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At least 1,729 records · Page 96Linked to original sources
USGS2026

Geophysical architecture and geochronology of the Neoarchean Mentor anorthosite intrusive complex, northwestern Minnesota: Largest anorthosite complex of the Superior Province?

The Neoarchean Mentor anorthosite intrusive complex (MAIC) lies within the Wawa subprovince in northwestern Minnesota, in a region where the Wawa, Quetico, and Wabigoon subprovinces are juxtaposed in close proximity. Archean rocks are entirely concealed, and interpretations are developed from aeromagnetic, gravity, and borehole samples. The MAIC includes both anorthosite (dense, weakly magnetized) and oxide-rich gabbro (strongly magnetized) lithologies. Anorthosite is coarse-grained to megacrystic, intensely altered, and locally brecciated. Pervasive epidote alteration enhanced the density of the anorthosite via introduction of higher-density mineral assemblages, explaining why the MAIC produces a significant gravity high. Oxide-rich gabbro forms a border phase of the MAIC and has potential for vanadium, chromium, and titanium mineralization, and produces a strong aeromagnetic high. The MAIC is interpreted to extend over an area of 640 km 2 , making it the largest known anorthosite complex of the Superior Province, as measured by preserved areal extent. Modeling indicates the MAIC extends more than 6 km into the subsurface. A new Pb–Pb zircon age of 2737.2 ± 4.5 Ma is interpretated as the crystallization age of anorthosite within the MAIC, showing that the MAIC formed well before the ca. 2690 Ma Shebandowanian orogeny, and raising new questions about correlations with other parts of the Wawa subprovince. A low-density batholith, here informally called the Fertile batholith, is interpreted to intrude the southern part of the MAIC. A new Pb–Pb zircon age of 2701.1 ± 6 Ma is interpreted as the magmatic age of the Fertile batholith.

Minnesota↗
USGS2026

Decreased water transparency of nearshore Laurentian Great Lakes habitats is driven by increased dissolved organic carbon.

Little is understood of lake browning (due to increased dissolved organic carbon; DOC) in large lakes such as the Laurentian Great Lakes. Lake browning can alter whole lake ecosystems, including decreasing exposure to damaging ultraviolet radiation (UV-B) which is strongly and selectively attenuated by DOC more so than photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). We compared the changes in UV-B and PAR transparency to DOC data collected during the ice-free seasons from 62 nearshore sites in four of the five Great Lakes from 2002 to 2022 using linear mixed effects regression models based on backwards selected Bayesian information criteria. Regionally, DOC significantly increased from 2002 to 2022 by 0.5% per year on average. DOC strongly and inversely explained the variability of UV-B and PAR transparencies, as did seasons and offshore influence on these habitats. We provide regional evidence of lake browning within the nearshore habitats of the Great Lakes as a strong contrast to the well-documented increased offshore water transparency associated with the spread of invasive dreissenid mussels.

Great Lakes↗
USGS2026

Establishing conservation benchmarks for threatened Bull Trout using spawner-recruitment relationships

Understanding the relationship between breeding adults and juvenile recruitment is fundamental to conserving at-risk species. Knowing whether recruitment is depensatory or compensatory at low adult abundances can aid in developing conservation strategies and recovery goals. However, this relationship requires long-term monitoring of two life stages, which can be costly and uncommon, especially for non-commercially harvested fish species, such as Bull Trout ( Salvelinus confluentus ). Listed as threatened in the United States and Canada, Bull Trout have declined throughout their range due to anthropogenic disturbances. Although spawner–recruitment relationships can create realistic recovery goals, this relationship is poorly characterized for Bull Trout. We used redd counts and juvenile densities from 11 Bull Trout populations to (1) establish spawner-recruitment dynamics, (2) assess environmental influences on productivity, and (3) derive recovery benchmarks. Bull Trout exhibited high recruitment productivity at low adult abundances and clear recruitment limitations at high abundances. Recruitment productivity varied across populations but was not associated with environmental covariates. We highlight strong compensatory capacity at low adult abundances, indicating possible recovery if limiting factors beyond spawning and rearing habitats are addressed.

Montana↗
USGS2026

Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix broad movement patterns and dispersal dynamics in the upper Mississippi River

Rivers are important movement corridors for fishes that allow for population connectivity. Within the upper Mississippi River Basin, invasive Silver Carp ( Hypophthalmichthys molitrix ) use tributaries including the Des Moines, Iowa, and Cedar rivers; however, the extent Silver Carp move and intermix among these systems and pools of the upper Mississippi River (UMR) is largely unknown. We used acoustic telemetry and multistate models to (1) identify individual and spatial variability in movement strategies, (2) use survival and transition probability estimates to evaluate population dynamics and connectivity, and (3) evaluate the influence of temporal and environmental variables on survival and transition probabilities. Weekly transition probabilities generally increased with discharge and ranged between 0.01 from UMR Pool 20 to outside the study area at 575 m 3 /s to 0.75 from UMR Pool 18 to outside the study area at 7200 m 3 /s. Survival decreased as temperature increased from 0 to 30 °C and was higher in tributaries than mainstem pools correlated with lower discharge. Overall, Silver Carp displayed diverse movement strategies with high connectivity that can inform invasive species management strategies.

upper Mississippi River↗
USGS2026

Invasive hybridization has unpredicted and variable effects on trout survival in contrasting environments

Invasive hybridization between native and introduced species is widespread, especially in fishes, yet its effects on fitness-related traits across environments remain poorly understood. We combined individual genetic admixture estimates with capture–recapture data to quantify how hybridization between native Westslope Cutthroat Trout ( Oncorhynchus lewisi ) and invasive Rainbow Trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) influences survival. We measured individual survival of 5186 trout across three populations in contrasting environments. Non-native admixture significantly affected survival in two populations, with positive effects during summer and negative effects during winter. Prior research has shown hybridization increases with stream temperature; however, survival patterns did not follow this trend. In a warmer stream, native trout in all size-classes had ≥20% higher annual survival than hybrids, whereas in a cooler stream, juvenile native trout had ≥20% lower survival than hybrids. These findings indicate that hybridization effects on survival are complex and vary among populations, environments, and size-classes. Landscape patterns of hybridization may therefore not reflect local survival (or fitness) outcomes, emphasizing that measures fitness-related traits across populations and environments could elucidate the eco-evolutionary consequences of invasive hybridization.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
USGS2026

Detecting bumble bees in the wild using environmental DNA: Development and validation of a qPCR assay for the endangered Franklin’s bumble bee (Bombus franklini)

Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling is a noninvasive alternative to conventional methods of surveying insects that may be particularly useful for detecting pollinators. We developed a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay to detect the DNA of Franklin’s bumble bee ( Bombus franklini ) from flower samples and conducted an initial test of the assay using samples collected within and around the historical range of the species. We further analyzed all samples using metabarcoding. Our qPCR assay successfully amplified B. franklini DNA and exhibited no cross-reactivity with nontarget bumble bee DNA during in silico and in vitro testing. We did not detect B. franklini DNA from field-collected flower samples using either qPCR or metabarcoding. However, metabarcoding analysis revealed DNA of at least 16 other bumble bee species. This finding underscores the potential utility of eDNA sampling for surveying bumble bees. Nondetection of B. franklini from field-collected flower samples may be due to the extreme rarity of the species; B. franklini is endangered and has not been observed in the wild since 2006. Our B. franklini assay is among the first bee-specific qPCR assays ever developed and provides proof of concept for additional assays that may improve detection rates of rare and endangered bees.

California, Oregon↗
USGS2026

Magnetic storms and geoelectric hazards

Magnetic storms induce geoelectric fields at Earth's surface that can interfere with grounded long-line systems. The September 1859 storm disrupted global telegraph operations, the March 1989 storm caused a blackout in Canada and interfered with electric-power-transmission systems in the United States, and other storms have had related impacts. The geographic and temporal dependence of geoelectric fields are functions of both geomagnetic variation and local surface impedance, which differ considerably across different geological regions. These dependencies can be mapped across the contiguous United States by combining magnetotelluric impedance tensors with ground magnetometer time series. This review illustrates such mapping for the 1989 storm and shows that power-system interference was experienced where surface impedance is high, and when and where geoelectric fields were intense. Statistical analyses indicate that storms comparable to that of March 1989 occur roughly once every four solar cycles. Ongoing developments in numerical modeling and real-time monitoring are anticipated to enable prediction of geoelectric hazards. ▪ Magnetic storms can induced electric fields in the solid Earth that interfere with electric-power-transmission systems. ▪ Geoelectric hazards depend on the storm-time geomagnetic disturbance and the electrical conductivity structure of Earth. ▪ Historically, impacts on telecommunication and power-transmission systems in the United States have been concentrated in the East and Midwest. ▪ The future occurrence of a magnetic superstorm could cause widespread disruption of electric-power-transmission systems.

Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences↗
USGS2026

Evaluating U.S. Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program LiDAR data as a source for building height

Accurate building height information is used for numerous urban applications, including infrastructure modeling, disaster risk assessment, and energy demand estimation. The U.S. Geological Survey collects airborne lidar data to support the three-dimensional elevation program (3DEP). The high point density and vertical accuracy of the lidar point clouds are optimal for 3D mapping. Few studies have systematically evaluated building height extraction from 3DEP lidar point clouds in urban areas. This study assesses the accuracy and consistency of building height estimates from two publicly available data sets by comparing them to the 3DEP lidar data. The public building height data sets are USA Structures and Microsoft Global Building Footprints (GBF), and they are evaluated across two contrasting urban sites. Building heights from USA Structures are also lidar-derived, whereas GBF estimates are based on stereo matching of optical imagery. Building heights from 3DEP were extracted by classifying lidar points using a deep learning model, isolating roof and ground returns, and computing the height as the median elevation difference between the roof and surrounding ground points. For both sites, 3DEP lidar-derived heights show strong agreement with USA Structures (R 2 = 0.87 and 0.86; MAE = 1.8 and 2.2 m), confirming the internal consistency and reliability of lidar-derived measurements. In contrast, comparisons with GBF height estimates reveal significantly lower correlations (R 2 = 0.54 and 0.60; MAE = 2.5 and 3.1 m), highlighting the limitations of imagery-based height reconstruction, particularly in dense or heterogeneous urban environments. These findings indicate that lidar can be used as an accurate source for vertical structure characterization and underscore the benefits of improved integration and bias correction when using imagery-derived building heights. The results provide support for hybrid approaches that combine the broad spatial coverage of optical data sets with the accuracy of lidar for scalable 3D urban mapping.

Colorado, Texas↗
USGS2026

New measurements indicate that natural geologic methane emissions from microseepage in the Michigan Basin are likely negligible

The magnitude of natural geologic methane (CH 4 ) emissions to the atmosphere (including emissions of fossil CH 4 from offshore and onshore gas and oil seeps, diffuse microseepage, mud volcanoes, volcanic vents, and geothermal areas) is highly uncertain. The largest component of geologic emissions is thought to be microseepage, which is the diffuse flux of CH 4 from soils across large areas of productive hydrocarbon basins. The accuracy of existing bottom-up estimates of microseepage is limited by low spatial coverage of published microseepage measurements. We present the first soil—atmosphere CH 4 flux measurements from Michigan Basin, USA. Results from 335 measurements taken during summer and winter seasons across a large portion of the basin suggest microseepage is nonexistent in the sampled region. Even areas with predictive features for microseepage (e.g., underlying mature, organically rich source rocks, proven gas accumulations, faults, and lineaments) yield null or negative fluxes, suggesting that CH 4 emissions from microseepage are negligible throughout our study region. A Monte Carlo method was used to place an upper limit on the regional-mean microseepage flux, in which synthetic patchy microseepage distributions were generated and tested against our observations to assess the impact of possible emission hot spots that were missed by our sampling strategy. Our analysis finds it is very unlikely that regional-mean emissions are as high as assumed in a previous global microseepage study. The observed lack of seepage may be explained by groundwater flow, active methanotrophy, glacial sediments, and bedded salt deposits, which could inhibit vertical gas migration and release to atmosphere.

Michigan↗
USGS2026

Community perspectives on the role of power and place-based knowledge at the frontline of gray wolf (Canis lupus) return

Conflict and coexistence between large carnivores and human communities can be shaped by tolerance , or people’s willingness to absorb the impacts and benefits of large carnivores within shared landscapes. In the last decade, hazard acceptance models (HAMs) have become one of the most popular psychological models for characterizing the drivers of an individual’s tolerance of large carnivores. However, quantitative psychological models designed for individuals do not fully capture the influence of power and local context on community-level tolerance of threats and hazards. Here, we examined the importance of power, cultural context, and hazard psychology in southwestern Washington communities, where a wolf pack established in 2022 after an 80-year absence in an area with a divisive history of human-carnivore conflict. We interviewed 37 residents spanning a range of political and economic backgrounds to understand the willingness of people to tolerate wolves at this early stage of reestablishment. Qualitative analysis of themes from these interviews revealed strong support for elements of individual psychological drivers captured in HAMs. However, they also point to the importance of power relations and local economic and cultural contexts within a community in creating the conditions for intolerance, which can be hard to overcome once entrenched. Our results show how HAMs developed for individuals are embedded within critical, community-wide sociocultural and political contexts. We therefore propose several complements to existing HAM frameworks and argue that while quantitative measures are valuable for testing individual psychological variables, these quantitative examinations will be most robust when they are accompanied by qualitative approaches capable of capturing the more complex dynamics of power, community cohesion, and economic transformation. We also show that community-engaged research can help build trust and create pathways for tolerance at the earliest stages of carnivore recovery.

Washington↗
USGS2026

Relative activity of three bat species Impacted by white-nose syndrome on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

White-nose syndrome, a disease caused by the fungal-pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans , has caused drastic reductions in populations of several North American hibernating species of bats including Myotis lucifugus (Little Brown Bat), Myotis septentrionalis (Northern Long-eared Bat), and Perimyotis subflavus (Tricolored Bat). Recent data indicate that populations of Little Brown Bats may be stabilizing and/or increasing in the northeastern region of the US, while others, such as Northern Long-eared Bats, continue to decline. Whether these trends extend to the mid-Atlantic region is currently unknown. To better understand population changes over time, habitat associations, and species dynamics, we developed models of relative activity from bat acoustic data collected on the National Park Service's Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park along the Potomac River Corridor in western Maryland between 2016 and 2022. Consistent with pre-disease habitat associations, Little Brown Bats and Tricolored Bats exhibited a positive correlation with proximity to water bodies. Notably, we found Little Brown Bat and Tricolored Bat populations potentially were increasing, whereas Northern Long-eared Bats showed no correlation with examined habitat covariates and had low detection levels, trends consistent with broader declines throughout their range.

Maryland↗
USGS2026

Annual-cycle movement patterns of Eastern Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis) from the northern end of their breeding range

Understanding the variability in movement patterns of marine birds throughout their annual cycle is critical to ecosystem-based management in coastal regions. Tracking data from seabirds frequently demonstrates that movement patterns throughout the annual cycle are more complex and extensive than previously thought, and that factors that influence these movements differ throughout the species' range. During May of 2023, we deployed satellite tags on Eastern Brown Pelicans ( Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis ) breeding in the Chesapeake Bay region, an area that supports commercial fisheries for forage fish, offshore energy production, and lies at the northern end of the species' breeding range. During the breeding season pelicans foraged throughout Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic coast up to 75 km from the breeding colony. Interannual shifts in use areas were linked to colony switching. Post-breeding, pelicans consistently staged in the mid-Chesapeake Bay before southward migration. Wintering locations extended from the Chesapeake Bay to Cuba. The study demonstrates that pelicans breeding in the Chesapeake Bay region exhibit high variability in movement patterns within and outside of the breeding season. Therefore, marine spatial plans within and beyond the Chesapeake region may need to account for intra-population variability in movement patterns to ensure long-term success.

Virginia↗
USGS2026

Design, construction and application of an automated thermal chamber to determine critical thermal maxima in small anurans

Critical thermal maximum (CTMax) is a thermal threshold useful for understanding physiological boundaries and predicting anuran vulnerability to climate warming. Given the value of this metric, a comprehensive review of the literature on CTMax protocols (1962-2025) revealed widespread methodological inconsistencies and rare verification of ramping rate accuracy, essential to gauge the reliability of estimates and facilitate comparisons among studies. We engineered an inexpensive (<300 USD) automated CTMax chamber incorporating dual thermocouples, a programmable proportional integral derivative (PID) controller, and real-time software monitoring to address these deficiencies. Performance validation across eight trials demonstrated alignment between programmed and observed temperature ramping rate (0.40 vs. 0.39 °C/min; Z = 1.58, P > 0.05). As a proof-of-concept, we used the proposed system to generate CTMax estimates of six species of Eleutherodactylus in Puerto Rico, including first reports for E. brittoni, E. cochranae, E. wightmanae, and E. juanariveroi. CTMax values ranged from 36.30°C ± 0.52 (E. wightmanae) to 42.10°C ± 0.66 (E. cochranae), with warming tolerances ranging from 15.00°C ± 0.63 to 18.18°C ± 0.73. Our design provides an accurate, replicable, and ethical approach for CTMax measurement and enhances the capacity to assess small amphibian vulnerability to global warming.

SSRN↗
USGS2026

The application of state-and-transition models to remotely sensed fractional cover datasets

Assessing vegetation conditions in expansive rangeland ecosystems has long posed a persistent challenge. Recent advancements in remote sensing technologies have provided new avenues for improving this assessment process. In this study, conducted at two ranch sites in Nevada, we integrated existing line-point-intercept monitoring data with additional field observations to evaluate the vegetation condition or “State” at various monitoring points. We then employed machine learning techniques to classify gridded raster datasets, aligning them with existing state-and-transition models (STMs) specific to each study area. Leveraging Landsat-derived fractional cover datasets, along with climate and soil predictors, we aimed to predict vegetation State within specific Vegetation Great Groups (VGGs). The resulting vegetation State maps were then combined to generate a cohesive representation of vegetation conditions across the study sites. Our analysis revealed that relative functional group cover emerged as a superior predictor of vegetation state and ecological processes at the site level. However, we encountered variations in state mapping accuracy ranging from approximately 14% to 44% error. These discrepancies were influenced by factors such as study location, landscape heterogeneity, availability of training data, and species-specific challenges, all of which complicate the accurate classification of remote sensing datasets.

Nevada↗
USGS2026

Resources to inform the 2026 Colorado Climate Preparedness Roadmap: Compound hazards and associated public health implications

Changing environmental conditions are increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather and environmental hazards, including heat waves, wildfires, drought, reduced water quality, and degraded air quality from ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter pollution (AghaKouchak et al., 2020; Bolinger et al., 2024; Colorado Health Institute, 2023a; Fann et al., 2015; IPCC, 2023a; Nagamoto et al., 2024; Nolte et al., 2018, 2021; Zscheischler et al., 2020). Strong scientific evidence indicates that climate change will increase risks to public health and safety throughout the 21st century, particularly through compound climate events (AghaKouchak et al., 2020; Cascio, 2018; Childs et al., 2022; Ebi, 2025; IPCC, 2023a, 2023b; Ma et al., 2024; Marlier et al., 2026; National Academy of Medicine, 2025; Reid et al., 2016; Reid & Maestas, 2019; Simpson et al., 2023; van den Hurk et al., 2023; Volckens, 2024; Zscheischler et al., 2018, 2020). Compound hazards, which are co-occurring or sequential hazards such as heat waves occurring alongside drought, wildfire, and poor air quality from smoke, can amplify public health risks beyond the effects of individual hazards alone (Marlier et al., 2026; Zscheischler et al., 2020). In Colorado, compound climate events with clear implications for public health are already evident (see “Core definitions” section for additional context on compound climate events). Recent statewide assessments have documented increasing heat waves, drought, and wildfires linked to rising temperatures, while emerging data show that climate change is reversing decades of air quality improvements through increased O3 and fine particulate matter pollution due to wildfire, and increased aerosolized topsoil (i.e., dust) due to drought (Bolinger et al., 2024; Childs et al., 2022; Fann et al., 2015; Ghanbari et al., 2023; Larsen et al., 2022; Nolte et al., 2018, 2021; Volckens, 2024). These environmental shifts are associated with increases in eye and kidney-health related concerns, heat-related illness, exacerbations of asthma and other respiratory conditions, increased risk of infectious disease, cardiovascular stress, and mental health impacts, with disparities in risk for children, older adults, outdoor workers, and communities with existing health and economic vulnerabilities (Baraghoshi et al., 2023; Butler-Dawson et al., 2026; Cascio, 2018; Cleland et al., 2022; Colorado Health Institute, 2023a; Grover et al., 2024; Lee et al., 2023; Ma et al., 2024; Macaluso et al., 2024; Marlier et al., 2026; National Academy of Medicine, 2025; Patnaik et al., 2024; Peters et al., 2019; Reid et al., 2016; Reid & Maestas, 2019). The state is actively pursuing strategies to mitigate the risks of these compound climate events on the public, including expanding climate and health surveillance, strengthening early-warning systems and public communication around smoke and air quality, and developing integrated policy agendas that link climate mitigation, adaptation, and health equity (CDPHE, 2025; Colorado Health Institute, 2023b; Zemaitis & Bailey, 2024). For example, state and partner organizations have articulated cross-sector goals to prepare for health impacts related to extreme heat, wildfires, flooding, drought, declines in water quality, and poor air quality, including updating workplace safety protocols, enhancing community-based resilience, adapting clinical care assessments to include climate-related stressors, and improving access to mental and behavioral health services following climate-related disasters (Colorado Health Institute, 2023b; CDPHE, 2025; Zemaitis & Bailey, 2024). To better prepare for current risks and make informed decisions, more information is needed, including methods to analyze historical and projected conditions in near real time, characterize interactions among compound hazards, and translate climate and air quality science into actionable guidance for public health agencies, health care systems, and communities across Colorado (Ebi, 2025; Marlier et al., 2026; National Academy of Medicine, 2025; Simpson et al., 2023; Zscheischler et al., 2018). For this report, we focus on extreme heat and outdoor air quality (ozone [O3] and fine particulate matter [PM2.5]) as the main compound hazards causing compound climate events, given that 1) the state of Colorado has experienced poor air quality for some time, 2) these climate events are affecting large population numbers, and 3) there is capacity to consider and respond to these climate-driven events.

Colorado↗
USGS2026

Mississippi’s resiliency and changing environmental conditions

Mississippi is experiencing shifts in environmental conditions, many of which are expected to intensify in the coming decades, and will have important implications for ecosystems, species, and natural resource management across the state. Historical climate analyses and downscaled projections summarized for the state’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) level III Ecoregions show that Mississippi will likely face increases in extremely hot days, more intense heatwaves, greater evapotranspiration, and reductions in cold-season extremes. Temperature trends indicate that while Mississippi has warmed relatively little over the last century, recent years have been among the warmest on record. Projections suggest substantial increases in the number of days with maximum temperatures at or above 95°F across all Ecoregions, particularly under higher warming scenarios. Correspondingly, the number of freezing nights is expected to decline, with statewide decreases of 7–21 days depending on the global warming level and timeframe. These combined patterns are likely to reshape habitat conditions, influence species’ thermal stress, and alter ecological processes such as soil moisture retention and stream temperature regimes. Mississippi’s hydrological systems are also expected to be significantly affected. Extreme rainfall events, particularly the most intense 1% of precipitation days, are projected to increase across the state, raising risks of flooding, erosion, and altered stream flow. Coastal Mississippi faces additional stress from sea‑level rise, which is already contributing to more frequent high‑tide flooding; projections show continued increases in inundation risk throughout the century. These flooding patterns, combined with stronger hurricane rainfall rates and the potential for landfalling storms to stall, pose ongoing threats to coastal ecosystems and communities. The state is also vulnerable to extreme weather hazards such as tornadoes. Recent research shows a geographic shift in tornado activity toward the Southeast, with Mississippi experiencing some of the nation’s greatest increases in favorable tornado days and nighttime tornado frequency—hazards that have direct implications for wildlife, habitat stability, and human safety. Drought conditions may intensify as well: higher temperatures and increased evapotranspiration during dry spells could worsen water stress regardless of uncertainty in average annual precipitation. These changing environmental conditions have important consequences for Mississippi’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). Vulnerability assessments and ecological niche models indicate that several fish, mussel, crayfish, plant, amphibian, bird, and mammal species may face heightened stress due to warming temperatures, shifting hydrology, habitat loss, and increases in extreme events. For example, many cold‑water and moisture‑dependent species in the state’s rivers and wetlands are already near their thermal limits, and further warming could reduce suitable habitat. Birds breeding in bottomland hardwood forests, such as the Prothonotary Warbler, are increasingly susceptible to nest loss from flooding. Similarly, species like the Louisiana Black Bear may encounter higher risks from habitat inundation and shifting food availability. The “A Closer Look” section underscores the vulnerability of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain—one of the state’s most ecologically rich yet heavily altered Ecoregions. Its bottomland hardwood forests, wetlands, and floodplain habitats support diverse wildlife but are increasingly threatened by rising temperatures, hydrological changes, development pressures, and compounded disturbances. These habitats provide critical ecosystem services such as water filtration, flood attenuation, and biodiversity support, making their conservation particularly urgent under future conditions. Collectively, these findings indicate that Mississippi’s ongoing and projected environmental changes present both challenges and opportunities for natural resource management. Incorporating adaptation strategies into the State Wildlife Action Plan will be essential for sustaining habitats, mitigating risks, and supporting the long‑term resilience of Mississippi’s wildlife and ecosystems.

Mississippi↗
USGS2026

Climate and natural hazard analysis for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

Understanding potential changes in the frequency and severity of climate-related hazards is critical for supporting long-term strategic planning and community resilience for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-approved Hazard Mitigation Plans are one tool the Tribal Nation uses to identify, assess, and reduce risks associated with changing conditions. However, obtaining the climate information needed for the Hazard Mitigation Plan can be challenging due to time constraints, the large number of tools and datasets, and barriers to data accessibility. At the Tribal Nation’s request, the Climate Adaptation Technical Services team from the U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Adaptation Science Center provided data, visualizations, and supporting resources to inform their Hazard Mitigation Plan update, which is due to FEMA in mid-2027. This report creates a foundation for updating previously included information and incorporating future climate projections for the first time, with a focus on near-term planning needs. Designed as a non-interpretive resource, this report supports ongoing data acquisition and informed decision-making. Specific outputs from this effort include (1) historical hazards and climate conditions data and visualizations, (2) future climate projection data and visualizations, (3) a synthesis of scientific literature describing potential climate change impacts on hazards, and (4) guidance on tools, datasets, and resources to support future updates.

Minnesota↗