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USGS2010

Climate, soil water storage, and the average annual water balance

This paper describes the development and testing of the hypothesis that the long-term water balance is determined only by the local interaction of fluctuating water supply (precipitation) and demand (potential evapotranspiration), mediated by water storage in the soil. Adoption of this hypothesis, together with idealized representations of relevant input variabilities in time and space, yields a simple model of the water balance of a finite area having a uniform climate. The partitioning of average annual precipitation into evapotranspiration and runoff depends on seven dimensionless numbers: the ratio of average annual potential evapotranspiration to average annual precipitation (index of dryness); the ratio of the spatial average plant-available water-holding capacity of the soil to the annual average precipitation amount; the mean number of precipitation events per year; the shape parameter of the gamma distribution describing spatial variability of storage capacity; and simple measures of the seasonality of mean precipitation intensity, storm arrival rate, and potential evapotranspiration. The hypothesis is tested in an application of the model to the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, with no calibration. Study area averages of runoff and evapotranspiration, based on observations, are 263 mm and 728 mm, respectively; the model yields corresponding estimates of 250 mm and 741 mm, respectively, and explains 88% of the geographical variance of observed runoff within the study region. The differences between modeled and observed runoff can be explained by uncertainties in the model inputs and in the observed runoff. In the humid (index of dryness <1) parts of the study area, the dominant factor producing runoff is the excess of annual precipitation over annual potential evapotranspiration, but runoff caused by variability of supply and demand over time is also significant; in the arid (index of dryness >1) parts, all of the runoff is caused by variability of forcing over time. Contributions to model runoff attributable to small-scale spatial variability of storage capacity are insignificant throughout the study area. The consistency of the model with observational data is supportive of the supply-demand-storage hypothesis, which neglects infiltration excess runoff and other finite-permeability effects on the soil water balance.

Water Resources Research↗

USGS2016

Annualized earthquake loss estimates for California and their sensitivity to site amplification

Input datasets for annualized earthquake loss (AEL) estimation for California were updated recently by the scientific community, and include the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM), site‐response model, and estimates of shear‐wave velocity. Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s loss estimation tool, Hazus, was updated to include the most recent census and economic exposure data. These enhancements necessitated a revisit to our previous AEL estimates and a study of the sensitivity of AEL estimates subjected to alternate inputs for site amplification. The NSHM ground motions for a uniform site condition are modified to account for the effect of local near‐surface geology. The site conditions are approximated in three ways: (1) by VS30 (time‐averaged shear‐wave velocity in the upper 30 m) value obtained from a geology‐ and topography‐based map consisting of 15 VS30 groups, (2) by site classes categorized according to National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) site classification, and (3) by a uniform NEHRP site class D. In case 1, ground motions are amplified using the Seyhan and Stewart (2014) semiempirical nonlinear amplification model. In cases 2 and 3, ground motions are amplified using the 2014 version of the NEHRP site amplification factors, which are also based on the Seyhan and Stewart model but are approximated to facilitate their use for building code applications. Estimated AELs are presented at multiple resolutions, starting with the state level assessment and followed by detailed assessments for counties, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), and cities. AEL estimate at the state level is ∼$3.7 billion, 70% of which is contributed from Los Angeles–Long Beach–Santa Ana, San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, and Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario MSAs. The statewide AEL estimate is insensitive to alternate assumptions of site amplification. However, we note significant differences in AEL estimates among the three sensitivity cases for smaller geographic units.

California↗

USGS2008

Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Trace Contamination of Streams and Beaches

Concentrations of fecal-indicator bacteria in urban streams and ocean beaches in and around Santa Barbara occasionally can exceed public-health standards for recreation. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), working with the City of Santa Barbara, has used multi-disciplinary science to trace the sources of the bacteria. This research is helping local agencies take steps to improve recreational water quality. The USGS used an approach that combined traditional hydrologic and microbiological data, with state-of-the-art genetic, molecular, and chemical tracer analysis. This research integrated physical data on streamflow, ground water, and near-shore oceanography, and made extensive use of modern geophysical and isotopic techniques. Using those techniques, the USGS was able to evaluate the movement of water and the exchange of ground water with near-shore ocean water. The USGS has found that most fecal bacteria in the urban streams came from storm-drain discharges, with the highest concentrations occurring during storm flow. During low streamflow, the concentrations varied as much as three-fold, owing to variable contribution of non-point sources such as outdoor water use and urban runoff to streamflow. Fecal indicator bacteria along ocean beaches were from both stream discharge to the ocean and from non-point sources such as bird fecal material that accumulates in kelp and sand at the high-tide line. Low levels of human-specific Bacteroides, suggesting fecal material from a human source, were consistently detected on area beaches. One potential source, a local sewer line buried beneath the beach, was found not to be responsible for the fecal bacteria.

Fact Sheet↗

USGS2006

Potential inhibitors to recovery of Acropora palmata populations in St. John, US Virgin Islands

Populations of Acropora palmata in the Caribbean were decimated in the 1970s and 1980s, with little apparent signs of recovery until the late 1990s. Here, we document an increase in A. palmata colonies between 2001 and 2003 at 8 of 11 monitoring sites in waters adjacent to the island of St. John, US Virgin Islands. The shallow waters along the NW coast of the island exhibited the greatest increase in colony abundance, perhaps due to greater larval supply and/or conditions that favor settlement and subsequent survivorship. Of concern, however, is the lack of survival of large colonies (at all sites), which are most frequently affected by stressors (e.g. Coralliophila abbreviata, damselfishes, active disease) and are most likely to be remnants (colonies with discontinuous, living coral-tissue over an existing coral framework). Predation by C. abbreviata and active coral disease may directly contribute to the development of these remnant colonies. In addition, we recorded damage to colonies attributed to damselfishes and raise the possibility that these territorial reef-inhabitants act as vectors in the transmission of coral disease. While the incidence of disease around St. John is generally low, it may persist as a ubiquitous, chronic stress. Finally, because stressors are more prevalent on large colonies and in high-density stands, they have the potential to inhibit the recovery of A. palmata populations to their historic condition. ?? Inter-Research 2006.

Marine Ecology Progress Series↗

USGS1988

Garnet compositions and their use as indicators of peraluminous granitoid petrogenesis - southeastern Arabian Shield

Garnet, an uncommon accessory mineral in igneous rocks, occurs in seven small peraluminous granitoid plutons in the southeastern Arabian Shield; textural equilibrium between garnet and other host granitoid minerals indicates that the garnets crystallized from their host magmas. Compositions of the garnets form three groups that reflect host-granitoid compositions, which in turn reflect source compositions and tectonic regimes in which the host magmas were generated. Garnets from the seven plutons have almandine-rich cores and spessartine-rich rims. This reverse zoning depicts host magma compositional evolution; i.e. rimward spessartine enrichment resulted from progressive, host-magma manganese enrichment. The garnets are heavy rare-earth element enriched; (Lu/La)N ranges from 13 to 355 and one of the garnets contains spectacularly elevated abundances of Y, Ta, Th, U, Zn, Zr, Hf, Sn, and Nb. Involvement of garnets with these trace element characteristics in magma genesis or evolution can have dramatic effects on trace element signatures of the resulting magmas. Other researchers suggest that Mn-enriched magmas are most conducive to garnet nucleation. Although the garnetiferous granitoids discussed here are slightly Mn enriched, other genetically similar peraluminous Arabian granitoids lack garnet; Mn enrichment alone does not guarantee garnet nucleation. The presence of excess alumina in the magma may be a prerequisite for garnet nucleation. ?? 1988 Springer-Verlag.

Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology↗

USGS2004

The freshwater transport and dynamics of the western Maine coastal current

Observations in the Gulf of Maine, USA, were used to characterize the freshwater transport, temporal variability and dynamics of the western Maine coastal current. These observations included moored measurements, multiple hydrographic surveys, and drifter releases during April–July of 1993 and 1994. There is a strong seasonal signal in salinity and along-shore velocity of the coastal current, caused by the freshwater inputs of the rivers entering the western Gulf. Surface salinity within the coastal current during the spring freshet is typically 2 psu below ambient, and along-shore currents in the surface layer are directed southwestward at speeds of 0.10–0.20 m s −1 , occasionally reaching 0.50 m s −1 . The plume thickness is typically 10–20 m in water depths of 50–100 m, thus it is well isolated from the bottom over most of its areal extent. The along-coast freshwater transport within the plume varies considerably due to variations in wind stress, but on time scales of weeks to months it follows the variations of riverine input, with a time lag consistent with the advective velocity. Less than half of the transport of the coastal current is explained by the baroclinic gradient; the barotropic forcing associated with the larger-scale dynamics of the Gulf of Maine accounts for about 60% of the transport. The volume of freshwater transport in the coastal current exceeds the local riverine input of fresh water by 30%, suggesting a significant contribution of freshwater transport from the St. John River, 500 km northeastward. The measurements within the western Maine coastal current, however, indicate a significant decrease in the baroclinic transport of fresh water along the coast, with an e-folding scale of approximately 200 km.

Gulf of Maine↗

USGS2011

Remote compositional analysis of lunar olivine-rich lithologies with Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) spectra

A systematic approach for deconvolving remotely sensed lunar olivine‐rich visible to near‐infrared (VNIR) reflectance spectra with the Modified Gaussian Model (MGM) is evaluated with Chandrayaan‐1 Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M 3 ) spectra. Whereas earlier studies of laboratory reflectance spectra focused only on complications due to chromite inclusions in lunar olivines, we develop a systematic approach for addressing (through continuum removal) the prominent continuum slopes common to remotely sensed reflectance spectra of planetary surfaces. We have validated our continuum removal on a suite of laboratory reflectance spectra. Suites of olivine‐dominated reflectance spectra from a small crater near Mare Moscoviense, the Copernicus central peak, Aristarchus, and the crater Marius in the Marius Hills were analyzed. Spectral diversity was detected in visual evaluation of the spectra and was quantified using the MGM. The MGM‐derived band positions are used to estimate the olivine's composition in a relative sense. Spectra of olivines from Moscoviense exhibit diversity in their absorption features, and this diversity suggests some variation in olivine Fe/Mg content. Olivines from Copernicus are observed to be spectrally homogeneous and thus are predicted to be more compositionally homogeneous than those at Moscoviense but are of broadly similar composition to the Moscoviense olivines. Olivines from Aristarchus and Marius exhibit clear spectral differences from those at Moscoviense and Copernicus but also exhibit features that suggest contributions from other phases. If the various precautions discussed here are weighed carefully, the methods presented here can be used to make general predictions of absolute olivine composition (Fe/Mg content).

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗

USGS2024

Design, development, and implementation of IsoBank: A centralized repository for isotopic data

Stable isotope data have made pivotal contributions to nearly every discipline of the physical and natural sciences. As the generation and application of stable isotope data continues to grow exponentially, so does the need for a unifying data repository to improve accessibility and promote collaborative engagement. This paper provides an overview of the design, development, and implementation of IsoBank , a community-driven initiative to create an open-access repository for stable isotope data implemented online in 2021. A central goal of IsoBank is to provide a web-accessible database supporting interdisciplinary stable isotope research and educational opportunities. To achieve this goal, we convened a multi-disciplinary group of over 40 analytical experts, stable isotope researchers, database managers, and web developers to collaboratively design the database. This paper outlines the main features of IsoBank and provides a focused description of the core metadata structure. We present plans for future database and tool development and engagement across the scientific community. These efforts will help facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration among the many users of stable isotopic data while also offering useful data resources and standardization of metadata reporting across eco-geoinformatics landscapes.

PLoS ONE↗

USGS2003

An introduction to the San Francisco Estuary tidal wetlands restoration series

Restoration of tidal wetlands may provide an important tool for improving ecological health and water management for beneficial uses of the San Francisco Estuary (hereafter “Estuary”). Given the large losses of tidal wetlands from San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in the last 150 years, it seems logical to assume that restoring tidal wetlands will have benefits for a variety of aquatic and terrestrial native species that have declined during the same time period. However, many other changes have also occurred in the Estuary concurrent with the declines of native species. Other factors that might be important in species declines include the effects of construction of upstream dams, large and small water diversions within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, agricultural pesticides, trace elements from industrial and agricultural activities, and invasions of alien species. Discussions among researchers, managers, and stakeholders have identified a number of uncertainties regarding the potential benefits of tidal wetland restoration. The articles of the Tidal Wetlands Restoration Series address four major issues of concern. Stated as questions, these are: 1. Will tidal wetland restoration enhance populations of native fishes? 2. Will wetland restoration increase rates of methylation of mercury? 3. Will primary production and other ecological processes in restored tidal wetlands result in net export of organic carbon to adjacent habitats, resulting in enhancement of the food web? Will the carbon produced contribute to the formation of disinfection byproducts when disinfected for use as drinking water? 4. Will restored tidal wetlands provide long-term ecosystem benefits that can be sustained in response to ongoing physical processes, including sedimentation and hydrodynamics? Reducing the uncertainty surrounding these issues is of critical importance because tidal wetland restoration is assumed to be a critical tool for enhancement of native species and ecosystem processes in the Estuary.

California↗

USGS2024

Automated, near real-time ground-motion processing at the U.S. Geological Survey

We describe automated ground‐motion processing software named gmprocess that has been developed at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in support of near‐real‐time earthquake hazard products. Because of the open‐source development process, this software has benefitted from the involvement and contributions of a broad community and has been used for a wider range of applications than was initially envisioned. Here, we give an overview and introduction to the software, including how it has leveraged other open‐source libraries. We highlight some key features that gmprocess provides, compare response spectra calculated with the automated processing approach of gmprocess to the response spectra provided by the Next Generation Attenuation projects, and summarize projects that have utilized gmprocess. These use‐cases demonstrate that this software development effort has been successfully leveraged in earthquake research activities both within and outside the USGS.

Seismological Research Letters↗

USGS1982

Bibliography of U.S. Geological Survey studies of lakes and reservoirs; the first 100 years

For more than 100 years, the U.S. Geological Survey has pursued its mission of assessing and mapping the earth resources of the United States, including assessment of the Nation's water resources. Although the Survey has never been a water-management or development agency, it has assisted agencies that are responsible for such developments, and commonly provides data and information for such purposes. Because reservoirs are an intergral part of most water-development projects, the Survey has been involved in reservoir-related studies since the 1880's. The largest and longest involvement has centered on providing information on streamflows and sediment transport related to existing and proposed reservoirs. During the late 1940's, the Survey greatly expanded its activities in evaporation research. More recently, ground water, including bank storage, has gained increased attention. Most of these studies were related primarily to questions of water quantity, and the Survey continues to be involved in studies of physical hydrology. In addition, in response to the increased concern with environmental quality during the past 20 years, the number of Survey studies of the chemical and biological aspects of lakes and reservoirs have increased considerably. Prompted by the recent Centennial (1879-1979) of the U.S. Geological Survey, it is appropriate to assess the Survey's contributions to the hydrology of lakes and reservoirs. Both natural lakes and manmade reservoirs are included in this report. 1 This report includes studies in which lakes or reservoirs are the principal topics. It does not include reports of general water resources of an area in which lakes are discussed as part of that area. This report also does not include data reports in which the data are merely tabulated. The types of reports listed herein include studies of existing or proposed water bodies and associated fluxes of water to and from these water bodies. This report does not include geological or paleobiological studies of ancient lakes. This report does, however, include geological studies of proposed reservoir sites. This bibliography has three parts. The first part is an alphabetical listing that gives complete references to the given reports. Part 2 is a listing by topics, and only the authors, date of publication, and cross-reference to the State are given. Six general categories are considered: Lake hydrology; interaction of lakes and streamflow, including geological studies of reservoir sites; interaction of lakes and atmospheric water; interaction of lakes. and ground water; chemical and biological limnology; and sediment studies. The first four consist of studies of physical characteristics of lakes, and the last two of water-quality characteristics. The category of lake hydrology includes general studies of lakes that are not easily grouped into one of the more specific categories of physical characteristics. For example, it includes water-budget studies where all aspects of hydrology are discussed. It also includes studies of hydrodynamics of lakes as well as studies of lake-level fluctuations. The category of interaction of lakes and streamflow includes preimpoundment studies of streamflow discharge for reservoir design, and studies of the effects of existing reservoirs on streamflow and channel characteristics. Also included in this category are geological studies of river valleys for proposed reservoir sites. The category of interaction of lakes and atmospheric water includes primarily studies of evaporation. The interaction of lakes and ground water includes studies of bank storage. The category of chemical and biological studies was not subdivided into more specific types because of the virtually inseparable relation between chemistry and biology in most studies. This bibliography provided much of the information for two papers that discuss the history of U.S. Geological Survey studies of lakes and reservoirs. (See Winter, 1981b; and Hadley, 1981).

Circular↗

USGS2023

Saproxylic beetles' morphological traits and higher trophic guilds indicate boreal forest naturalness

Forests contribute to numerous ecosystem functions and services and contain a large proportion of terrestrial biodiversity, but they are being negatively impaced by anthropogenic activities. Forests that have never been clear-cut and have old growth characteristics, termed “near-natural,” often harbor different and richer species assemblages than managed forests. Alternative management strategies may be able to balance the needs of biodiversity with the demands of forestry, but evaluation efforts are limited by the challenges of measuring biodiversity. Species richness is frequently used as a simple measure of biodiversity, but research indicates that it may not adequately capture community-level changes. Alternatively, trait-based measures of biodiversity may prove to be useful, but research is lacking. In this paper, we use a large dataset that includes 339 obligate saproxylic beetle species collected over a decade in the boreal region throughout southern Norway to: (1) establish if there is a difference in beetle community composition between near-natural and managed forests; and (2) determine which measures of beetle biodiversity best indicate forest naturalness. We arranged the sites in an ordination space and tested for differences in community composition between these forest types. We also tested different measures of biodiversity to determine which were the most predictive of forest naturalness. We found a clear difference in community composition between near-natural and managed forests. Additionally, three measures of biodiversity were most predictive of forest naturalness: proportional abundance of predators, community weighted mean (CWM) of wing length, and CWM of body roundness. The probability that a forest was near-natural increased with the proportional abundance of predators but decreased with CWM wing length and body roundness. Although species richness was higher in near-natural forests, the effect was not significant. Overall, our findings underscore the conservation value of near-natural forests and highlight the potential of several measures of biodiversity for determining forest quality.

Ecology and Evolution↗

USGS2025

Virulence evolution of a salmonid virus following a host jump

Emergent viral diseases remain a critical obstacle to welfare across landscapes and species, encompassing humans, wildlife, and agriculture. Following a jump to a novel host, the severity of disease resulting from infection is a critical determinant of the overall emergent pathogen threat. Conventional wisdom posits that virulence, defined here as host mortality, attenuates to intermediate levels as a pathogen adapts to a novel host, but this is largely based on data from just one system, myxoma virus, which was intentionally introduced as a biocontrol agent in rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) in mid-1900s Australia. In this study, we demonstrate that infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), which made a host jump from sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka , ancestral host) to rainbow trout ( O. mykiss , novel host), has not conformed to classical theory. We quantified virulence in the ancestral and novel hosts using common garden in vivo experiments with 16 archival IHNV isolates collected from 1972-2017, which span the period from shortly after the host jump and the subsequent 45 years of host adaptation. These virus isolates also represent two distinct phylogenetic genogroups, each associated with either the ancestral or novel host. The experiments were replicated across two research facilities, two challenges dosages, and two temperatures. While isolates from the ancestral genogroup showed no temporal change in virulence in either host, isolates from the novel viral genogroup displayed a significant increase in virulence over time in the novel host. Some possible indication of a virus temperature adaption after the host jump was also present. Potential drivers of virulence evolution are discussed. This represents one of only a handful of systems in which the evolution of increased virulence has been empirically characterized after a host jump and subsequent adaptation. It contributes to a growing body of evidence that contradicts the classical case study of myxoma virus attenuation after adaptation.

PLoS Pathogens↗

USGS1986

Potential impacts of agricultural chemicals on waterfowl and other wildlife inhabiting prairie wetlands: An evaluation of research needs and approaches

The potential for agricultural chemicals to enter prairie-pothole wetlands and impact wildlife dependent on these wetlands for survival and reproduction appears to be great. However, the actual risk to wetland wildlife from the inputs of these chemicals cannot be adequately assessed at this time, because of insufficient data. Available data on the use of pesticides in the prairie-pothole region and the toxicity of these pesticides suggest that insecticides pose the greatest hazard to wetland wildlife, particularly birds. The majority of the most widely used insecticides within the region are very toxic to aquatic invertebrates and birds. Of particular concern are the impacts of agricultural chemicals on the quality of the remaining wetlands in the region and whether or not these impacts have contributed to observed declines in waterfowl populations. Although existing data suggest that adult and juvenile waterfowl may not be more sensitive to these chemicals than are other wetland wildlife, their food habits and feeding behaviors may make them more vulnerable to direct toxic effects or chemical-induced changes in the abundance of aquatic invertebrates. Laboratory and field studies in the United States and Canada are critically needed to assess these potential impacts.

Transactions of the North American Wildlife and Na↗

USGS1984

Thermal modeling of Halley's comet

The comet thermal model of Weissman and Kieffer is used to calculate gas production rates and other parameters for the 1986 perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. Gas production estimates are very close to revised pre-perihelion estimates by Newburn based on 1910 observations of Halley; the increase in observed gas production post-perihelion may be explained by a variety of factors. The energy contribution from multiply scattered sunlight and thermal emission by coma dust increases the total energy reaching the Halley nucleus at perihelion by a factor of 2.4. The high obliquity of the Halley nucleus found by Sekanina and Larson may help to explain the asymmetry in Halley's gas production rates around perihelion. ?? 1984.

Advances in Space Research↗

USGS2009

Volcanic history, geologic analysis and map of the Prometheus Patera region on Io

Data from Jupiter's moon Io returned by the Galileo spacecraft have been used to create a geologic map of Prometheus Patera, its associated flow field, and nearby features. We have identified the location of the vent that fed the Prometheus flow field during the Galileo epoch in the north-eastern portion of the main Prometheus flow field. This vent is the probable source of a small sulphur-rich plume. Previous studies suggested that the vent may be atop a tectonic fault but we find that the vent is offset from the putative fault. It is plausible that, in the past, magma exploited the fault to reach the surface at Prometheus Patera, but subsequent magma cooling in the conduit could have caused an obstruction preventing further eruptions from providing significant contributions to the Prometheus flow field. We also speculate on how a new Prometheus plumbing system may be fed by mafic magmas after melt stalls in magma reservoirs during its ascent through the lithosphere from the mantle.

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research↗

USGS2024

Temporal variability in irrigated land and climate influences on salinity loading across the Upper Colorado River Basin, 1986-2017

Freshwater salinization is a growing global concern impacting human and ecosystem needs with impacts to water availability for human and ecological uses. In the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), dissolved solids in streams compound ongoing water supply challenges to further limit water availability and cause economic damages. Much effort has been dedicated to understanding dissolved solid sources, transport, and management in the region, yet temporal variability in loading from key sources such as irrigated lands and the influence of climate on dissolved solids loading remains unknown. Quantifying the contributions and temporal variability of dissolved solids loads from irrigated lands may benefit salinity management efforts. This study applies a time-varying (dynamic) modeling approach to predict annual dissolved solids loads across the UCRB from 1986 through 2017. Between 66% and 82% of the total accumulated dissolved solids load in the basin is from groundwater (storage and baseflow). Our findings link climate, irrigation, and groundwater, and confirm large storage contributions that have declined slightly with time. Dissolved solids loads increase during wet periods and decrease during dry periods, although the relative contributions of different sources vary little with time. Irrigation enhances loading efficiency relative to unirrigated areas through runoff and groundwater, and can locally be a major source of dissolved solids where irrigation occurs. Results indicate that loads from irrigated areas increase when irrigated area and/or water available for runoff increase. Increased regional aridification over the study period may have contributed to decreasing stream salinity through both quicker surface runoff and lagged groundwater storage processes. Study results may be relevant to salinity management in arid environments where water availability is limited and where irrigation influences salinity loading to streams.

Upper Colorado River Basin↗

USGS2015

Book review: Restoring paradise: Rethinking and rebuilding nature in Hawaii

The native ecosystems of Hawai‘i have been severely degraded by the introduction of herbivorous mammals and a myriad of invasive plant species. Left unmanaged, most natural areas would continue along a trajectory towards domination by nonnative species; however, several projects have undertaken the daunting task of ecological restoration, four of which are the subject of Restoring Paradise by Robert Cabin: Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge; Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park; the Auwahi dryland forest, Maui and Limahuli Garden and Preserve, Kaua‘i. After an introductory section discussing the setting and factors that have contributed to so much of the degradation and extinction of Hawai‘i’s native biota, Cabin outlines two different views of restoration in two central sections of the book: ad hoc, trial-and-error approaches versus the careful application of science to direct restoration. The time-tested methods of fence construction, ungulate removal, weed control, and replanting native species with the help of numerous volunteers and community support are presented in marked contrast to inconsistent applications of science in guiding restoration, and illustrated by some of the author’s unsuccessful research. The book is largely presented as a non-technical first-person account of travels and meetings with key personalities driving restoration projects. The philosophies of restoration practitioners are embedded in passages from interviews. Setbacks, obstacles, logistical constraints, and successes are narrated in between as Cabin revisits each of the restoration sites. The utility of science in restoration is frequently questioned by the author and sometimes abandoned by practitioners in favour of a ‘let-nature-take-its-course’ approach. Review info: Restoring Paradise: Rethinking and Rebuilding Nature in Hawaii . By Robert J. Cabin, 2013. ISBN: 978-0822836931, 236 pp.

Pacific Conservation Biology↗