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USGS2025

From sample to sonde to Sentinel-2: Insights from a multi-scale chlorophyll-a monitoring effort in the Hudson River, New York

Monitoring cyanobacteria and other nuisance phytoplankton in the Hudson River is of great interest given its societal and ecological importance. Satellite remote sensing provides a cost-effective method to monitor chlorophyll- a (chl-a), a common proxy for algal biomass; however, the dynamic nature of rivers complicates approaches traditionally applied to lakes and oceans. During 2021–2023, we collected discrete samples for laboratory measurement of chl-a and measured in situ chl-a fluorescence during a series of longitudinal boat surveys along a 220-km reach of the lower Hudson River. Surveys were timed to coincide with Sentinel-2 satellite overpasses. We first investigated relations between laboratory-measured chl-a concentration and field-measured chl-a fluorescence, observing a weak correlation ( r 2 = 0.25) that improved substantially after splitting data by day (mean r 2 = 0.53). Separately, to estimate chl-a fluorescence using satellite data, we developed a series of random forest models leveraging the rich fluorescence dataset collected. We tested three model types: individual day models, leave-one-out models trained on all days except a holdout test day, and a single pooled model trained on all days. Generally, individual day models exhibited lowest error (mean of mean absolute error [MAE] = 0.16 relative fluorescence units [RFU]), followed by the single pooled model (MAE = 0.22 RFU). Daily holdout models showed highest error (mean MAE = 0.40 RFU); this approach was intended to represent model performance on a day unseen in the training set, providing a more conservative estimate of performance than the more traditional pooled approach. Findings from both analyses emphasize the importance of considering temporal variability when modeling riverine systems.

New Jersey, New York↗

USGS2021

Predicting the spatiotemporal exposure of aquatic species to intrusions of fire retardant in streams with limited data

Because fire retardant can enter streams and harm aquatic species including endangered fish, agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) must estimate the downstream extent of toxic effects every time fire retardant enters streams (denoted as an “intrusion”). A challenge in estimating the length of stream affected by the intrusion and the exposure time of species in the affected reach is the lack of data typically available on the stream's geometry and flow characteristics. Previously, the USFS estimated the affected reach length assuming instantaneous mixing of the retardant over the reach; however, this approach neglects key river mixing processes. An approach is described that accounts for advection and dispersion of the retardant as well as the downstream growth of the stream. Applied to 13 intrusions documented by the USFS, the new approach shows affected reach lengths range between 8.0 and 362 km; all 13 cases exceeded previous estimates from an instantaneous mixing model. The time that a stationary individual in the affected reach is exposed to concentrations above a pre-defined toxicity threshold (10% of 96-hour LC 50 , for example) ranges from 0.17 to 2.73 h, with all but one case having a maximum exposure time less than 1.5 h. Results from 1152 hypothetical intrusions provided by the USFS confirm that exposure times rarely exceed 5 h. This result suggests that 96-hour tests to determine toxicity (LC 50 ) to various species should be reconsidered. Although the approach described can be improved in several ways, it provides a first estimate of the effects of fire retardant intrusions.

Science of the Total Environment↗

USGS2023

Annotated bibliography of scientific research on Gunnison sage-grouse published from January 2005 to September 2022

Integrating recent scientific knowledge into management decisions supports effective natural resource management and can lead to better resource outcomes. However, finding and accessing scientific knowledge can be time consuming and costly. To assist in this process, the U.S. Geological Survey is creating a series of annotated bibliographies on topics of management concern for western lands. Previously published reports introduced a methodology for preparing annotated bibliographies to facilitate the integration of recent, peer-reviewed science into resource management decisions. Therefore, relevant text from those efforts is reproduced here to frame the presentation. Centrocercus minimus (Gunnison sage-grouse; hereafter GUSG) has been a focus of scientific investigation since the early 2000s. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed GUSG as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2014 because of declining populations and increasing habitat loss. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife have sought to increase the conservation of this species by adapting management and recovery plans to reduce threats and increase population resiliency. GUSG are studied less than the closely related Centrocercus urophasianus (greater sage-grouse); however, research efforts have recently increased to understand the life history, genetics, and habitat suitability of this sagebrush-obligate species. We compiled and summarized peer-reviewed journal articles, data products, and formal technical reports (such as U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service General Technical Reports and U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports) on GUSG, published between January 2005 and September 2022. We first systematically searched three reference databases and three government databases using the following search phrases: “Gunnison sage-grouse” or “lesser sage-grouse” or “Gunnison grouse” or “Gunnison sage grouse” or “lesser sage grouse” or “ Centrocercus minimus .” We refined the initial list of products by removing (1) duplicates, (2) publications that were not published as research, data products, or scientific review articles in peer-reviewed journals or as formal technical reports, and (3) products that did not have GUSG as a research focus or products that did not present new data or findings about GUSG. We summarized each product using a consistent structure (background, objectives, methods, location, findings, and implications) and identified the management topics (for example, population estimates or targets, habitat, and management efforts) addressed by each product. We also noted which publications included new geospatial data. The review process for this annotated bibliography included two initial internal colleague reviews of each summary, requesting input on each summary from an author of the original publication, and a formal peer review. Our initial searches resulted in 80 total products, of which 63 met our criteria for inclusion of which 53 were products that had not been summarized before. Across products summarized in the annotated bibliography, broad-scale habitat characteristics; population estimates or targets; behavior or demographics; and genetics were the most commonly addressed management topics. The bibliographies are available on the Science for Resource Managers tool ( https://apps.usgs.gov/science-for-resource-managers ) and are searchable by topic, location, and year, and the search tool includes links to each original publication. The studies compiled and summarized in this annotated bibliography may inform planning and management actions that seek to maintain and restore sagebrush landscapes and GUSG populations across the GUSG range.

Colorado↗

USGS2018

Incorporating road crossing data into vehicle collision risk models for moose (Alces americanus) in Massachusetts, USA

Wildlife–vehicle collisions are a human safety issue and may negatively impact wildlife populations. Most wildlife–vehicle collision studies predict high-risk road segments using only collision data. However, these data lack biologically relevant information such as wildlife population densities and successful road-crossing locations. We overcome this shortcoming with a new method that combines successful road crossings with vehicle collision data, to identify road segments that have both high biological relevance and high risk. We used moose ( Alces americanus ) road-crossing locations from 20 moose collared with Global Positioning Systems as well as moose–vehicle collision (MVC) data in the state of Massachusetts, USA, to create multi-scale resource selection functions. We predicted the probability of moose road crossings and MVCs across the road network and combined these surfaces to identify road segments that met the dual criteria of having high biological relevance and high risk for MVCs. These road segments occurred mostly on larger roadways in natural areas and were surrounded by forests, wetlands, and a heterogenous mix of land cover types. We found MVCs resulted in the mortality of 3% of the moose population in Massachusetts annually. Although there have been only three human fatalities related to MVCs in Massachusetts since 2003, the human fatality rate was one of the highest reported in the literature. The rate of MVCs relative to the size of the moose population and the risk to human safety suggest a need for road mitigation measures, such as fencing, animal detection systems, and large mammal-crossing structures on roadways in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts↗

USGS2016

Temporal segmentation of animal trajectories informed by habitat use

Most animals live in seasonal environments and experience very different conditions throughout the year. Behavioral strategies like migration, hibernation, and a life cycle adapted to the local seasonality help to cope with fluctuations in environmental conditions. Thus, how an individual utilizes the environment depends both on the current availability of habitat and the behavioral prerequisites of the individual at that time. While the increasing availability and richness of animal movement data has facilitated the development of algorithms that classify behavior by movement geometry, changes in the environmental correlates of animal movement have so far not been exploited for a behavioral annotation. Here, we suggest a method that uses these changes in individual–environment associations to divide animal location data into segments of higher ecological coherence, which we term niche segmentation. We use time series of random forest models to evaluate the transferability of habitat use over time to cluster observational data accordingly. We show that our method is able to identify relevant changes in habitat use corresponding to both changes in the availability of habitat and how it was used using simulated data, and apply our method to a tracking data set of common teal (Anas crecca). The niche segmentation proved to be robust, and segmented habitat suitability outperformed models neglecting the temporal dynamics of habitat use. Overall, we show that it is possible to classify animal trajectories based on changes of habitat use similar to geometric segmentation algorithms. We conclude that such an environmentally informed classification of animal trajectories can provide new insights into an individuals' behavior and enables us to make sensible predictions of how suitable areas might be connected by movement in space and time.

Ecosphere↗

USGS2021

Regional target loads of atmospheric nitrogen and sulfur deposition for the protection of stream and watershed soil resources of the Adirondack Mountains, USA

Acidic deposition contributes to a range of environmental impacts across forested landscapes, including acidification of soil and drainage water, toxic aluminum mobilization, depletion of available soil nutrient cations, and impacts to forest and aquatic species health and biodiversity. In response to decreasing levels of acidic deposition, soils and drainage waters in some regions of North America have become gradually less acidic. Thresholds of atmospheric deposition at which adverse ecological effects are manifested are called critical loads (CLs) and/or target loads (TLs). Target loads are developed based on approaches that account for spatial and temporal aspects of acidification and recovery. Exceedance represents the extent to which current or projected future levels of acidic deposition exceed the level expected to cause ecological harm. We report TLs of sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) deposition and the potential for ecosystem recovery of watershed soils and streams in the Adirondack region of New York State, resources that have been less thoroughly investigated than lakes. Regional TLs were calculated by statistical extrapolation of hindcast and forecast simulations of 25 watersheds using the process-based model PnET-BGC coupled with empirical observations of stream hydrology and established sensitivity of sugar maple ( Acer saccharum ) to soil base saturation and brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis ) to stream acid neutralizing capacity (ANC). Historical impacts and the expected recovery timeline of regional soil and stream chemistry and fish community condition within the Adirondack Park were evaluated. Analysis suggests that many low-order Adirondack streams and associated watershed soils have low TLs (<40 meq/m 2 /yr of N+S deposition) to achieve specified benchmarks for recovery of soil base saturation or stream ANC. Acid-sensitive headwater and low-order streams and watershed soils in the region are expected to experience continued adverse effects from N and S deposition well into the future even under aggressive emissions reductions. Watershed soils and streams in the western Adirondack Park are particularly vulnerable to acidic deposition and currently in exceedance of TLs. The methods used for linking statistical and process-based models to consider chemical and biological response under varying flow conditions at the regional scale in this study can be applied to other areas of concern.

New York↗

USGS2005

Geologic map of the Pinedale quadrangle, McKinley County, New Mexico

The 1:24,000-scale geologic map of the Pinedale 7.5' quadrangle lies in the western part of the Grants uranium mineral belt, which was mapped and studied under a cooperative agreement between the USGS and the U.S. Department of Energy. A spectacular panoramic view of the southern half of the Pinedale quadrangle is obtained looking northward from Interstate Highway 40, particularly from the New Mexico State travelers' rest stop near the Shell Oil Company's Ciniza Refinery, 28.5 kilometers (17.8 miles) east of Gallup. A west-trending escarpment, 200 meters high, of massive red sandstone, rises above a broad valley, its continuity broken only by a few deep and picturesque canyons in the western half of the quadrangle. The escarpment is formed by the eolian Entrada Sandstone of Late Jurassic age. The Entrada unconformably overlies the Chinle Formation of Late Triassic age, which occupies the valley below. The Chinle Formation consists of cherty mottled limestone and mudstone of the Owl Rock Member and underlying, poorly consolidated, red to purple fluvial siltstone, mudstone, and sandstone beds of the Petrified Forest Member. The pinyon- and juniper-covered bench that tops the escarpment is underlain by the Todilto Limestone. A quarry operation, located just north of the Indian community of Iyanbito in the southwestern part of the quadrangle, produces crushed limestone aggregate for highway construction and railroad ballast. Beyond the escarpment to the north and rising prominently above it, is the northwest-trending Fallen Timber Ridge. Near the west side of the quadrangle lie the peaks of Midget Mesa, and Mesa Butte, the latter of which has the highest altitude in the area at 2,635 meters (8,030 feet) above sea level. The prominences are capped by buff-colored resistant beds of the Dakota Sandstone of Late Cretaceous age, containing some interbedded coal. These beds unconformably overlie the uranium-bearing Morrison Formation, which consists of red, green, and gray shale, orange feldspathic sandstone, and green tuffaceous mudstone, deposited in ancient lakes, alluvial fans, and rivers during the Upper Jurassic Period. Thick, crossbedded, white beds of the Cow Springs Sandstone, derived from ancient windblown desert sands, underlie the Morrison. In the northern part of the quadrangle, the Dakota Sandstone is overlain by gray Mancos Shale and yellowish-gray Two Wells and Gallup Sandstones that were deposited in Late Cretaceous seas. Unconsolidated deposits of Quaternary age are found throughout the quadrangle in talus, slope wash, fans, valley alluviums, pediments, and as windblown sands in dunes and blanket deposits. The strata conform to the regional dip of about three degrees to north, except where they are down-folded some 200 meters along the Pinedale monocline, whose limbs follow a sinuous west-northwest trend across the northern half of the quadrangle. The monocline is beautifully exposed at Pinedale, where it shows as much as 20 degrees dip on the pine-studded bare rock slope of the Two Wells Sandstone. A north-plunging broad anticline and accompanying syncline is developed in the east-central part of the quadrangle but dies out against the monocline. A minor fault, with barely 3 meters of vertical displacement, extends several kilometers westward across the Todilto Limestone bench. A large landslide mass, 1.5 kilometers long by 0.7 kilometers wide occurs in the Mancos Shale west of Pinedale. Exploration drilling for uranium in the Morrison Formation has been extensive in the quadrangle, particularly north of the monocline, which adjoins the Old Church Rock mine area, west northwest of the quadrangle.

Miscellaneous Field Studies Map↗

USGS1979

Headwater locations of U.S. streams tributary to St. Lawrence River basin between western Ohio and eastern New York, excluding Lake Champlain basin

The headwater locations of several thousand U.S. streams tributary to Lakes Ontario and Erie and the St. Lawrence and Niagara Rivers, from the Maumee River in Ohio to the western border of the Lake Champlain basin in New York, including parts of Pennsylvania, are listed by quadrangle. The location of the headwater of each is given with reference to cultural and topographic features. ' Headwater ' in this report is defined as the first site downstream from which the average streamflow is 5 cubic feet per second. The site locations were determined from drainage areas as indicated on topographic maps. The size of the drainage area required to produce an average flow of 5 cubic feet per second was determined from equations, developed separately for each State by regression techniques, that define the relation between streamflow and hydrologic factors of the region. Drainage area and precipitation were factors in the equations for all three States: forest cover was found to be significant in Ohio. (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗

USGS1999

Role of banding in forest conservation strategy in eastern Guatemala

In response to a request from FUNDAECO, a Guatemalan non-government organization, we worked with them to develop a conservation strategy for the Cerro San Gil Protected Area and surrounding private lands. Volunteer banders from a dozen states and Canadian provinces assisted in long-term monitoring of populations of resident and migratory species through banding and point counts. Guatemalan students were trained to continue the research and initiate other conservation projects. Banding data helped demonstrate habitat and elevational affiliations, effects of habitat fragmentation, site fidelity, survival rates, local movements, and presence of rare species not otherwise detected. Banding was also an excellent teaching tool and provided videos for conservation programs on Guatemala national television. Roadside and off-road Breeding Bird Survey transects were used to map distribution of breeding species on habitat maps derived from satellite imagery, and point count surveys on private lands were used to identify prime habitats that warrant protection through conservation easements--a new concept for Central America.

North American Bird Bander↗

USGS2022

Annotated bibliography of scientific research on pygmy rabbits published from 1990 to 2020

Integrating recent scientific knowledge into management decisions supports effective natural resource management and can lead to better resource outcomes. However, finding and accessing scientific knowledge can be time consuming and costly. To assist in this process, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is creating a series of annotated bibliographies on topics of management concern for western lands. Previously published reports introduced a methodology for preparing annotated bibliographies to facilitate the integration of recent, peer-reviewed science into resource management decisions. Therefore, relevant text from those efforts is reproduced here to frame the presentation. Sagebrush ecosystems throughout North America face management challenges including habitat loss and fragmentation. Brachylagus idahoensis (pygmy rabbits) are a sagebrush-obligate species that has experienced population declines and range contraction in recent decades. A disjunct population of pygmy rabbits in the Columbia Basin in Washington was listed as federally endangered in 2003. Due to their specialized habitat requirements and low dispersal ability, pygmy rabbits are a high priority for managers throughout their range. We compiled and summarized peer-reviewed journal articles, data products, and formal technical reports (such as U.S. Forest Service General Technical Reports and U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports) on pygmy rabbits published between January 1, 1990 and December 31, 2020. We first conducted a structured search of three reference databases and three government databases using the phrase “pygmy rabbit” or “ Brachylagus idahoensis .” We refined the initial list of products by removing (1) duplicates, (2) products not written in English, (3) publications that were not focused on North America, (4) publications that were not published as research, data products, or scientific review articles in peer-reviewed journals or as formal technical reports, and (5) products for which pygmy rabbits were not a research focus or for which the study did not present new data or findings about pygmy rabbits. We summarized each product using a consistent structure (background, objectives, methods, location, findings, and implications) and identified the management topics (for example, captive breeding, habitat characteristics, and population estimates) addressed by each product. We also noted which publications included new publicly available geospatial data. The review process for this annotated bibliography included an initial internal colleague review of each summary, requesting input on each summary from an author of the original publication, and a formal peer review. Our initial searches resulted in 2,285 total products, of which 105 met our criteria for inclusion. Sensitive/rare wildlife, behavior or demographics, site-scale habitat characteristics, habitat selection, and effects distances or spatial scale were the management topics most commonly addressed. The online version of this bibliography, Science for Resource Managers, will be searchable by topic, location, and year; it will include links to each original publication, where available. The studies compiled and summarized here may inform planning and management actions that seek to maintain and restore sagebrush landscapes and associated native species across the western United States.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2020

Landscape and climatic influences on actual evapotranspiration and available water using the Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) Model in eastern Bernalillo County, New Mexico, 2015

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bernalillo County Public Works Division, conducted a 1-year study in 2015 to assess the spatial and temporal distribution of evapotranspiration (ET) and available water within the East Mountain area in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. ET and available water vary spatiotemporally because of complex interactions among environmental factors, including vegetation characteristics, soil characteristics, topography, and climate. Precipitation data from the Parameter-Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) ( P ) were used in conjunction with actual ET ( ETa ) data from the Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) model to estimate available water ( P – ETa ) at 100-meter (m) resolution in the study area. Maps, descriptive statistics, boxplots, regression analyses (continuous data), and multiple comparison tests (categorical data) were used to characterize P , ETa , and available water and their relations to topographic, soil, and vegetation datasets in the East Mountain area. Five categories of the natural land-cover type (evergreen forest, shrub, herbaceous, deciduous forest, and mixed forest) and four categories of developed land-cover type specific to residential intensity (developed open, developed low, developed medium, and developed high) were analyzed individually and in interaction with multiple elevation, tree canopy, and soil texture classes. Annual mean P in 2015 in the East Mountain area was 608 millimeters (mm), and annual mean ETa was 543 mm (89 percent of annual P in 2015), indicating that in 2015, a spatial mean of about 65 mm of water was available for runoff, soil moisture replenishment, or groundwater recharge. Monthly ETa was greatest in July and smallest in January. The intervening months did not show smooth temporal or consistent spatial changes from month to month. Months with lower ETa (January to March, October to December) also tended to have greater available water, indicating that soil moisture (water supply) and potential ET (water demand) may have been out of phase. Regression analyses showed that monthly ETa data had the highest correlation with annual ETa among the atmospheric, topographic, soil, or vegetation datasets, particularly during the early and late growing season (March, April, May, and September). In contrast, monthly P was highly variable and not as highly correlated with annual ETa . Among landscape variables, correlations with annual ETa were highest for tree canopy cover (coefficient of determination [R 2 ] = 0.46). Correlations between ETa and other landscape variables were lower (R 2 = 0.06–0.19): available soil water in the top 100 centimeters, soil bulk density of layer 1, slope, sand content of soil layer 1, soil depth, available soil water in the top 25 centimeters, leaf area index, aspect eastness, and elevation. Evergreen forest areas had the highest annual median ETa , followed by mixed forest, open residential areas, and deciduous forest. Available water typically was higher in landcover types with lower ETa : herbaceous cover, followed by deciduous forest, high-intensity developed areas, and shrub. Deciduous forest had the second highest median available water, despite having the fourth highest ETa , because deciduous forest had greater P than most other areas. Annual median ETa typically was greatest in the second highest elevation band (2,401–2,800 m above the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 [NAVD 88]), and lower in the highest elevation band (2,801–3,254 m above NAVD 88), despite having greater P , likely because of decreased tree canopy cover or a shift from evergreen to deciduous trees at the highest elevations. Annual median ETa increased with tree canopy cover, regardless of landcover type. ETa correlation was higher with tree canopy than with leaf area index or normalized difference vegetation index. This result indicates that it is important to include the thermal band (from satellite multispectral data) in vegetation indices used to describe ETa , perhaps to account for the influence of energy limitation or water limitation on ET. Of all natural landcover types, finer soils had the most available water, whereas coarser soils had the least available water. Relations of soil type with P – ETa were different than with ETa , indicating ET and available water have a complex response to differences in soil type. Further modeling would be useful in determining soils’ infiltration, storage, conductivity, and plant-water availability relations to individual storms for each position in the landscape, as well as the corresponding effects of these processes on ET and available water. The best multivariate linear model for annual ETa had an R 2 value of 0.62. Monthly ETa models had R 2 values between 0.16 and 0.65. Models usually, but not always, performed best during the growing season. These results indicate that even the best multivariate linear models cannot explain a notable amount of the variability in ET. The monthly ETa models with the highest correlations (August and September) followed a July having almost twice the mean precipitation for July (1981–2010), which indicates that a soil-moisture variable is needed to more accurately model monthly ETa . Further study is needed to better characterize this system, the variables that affect ET and available water, and the partitioning of available water into runoff, soil moisture storage, and groundwater recharge.

New Mexico↗

USGS2010

Vegetation monitoring for Guatemala: a comparison between simulated VIIRS and MODIS satellite data

The advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) and moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) data are being widely used for vegetation monitoring across the globe. However, sensors will discontinue collecting these data in the near future. National Aeronautics and Space Administration is planning to launch a new sensor, visible infrared imaging radiometer suite (VIIRS), to continue to provide satellite data for vegetation monitoring. This article presents a case study of Guatemala and compares the simulated VIIRS-Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) with MODIS-NDVI for four different dates each in 2003 and 2005. The dissimilarity between VIIRS-NDVI and MODIS-NDVI was examined on the basis of the percent difference, the two-tailed student's t -test, and the coefficient of determination, R 2 . The per cent difference was found to be within 3%, the p -value ranged between 0.52 and 0.99, and R 2 exceeded 0.88 for all major types of vegetation (basic grains, rubber, sugarcane, coffee and forests) found in Guatemala. It was therefore concluded that VIIRS will be almost equally capable of vegetation monitoring as MODIS.

Geocarto International↗

USGS2016

Effects of land use and sample location on nitrate-stream flow hysteresis descriptors during storm events

The U.S. Geological Survey's New Jersey and Iowa Water Science Centers deployed ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometric sensors at water-quality monitoring sites on the Passaic and Pompton Rivers at Two Bridges, New Jersey, on Toms River at Toms River, New Jersey, and on the North Raccoon River near Jefferson, Iowa to continuously measure in-stream nitrate plus nitrite as nitrogen (NO 3 + NO 2 ) concentrations in conjunction with continuous stream flow measurements. Statistical analysis of NO 3 + NO 2 vs . stream discharge during storm events found statistically significant links between land use types and sampling site with the normalized area and rotational direction of NO 3 + NO 2 -stream discharge (N-Q) hysteresis patterns. Statistically significant relations were also found between the normalized area of a hysteresis pattern and several flow parameters as well as the normalized area adjusted for rotational direction and minimum NO 3 + NO 2 concentrations. The mean normalized hysteresis area for forested land use was smaller than that of urban and agricultural land uses. The hysteresis rotational direction of the agricultural land use was opposite of that of the urban and undeveloped land uses. An r 2 of 0.81 for the relation between the minimum normalized NO 3 + NO 2 concentration during a storm vs . the normalized NO 3 + NO 2 concentration at peak flow suggested that dilution was the dominant process controlling NO 3 + NO 2 concentrations over the course of most storm events.

Iowa, New Jersey↗

USGS2013

Residential and service-population exposure to multiple natural hazards in the Mount Hood region of Clackamas County, Oregon

The objective of this research is to document residential and service-population exposure to natural hazards in the rural communities of Clackamas County, Oregon, near Mount Hood. The Mount Hood region of Clackamas County has a long history of natural events that have impacted its small, tourism-based communities. To support preparedness and emergency-management planning in the region, a geospatial analysis of population exposure was used to determine the number and type of residents and service populations in flood-, wildfire-, and volcano-related hazard zones. Service populations are a mix of residents and tourists temporarily benefitting from local services, such as retail, education, or recreation. In this study, service population includes day-use visitors at recreational sites, overnight visitors at hotels and resorts, children at schools, and community-center visitors. Although the heavily-forested, rural landscape suggests few people are in the area, there are seasonal peaks of thousands of visitors to the region. “Intelligent” dasymetric mapping efforts using 30-meter resolution land-cover imagery and U.S. Census Bureau data proved ineffective at adequately capturing either the spatial distribution or magnitude of population at risk. Consequently, an address-point-based hybrid dasymetric methodology of assigning population to the physical location of buildings mapped with a global positioning system was employed. The resulting maps of the population (1) provide more precise spatial distributions for hazard-vulnerability assessments, (2) depict appropriate clustering due to higher density structures, such as apartment complexes and multi-unit commercial buildings, and (3) provide new information on the spatial distribution and temporal variation of people utilizing services within the study area. Estimates of population exposure to flooding, wildfire, and volcanic hazards were determined by using overlay analysis in a geographic information system. Population exposure to flood hazards is low (less than 10 percent of residents) and does not vary substantially between 100-year and 500-year flood-hazard scenarios. Moderate, moderate-to-high, and high wildfire-risk areas within the study region account for 72 percent of residents, 62 percent of employees, and 60 percent of daytime visitors to recreation sites. Fifteen percent of businesses in the study area are in moderate-to-high or high wildfire-risk areas but these businesses represent 51 percent of the local workforce. A volcanic event at Mount Hood could directly impact up to 60 percent of residents in their homes and 87 percent of employees at their workplaces. The proximal volcanic-hazard zone alone includes 65 percent of employees, 80 percent of schools and community facilities, more than 60 percent of overnight visitors in peak seasons, and 82–100 percent of daytime visitors to recreation sites during the summer and winter months, respectively. The number of day-use visitors to recreation sites in the region is greatest during winter months (averaging 129,300 people per month), whereas overnight visitors are greatest during summer months (averaging 34,000 per month). This analysis of residential and service-population exposure to natural hazards supports the development of targeted risk-reduction efforts in the region, while also expanding the discourse on characterizing and assessing population dynamics in tourist-frequented areas.

Oregon↗

USGS2004

Third U.S. Geological Survey Wildland Fire-Science Workshop : Denver, Colorado, November 12-15, 2002

Executive Summary -- The historically significant wildland fire events that occurred in the United States during 2000 and 2002, together with the associated recognition of the need for a different national policy of forest management, has led to an increased awareness of the need for cooperative effort among all Federal agencies in planning for and managing the risks and consequences of wildland fire. The expertise and capabilities of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are significant resources in this regard, and the agency is becoming increasingly involved in fire-science activities in support of the various land-management agencies that are dealing directly with this issue. The First USGS Wildland Fire Workshop was held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 1997 and helped to establish the direction of USGS in sharing its expertise with the fire-management agencies. The Second USGS Wildland Fire Workshop was held in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in 2000 and brought together all the agencies involved in the management of wildland fires in order to determine their needs, to demonstrate USGS capabilities to meet those needs, and to establish methods for the USGS to distribute data and tools useful in fire management. It enhanced the relationships developed during the 1997 workshop and helped to define USGS' role in the fire-management community. The Third USGS Wildland Fire-Science Workshop, held in Denver, Colorado, November 12?15, 2002, was an opportunity for exchange of information on recent progress in the area of fire science and to determine the gaps in fire-science research that could be addressed by the USGS. In addition to more than 90 USGS scientists engaged in fire-related research and managers of organizational units involved in some aspect of wildland fire activities, the workshop was attended by about 30 representatives of 11 other Federal agencies. There also were a number of attendees affiliated with several universities, private companies, and State and local agencies. The 4-day meeting consisted of a pre-workshop field trip to the Hayman Fire area, several keynote presentations, five panel discussions, presentation and 'breakout' discussion of four 'white paper' topics, and a poster session with more than 30 presentations.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2020

Migratory status determines resource selection by American Woodcock at an important fall stopover, Cape May, New Jersey

Migration is a period of high activity and exposure during which risks and energetic demand on individuals may be greater than during nonmigratory periods. Stopover locations can help mitigate these threats by providing supplemental energy en route to the animal’s end destination. Effective conservation of migratory species therefore requires an understanding of use of space that provides resources to migratory animals at stopover sites. We conducted a radio-telemetry study of a short-distance migrant, the American Woodcock ( Scolopax minor ), at an important stopover site, the Cape May Peninsula, New Jersey. Our objectives were to describe land-cover types used by American Woodcock and evaluate home range habitat selection for individuals that stopover during fall migration and those that choose to overwinter. We radio-marked 271 individuals and collected 1,949 locations from these birds (0–21 points individual –1 ) over 4 yr (2010 to 2013) to inform resource selection functions of land-cover types and other landscape characteristics by this species. We evaluated these relationships at multiple spatial extents for (1) birds known to have ultimately left the peninsula (presumed migrants), and (2) birds known to have remained on the peninsula into the winter (presumed winter residents). We found that migrants selected deciduous wetland forest, agriculture, mixed shrub, coniferous wetland forest, and coniferous shrub, while wintering residents selected deciduous wetland forest, coniferous shrub, and deciduous shrub. We used these results to develop predictive models of potential habitat: 7.80% of the peninsula was predicted to be potential stopover habitat for American Woodcock (95% classification accuracy) and 4.96% of the peninsula was predicted to be potential wintering habitat (85% classification accuracy). Our study is the first to report habitat relationships for migratory American Woodcock in the coastal U.S. and provides important spatial tools for local and regional managers to support migratory and winter resident woodcock populations into the future.

New Jersey↗

USGS2025

Getting ahead of the crises: Developing an avian malaria disease management plan for Hawaiian forest birds

Avian malaria is an existential threat to a majority of native Hawaiian forest birds. Climate change is facilitating the spread of malaria to historically disease-free areas, and despite the risk of native Hawaiian forest bird extinctions from malaria outbreaks, no comprehensive disease management plans exist for forest bird conservation areas. Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Hawai‘i, supports a thriving bird community in a historically disease-free area that is now vulnerable to malaria incursion. Drawing on the expertise of land managers and research scientists, we developed an approach that could be used to proactively address the risk of expanding malaria into the Refuge. The plan lays out a multi-level approach that includes options for monitoring and management actions depending on defined threat levels: Vigilant, High Alert, Disease Outbreak, and Crisis levels. Initial Vigilant and High Alert levels monitor bird populations, climate conditions, and mosquito occurrence for signs of possible disease outbreaks, with higher levels shifting toward more direct management responses. While specific actions will change as new tools become available, the proactive approach can help Refuge managers better respond to changing malaria levels in the future and provide a model for managing disease here in Hawai‘i and elsewhere.

Hawaii↗

USGS2013

A preliminary assessment of streamflow gains and losses for selected stream reaches in the lower Guadalupe River Basin, Texas, 2010-12

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers–Fort Worth District, the Texas Water Development Board, the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, and the Edwards Aquifer Authority, investigated streamflow gains and losses in the lower Guadalupe River Basin during four selected base-flow periods in March 2010, April 2011, August 2011, and, for a stream reach between Seguin, Tex., and Gonzales, Tex., in September 2012. Major sources of streamflow in this basin include releases from Canyon Lake, inflow from major springs (Comal Springs, San Marcos Springs, and Hueco Springs), and base flow (groundwater seeping to streams). Streamflow and spring-flow data were collected at 35 streamflow-gaging stations (including 6 deployed for this study) during the base-flow periods. This report describes streamflow in the lower Guadalupe River Basin, which consists of the Guadalupe River drainage basin downstream from Canyon Lake to the Guadalupe River near Tivoli, Tex. Streamflow conditions in the lower Guadalupe River Basin were analyzed by computing surface-water budgets for reaches of the lower Guadalupe River and tributary streams. Streamflow gains and losses were mapped for reaches where the computed gain or loss was greater than the uncertainty in the computed streamflow at the upstream and downstream ends of the reach. During the March 15–21, 2010, base-flow period, five reaches had gains greater than the uncertainty in the computed streamflow, including reach 1 on the Guadalupe River, which gained 130 cubic feet per second (ft 3 /s), and reach 3 on the Comal River, which gained 359 ft 3 /s. Streamflow gains during March 2010 primarily were derived from (1) inflow from the Edwards aquifer outcrop, including Hueco Springs and Comal Springs; (2) flow conveyed through the alluvium of the streambed; (3) inflows from the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer and the Yegua Jackson aquifer; and (4) groundwater inflows from the Gulf Coast aquifer, which are enhanced by seepage losses from Coleto Creek Reservoir. During this base-flow period, none of the reaches had a loss greater in magnitude than the uncertainty in the computed streamflow. During the April 10–16, 2011, base-flow period, three reaches had gains greater than the uncertainty in the computed streamflow. Among these three reaches were reach 1 on the Guadalupe River, which gained 40.7 ft 3 /s, and reach 3 on the Comal River, which gained 271 ft 3 /s—reaches where streamflow gains were also measured in March 2010. Streamflow gains during April 2011 primarily were derived from (1) inflow from the Edwards aquifer outcrop, including Hueco Springs and Comal Springs; and (2) inflows from the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer. During this base-flow period, three reaches had losses greater in magnitude than the uncertainty in the computed streamflow. A reach of the Blanco River near Kyle, Tex. (reach 10), lost 18.7 cubic feet per second (ft3/s). Much of this loss likely entered the groundwater system through the numerous faults that intersect the stream channel northwest of Kyle. The reach that included the confluence of the Guadalupe and San Marcos Rivers (reach 17) lost 155 ft 3 /s, likely as recharge to the Sparta and Queen City aquifers. During the August 19–25, 2011, base-flow period, three reaches had gains greater than the uncertainty in the computed streamflow, including reach 3 on the Comal River (168 ft 3 /s gain), which was one of the reaches where gains in streamflow also were measured in March 2010 and April 2011. Streamflow gains in August 2011 were primarily from (1) inflows from Comal Springs, (2) inflows from the Yegua Jackson aquifer, and (3) groundwater inflows from the Gulf Coast aquifer, which are enhanced by seepage losses from Coleto Creek Reservoir. During this base-flow period, five reaches had losses greater in magnitude than the uncertainty in the computed streamflow. The reach including the confluence of the Guadalupe and Comal Rivers lost 82.8 ft 3 /s. Much of that loss likely seeped into the local groundwater system. The reach of the Guadalupe River south of New Braunfels, Tex., to Seguin, Tex., lost 53.5 ft 3 /s. Part of that loss may have been from seepage through streambed alluvium. Reaches 9 and 10 of the Blanco River near Kyle lost 2.20 and 6.60 ft 3 /s, respectively, likely as infiltration through numerous faults intersecting the stream channel northwest of Kyle. Plum Creek between Lockhart, Tex., and Luling, Tex., lost 2.11 ft 3 /s, likely as recharge to the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer. A base-flow period during September 22–28, 2012, was studied for the reach of the Guadalupe River between Seguin and Gonzalez, including flows from San Marcos River and Plum Creek. During this period, for the Guadalupe River reach between Seguin and Oak Forest, no computed gains or losses were greater in magnitude than the uncertainty in the computed streamflow.

Texas↗