to a 90-m grid to account for uncertainty in the digital elevation model and landslide position, and evaluate these thresholds' ability to differentiate areas of greater susceptibility. The less conservative nonlinear model optimally balances our priorities of capturing observed landslides (99%) while minimizing area covered by susceptible terrain (43%). Independent evaluation with four statewide landslide inventories ( N = 172,367) reinforces our model selection but highlights spatially variable performance. Therefore, we propose a novel approach to susceptibility classification using the concentration of landslide-prone terrain within each down-sampled grid. While landslides are possible within any cells containing susceptible terrain, those with the highest concentration capture the majority of observed landslides. Our new map characterizes landside susceptibility more consistently than prior models; our transparent classification approach also provides flexibility for accommodating different tolerances in risk reduction measures.

AGU Advances↗
USGS2025

The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Rhode Island’s economy

Introduction High-resolution elevation data are critical to applications of landscape modeling and planning, both of which have a significant effect on Rhode Island’s economy. In these and other enterprises, program managers, while aiming to strike a balance between accuracy and cost, strive to obtain the best available elevation data to help them address a range of issues. Programs focused on climate change, environmental management, transportation design and asset management, aviation navigation and safety, riverine ecosystem management, wildlife habitat characterization and management, shellfish aquaculture, and the management and mapping of forests, parks and recreation areas, soils, wetlands, and impervious surfaces are also among the critical applications that meet the State’s management needs and depend on light detection and ranging (lidar) data that provide a highly detailed three-dimensional (3D) model of the Earth’s surface and aboveground features. The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in partnership with Federal, State, Tribal, U.S. territorial, and local agencies to acquire consistent lidar coverage at quality level 2 or better to meet the many needs of the Nation and Rhode Island. The status of available and in-progress 3DEP baseline lidar data in Rhode Island is shown in figure 1. 3DEP baseline lidar data include quality level 2 or better, 1-meter or better digital elevation models, and lidar point clouds, and must meet the Lidar Base Specification version 1.2 ( https://www.usgs.gov/3dep/lidarspec ) or newer requirements. The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment identified user requirements and conservatively estimated that availability of lidar data would result in at least $178,560 in new benefits annually to the State. The top 10 Rhode Island business uses for 3D elevation data, which are based on the estimated annual conservative benefits of 3DEP, are shown in table 2.

Rhode Island↗
USGS2024

Fish beta diversity associated with hydrologic and anthropogenic disturbance gradients in contrasting stream flow regimes

Understanding the role of hydrologic variation in structuring aquatic communities is crucial for successful conservation and sustainable management of native freshwater biodiversity. Partitioning beta diversity into the additive components of spatial turnover and nestedness can provide insight into the forces driving variability in fish assemblages across stream flow regimes. We examined stream fish beta diversity across hydrologic and anthropogenic disturbance gradients using long-term (1916–2016) site occurrence records ( n = 17,375) encompassing 252 species. We assessed total beta diversity (Sørensen dissimilarity), spatial turnover, and nestedness of fish assemblages in contrasting stream flow regimes across a gradient of decreasing flow stability: groundwater stable ( n = 77), groundwater ( n = 67), groundwater flashy ( n = 175), perennial runoff ( n = 141), runoff flashy ( n = 255), and intermittent ( n = 63) streams. Differences in total beta diversity among the stream flow regimes were driven predominantly (>86 %) by spatial turnover (i.e. species replacement) as opposed to nestedness (i.e. species loss or gain). Total fish beta diversity and spatial turnover were highest in streams with intermediate flow stability (groundwater flashy), while more flow-stable streams (groundwater stable and groundwater) had lower turnover and higher nestedness. Species turnover was also strongly associated with seasonal variation in hydrology across all flow regimes, but these relationships were most evident for assemblages in intermittent streams. Distance-based statistical comparisons showed significant correlations between beta diversity and anthropogenic disturbance variables, including dam density, dam storage volume and water withdrawals in catchments of groundwater stable streams, while hydrologic variables were more strongly correlated with beta diversity in streams with runoff-dominated and flashy flow regimes. The high spatial turnover of species implies that fish conservation actions would benefit from watershed-focused approaches targeting multiple streams with wide spatial distribution, as opposed to simply focusing on preserving sites with the greatest number of species.

Science of the Total Envionrment↗
USGS2025

The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting the economy of Massachusetts

Introduction Massachusetts extends from the mountains of the Appalachian system in the west of the State to the sandy beaches and rocky shorelines of the Atlantic coast in the east. Inland topographic data support a wide range of important activities, including geologic mapping, transportation planning, forest and wildlife management, quantifying ecological services, water supply protection, commonwealth-wide infrastructure planning, local site planning, and flood-plain management. Nearshore bathymetry can be used to support coastal portions of the Commonwealth by addressing the combined threats of ocean warming, strong storm surge, and rising sea levels. The maintenance and (or) expansion of Massachusetts ports (for instance, Boston, New Bedford) and Cape Cod sediment management depends upon the accurate mapping of bathymetry and the frequent influx of sediment and redeposition. Critical applications that address the broad range of requirements depend on light detection and ranging (lidar) data that provide a highly detailed three-dimensional (3D) model of the Earth’s surface and aboveground features. The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in partnership with Federal, State, Tribal, U.S. territorial, and local agencies to acquire consistent lidar coverage at quality level 2 or better to meet the many needs of the Nation and Massachusetts. The status of available and in-progress 3DEP baseline lidar data in Massachusetts is shown in figure 1. 3DEP baseline lidar data include quality level 2 or better, 1-meter or better digital elevation models, and lidar point clouds, and must meet the Lidar Base Specification version 1.2 ( https://www.usgs.gov/3dep/lidarspec ) or newer requirements. The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment identified user requirements and conservatively estimated that availability of lidar data would result in at least $1.23 million in new benefits annually to Massachusetts. The top 10 Massachusetts business uses for 3D elevation data, which are based on the estimated annual conservative benefits of 3DEP, are shown in table 2.

Massachusetts↗
USGS2025

Methods for estimating selected low-flow statistics at gaged and ungaged stream sites in Massachusetts

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Office of Water Resources, computed selected at-site streamflow statistics at U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in and near Massachusetts and developed regional regression equations for estimating selected streamflows at ungaged stream sites in Massachusetts. Two sets of regional regression equations were developed: (1) the “mainland” equations, for mainland Massachusetts excluding the area covered by the second set, and (2) the “southeastern” equations, for the Plymouth-Carver-Kingston-Duxbury aquifer area in southeastern Massachusetts and for Cape Cod. The regression equations and at-site statistics may be used by Federal, State, and local water managers in addressing water-resources issues relevant in Massachusetts. Regional regression analyses for the mainland equations were developed to estimate the following 27 streamflow statistics: 99-, 98-, 95-, 90-, 85-, 80-, 75-, 70-, 60-, and 50-percent flow durations; monthly June, July, August, and September 90- and 50-percent flow durations; February, June, and August median of the monthly means; harmonic mean; and medians of the following annual low-flow frequency statistics: 7-day; 7-day, 2-year; 7-day, 10-year; 30-day, 2-year; and 30-day, 10-year. The analyses used 81 streamgages with minimal to no regulations in and near Massachusetts. The regression analyses determined that four basin characteristics—drainage area, combined hydrologic soils A and B, streamflow variability index, and annual mean temperature—were the only significant explanatory variables for the different mainland equations. Regional regression equations were developed for the Plymouth-Carver-Kingston-Duxbury aquifer area in southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod, because surface-water drainage areas and groundwater contributing areas do not always coincide in this area of the State. The regression analyses to estimate 10 flow durations from the 99th to 50th percentiles used 18 streamflow sites with some occasional minor regulations—because there are few unregulated streams in southeastern Massachusetts. The analyses determined that groundwater contributing area and storage (combined water bodies and wetlands) were the only significant explanatory variables in the southeastern equations.

Massachusetts↗
USGS2024

Mapping karst groundwater flow paths and delineating recharge areas for springs in the Little Sequatchie and Pryor Cove watersheds, Tennessee

The Little Sequatchie River and Pryor Cove Branch, in southern Tennessee, drain the eastern escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau to the Sequatchie River near the southern end of the Sequatchie Valley. The Little Sequatchie River is the largest tributary to the Sequatchie River by drainage area, covering over 120 square miles. The hydrology of the two drainage areas has been largely altered by karst processes, which has caused the majority of the streams to sink at the contact between the Mississippian Pennington Formation and the underlying Mississippian Bangor Limestone. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, initiated a study in 2021 to map the karst groundwater pathways in both watersheds in order to delineate recharge areas for several springs. One of these springs, Sequatchie Cave, represents a significant habitat for two Species of Greatest Conservation Need, the Glyphopsyche sequatchie (Sequatchie caddisfly) and the federally endangered Marstonia ogmorhaphe (royal marstonia). Springs and springflow-dominated streams in the Little Sequatchie River valley and Pryor Cove also provide water for agricultural practices and serve as a drinking water source for nearby communities. During the study, a total of 25 dye injections were conducted over eight rounds from January 2022 through March 2023. Dye traces from these injections helped to delineate recharge areas for six major springs, ranging from 7.3 to 65.2 square miles in area. The majority of the dye traces remained subsurface (from sinkpoint to recovery site) for long distances, with karst groundwater travelling nearly 8 miles before resurfacing. The dye traces also had rapid traveltimes, often travelling hundreds to thousands of feet per hour. The goal of this project was to provide scientific data related to karst groundwater pathways and spring recharge areas to aid State and Federal agencies in making informed decisions to protect and preserve this unique and vulnerable karst system.

Tennessee↗
USGS2026

Nonstationary demographic state-space models using unreplicated counts for species undergoing environmental stressors

A fundamental task in ecological statistics is to estimate abundance and growth rate distributions from wildlife monitoring data to inform conservation management. Modeling time series of wildlife populations presents a number of challenges from both statistical and ecological perspectives, including discreteness; lack of replication; nonstationarity; and observation, demographic, and other phenomenological processes. Nonstationary dynamics are often exhibited by populations undergoing environmental stressors. Models must account for these characteristics to produce reliable estimates of abundance and trends, yet estimation can be challenging with unreplicated data. We propose nonstationary demographic state-space models using unreplicated counts for populations undergoing environmental stressors. A reduced growth rate model matches the complexity of the unreplicated count data, and a fecundity bound on growth rate distributions allows the separation of processes affecting growth rates like environmental stressors from those affecting abundance external to growth rates like migration. NDSSMs allow for the embedding of nonstationary model components, and we explore the use of changepoints, volatility clustering, and migration processes. We apply the proposed nonstationary models in case studies of herons affected by predator/competitor reestablishment and three bat species affected by a fungal pathogen causing white-nose syndrome. Nonstationary models outperform stationary models and generalized linear mixed effects models according to model scoring and visual inspection of predictions, and provide estimates more consistent with published values. Incorporating migration improves model fit universally, even with approximate one-way immigration, most likely because populations are extirpated, recolonized, and increase multiple-fold over the upper bound set by species fecundity. In addition, estimates of the timing and severity of the environmental stressor differed for models with migration. Including nonstationary and demographic components in a fecundity-bounded growth rate model improves inference and benefits interpretability of hyperparameters. In turn, this adjusts uncertainties in predictions of abundance and growth rates over time, providing the ingredients needed for informed conservation analysis and for directing future monitoring of at-risk species.

Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmen↗
USGS2026

Reassessing water availability in the Nile River Basin using satellite-based irrigation water use accounting

Existing estimates of irrigation areas and water use in the Nile River Basin vary widely and are based on inconsistent data and methodologies. This study leverages advances in remote sensing to provide an up-to-date and consistent basin-wide reassessment of water use in the Nile River Basin. Land cover and actual evapotranspiration data from 2013 to 2022 were used to quantify irrigated areas, irrigation water use, and the average naturalized water yield. Across the basin, 7.1 million hectares of irrigated land consume an average of 72.5 ± 2.6 billion cubic meters (BCM) of blue water annually. Egypt and Sudan together account for 92% of the irrigated area and 97% of the irrigation water use. The basin’s average naturalized yield, evaluated at Dongola station, is determined to be between 108 and 114.4 ± 3.2 BCM. Although conservative, this updated analysis indicates the basin’s average naturalized yield is 14%–20% higher than the previous naturalized yield estimate (95 BCM) and 29%–36% higher than the commonly cited observed flow of 84 BCM, which is frequently treated as the total basin-wide available water. Importantly, the study underscores that the 84 BCM represents flow at the Aswan gauging station after upstream consumptive uses, not the total water available in the basin under naturalized conditions. This distinction is critical for accurate water accounting, planning, and governance in this water-scarce basin. This study demonstrates the value of open-source remote sensing resources in data-scarce regions while emphasizing the need for region specific validation and bias correction for improved accuracy.

Nile River Basin↗
USGS2026

Satellite time series analysis to quantify changing climax ciénegas using a state and transition model approach

Ciénegas are rare wetlands in arid landscapes of the North American Southwest, historically providing critical ecological and hydrological functions but increasingly threatened by changing climate and land use pressures. This study quantifies changes in ciénega condition and floodplain dynamics using a state-and-transition model (STM) informed by expert knowledge and remote sensing. Key factors include woody plant encroachment, water availability, and soil aggradation. We mapped 31 ciénegas with high-resolution imagery and analyzed Landsat data (1985–2023) to assess vegetation health and moisture using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Infrared Index (NDII). Results show substantial interannual variability in phenology, water stress, and soil moisture, with regional drying and elevation strongly influencing ciénega resilience. We classified ciénegas into three functional states—healthy, desiccated, and dormant—and mapped their 2023 condition. Trend analyses indicate most ciénegas exhibit greening despite drought, though localized variability underscores the need for site-specific management. None are in a stable climax (reference) state; rather, they transition among states in response to external drivers. Increasing woody plant cover and surface drying, likely linked to declining regional water tables, favor deep-rooted species over wetland grasses—a pattern mirrored in adjacent control plots. Spatially explicit analysis revealed intra-ciénega variability often masked by aggregated data, highlighting the importance of high-resolution monitoring. Seasonal and long-term trends provide context for understanding ciénega dynamics, including degradation and restoration pathways. This study emphasizes the importance of groundwater conservation and demonstrates how remote sensing supports long-term monitoring. The STM framework offers a practical tool for adaptive management to sustain freshwater resources in arid environments.

Arizona, New Mexico↗
USGS2025

Ungulate migrations of the Western United States, volume 5

Many ungulates migrate between distinct summer and winter ranges to take advantage of spatially and temporally variable food sources and avoid threats such as predators and deep snow. In 2018, the U.S. Department of the Interior established Secretarial Order 3362, which provided Federal support to expand existing research efforts to study ungulate populations and conserve their migrations by enhancing habitat quality for ungulates across the Western United States. In response to the order, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) created the Corridor Mapping Team, which is a collaboration among 11 State agencies, regional and Federal partners, and an expanding number of Tribal wildlife agencies. Together, the Corridor Mapping Team maps ungulate migrations throughout the Western United States and publishes them in the USGS “Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States” report series. This report details migrations and seasonal ranges from 36 additional herds and includes 2 herd updates detailed in previous reports. The Corridor Mapping Team has mapped the migrations and seasonal ranges of 218 unique herds for the report series, including this report. The report series serves as a map-based inventory of the ungulate migrations across the Western United States for biologists, managers, policymakers, and conservation practitioners. Building on the previous report volumes in the series, volume 5 additionally describes some of the local and national initiatives that are incorporating the products, tools, and information from this growing USGS report series.

Navajo Nation↗
USGS2025

Benthic habitat map of Olowalu Reef, Maui, Hawaii—Geomorphological structure, biological cover, and geologic zonation determined with spectral, lidar, and acoustic data

The fringing coral reef off Olowalu, Maui, Hawaii, has been identified as a local conservation priority site. In 2007, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) produced a benthic habitat map of the Hawaiian Islands that was used as a foundation for this study. To support place-based management of the reef in the future, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) mapped the geologic zone, major and dominant geomorphological structure, biological cover type, and percent of biological cover for 11 square kilometers (km 2 ) of Olowalu Reef at a minimum mapping unit (MMU) of 100 square meters (m 2 ) to create a benthic habitat map. Heads-up digitization was employed on 0.50-meter (m) natural color satellite orthoimagery with ancillary 1-m acoustic backscatter imagery from single-scan sonar (sound navigation and ranging). A 1-m, 4-m, and 8-m digital bathymetric model (DBM) was interpolated from bathymetric lidar (light detection and ranging), and various geomorphometric layers derived from the DBMs were used for habitat interpretation. Still-frame imagery of the seafloor extracted from vessel-towed underwater video transects on Olowalu Reef served as ground validation points ( n =870) during active mapping and accuracy assessment points ( n =216) for thematic accuracy assessment. Thematic accuracy was cross-validated by the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources. Final thematic accuracy was 88.8 percent for major structure, 85.6 percent for dominant structure, 86.0 percent for major biological cover, and 78.6 percent for type and percent of major biological cover. Reef and hardbottom constituted 52 percent of the total mapped habitat, comprising mostly aggregate reef (31 percent) and pavement (11 percent), with large swaths of spur-and-groove (9 percent). Of this hardbottom, 17 percent was covered with moderate (10 to <50 percent) coral and 27 percent with high coral cover (50 to <90 percent). High (50 to <90 percent) macroalgae cover dominated the continuous sand sheets in offshore bank/shelf zones. The map created in this study supplements the NOAA 2007 map and expands on the observations made by USGS sampling of the reef. The NOAA 2007 map and our map differed in total areal extent by a negligible 6 m 2 and were in general thematic agreement. Our map is intended to serve as a baseline for public access, general research, local-level management, and reef change for future studies.

Hawaii↗
USGS2025

Forecasting water levels using the ConvLSTM algorithm in the Everglades, USA

Forecasting water levels in complex ecosystems like wetlands can support effective water resource management, ecological conservation, and understanding surface and groundwater hydrology. Predictive models can be used to simulate the complex interactions among natural processes, hydrometeorological factors, and human activities. The Greater Everglades in the USA is a well-known example of an ecosystem where complexity has motivated adoption of machine learning algorithms in water level prediction studies. This paper aims to contribute to extending existing machine learning algorithms by integrating spatiotemporal data with deep-learning algorithms in the forecasting process. In this study, a deep-learning model is developed to predict water levels on a regional scale, covering a large area of approximately 9,138 square kilometers in the Everglades ecosystem. This model has the architecture of Convolutional Long Short-Term Memory which can deal with spatiotemporal data by capturing both spatial and temporal dependencies in the training data. The forecasting capabilities of this model (referred to as the global model) are assessed by comparing the global model to two Artificial Neural Networks developed at two different gaging stations, referred to here as local models. One local model is developed at a gaging station directly influenced by nearby water control structures, whereas the other is developed at a gaging station located farther away from these structures. By leveraging data from the Everglades Depth Estimation Network spanning from January 2002 to May 2023, the global and local models were trained to forecast water levels with a two-day lead time. Our findings suggest that both the global and local models perform with approximately the same level of accuracy, with Mean Absolute Relative Error values ranging from 0.38% to 1.4% at the selected stations. The developed global model has demonstrated strong potential as a standalone forecasting tool for the entire study area in the Everglades and could eliminate the need for developing multiple local models. This finding also highlights how machine learning can capture complex spatial and temporal relationships to generate accurate water level predictions on a regional scale.

Florida↗
USGS2024

Ungulate migrations of the Western United States, volume 4

Broadly distributed across the Western United States, ungulates (hooved mammals) play an important role in ecosystem function by affecting vegetation communities and forming the prey base for large carnivores. Additionally, ungulates provide economic benefits to regional communities through tourism and hunting and hold cultural significance for many Tribal communities. Many ungulates migrate seasonally between distinct summer and winter ranges to take advantage of spatially and temporally variable food sources and avoid threats such as predators and deep snow. Increasingly, these migrations are threatened by the growing human footprint and associated subdivisions, energy development, and increased traffic volume. Efforts to study ungulate populations and conserve their migrations received support in recent years from the U.S. Department of the Interior Secretarial Order No. 3362, which provided Federal support for enhancing habitat quality for ungulates across the Western States. In response to Secretarial Order No. 3362, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) established the Corridor Mapping Team, a collaboration among USGS and participating State and Federal wildlife management agencies and numerous Tribal Nations. Together, the Corridor Mapping Team maps ungulate migrations throughout the Western United States in the USGS “Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States” report series. This report (volume 4) details migrations and seasonal ranges from 31 new herds throughout nine Western States. Additionally, this report includes updates to two herds published in previous reports. Including this report, the report series has provided the mapped migrations and seasonal ranges of 182 unique herds and has provided a map-based inventory of the documented ungulate migrations across the Western United States for biologists, managers, policy makers, and conservation practitioners. This report also discusses how the mapping efforts associated with the Corridor Mapping Team can be used to guide management and policy regarding renewable energy development and ungulate disease, specifically chronic wasting disease, in the Western United States.

Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada,↗