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At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources

Evaluating chlorophyll fluorescence sensors as a proxy for chlorophyll a concentrations in the Illinois River, Illinois, water years 2018–24

The U.S. Geological Survey deployed instream chlorophyll fluorescence sensors on the Illinois River in Illinois to better understand the formation, dynamics, and persistence of riverine algal blooms. At five sensor locations across four U.S. Geological Survey streamgages, chlorophyll fluorescence (fChl) sensors were set to measure instantaneous fChl in micrograms per liter as chlorophyll at 15-minute intervals. These sensors estimate fChl based on the fluorescence response of algal pigments but do not directly measure chlorophyll a (Chl) concentrations or algal biomass. To evaluate the reliability of fChl as a proxy for Chl, fChl measurements were compared to laboratory-measured Chl concentrations. These Chl concentrations were obtained from water-quality samples collected at the sensor locations and analyzed using the standard chromatographic-fluorometric method with acetone extraction. A total of 209 paired fChl and Chl observations were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation and model II regression. Statistically significant, positive correlations (Pearson’s correlation coefficient of 0.68–0.95) were detected at all sensor locations, indicating that fChl generally tracked with Chl. However, model II regression detected proportional and fixed bias at three of the five locations and proportional bias at another location. At locations with proportional biases, model II regression slopes were less than 1, indicating that fChl increasingly underestimated Chl as concentrations increased; however, paired observations at high Chl concentrations were sparse. Substantial variability in bias was also observed across sensor locations with slopes ranging from 0.43 to 0.93. Overall, the results indicated that fChl correlates well with Chl in the Illinois River, but fChl may not reliably represent Chl concentrations without adjustment. For applications requiring accurate Chl estimates, a sensor location-specific surrogate model could be beneficial. These findings underscore the importance of field validation, consistent sensor placement, and careful interpretation of fChl data, particularly when reported in micrograms per liter.

Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin↗

Age and colony variation in Adélie penguin metapopulation vital rates: Insights from a 25-year mark–recapture study

Understanding how vital rates vary with age, life-history stage, and among populations is fundamental for predicting the demographic consequences of environmental change, especially in longer-lived species with complex life histories. These species often exhibit delayed maturity and iteroparity, making nuanced demographic insights critical for assessing their long-term viability. This study investigated age- and colony-related variation in Adélie penguin vital rates including survival, recruitment, and breeding propensity. We used mark–recapture data collected over 25 years (1996–2020) from three Adélie penguin breeding colonies that differed in population sizes and trends but comprised a metapopulation located at capes Royds, Bird, and Crozier on Ross Island, Antarctica. We used multi-state models to estimate survival and detection rates relative to reproductive state and breeding colony and estimated transition probabilities reflecting movements between reproductive states and colonies. Apparent survival varied by reproductive state, colony, and age and averaged 0.80 (SD = 0.02) at Bird, and 0.72 (SD = 0.03) and 0.73 (SD = 0.03) at Crozier and Royds, respectively, for pre-breeders age 2–7 years with strong declines in pre-breeder survival after age 8. We observed less age-related variation in survival of breeders and non-breeders, but we observed differences between colonies with lower survival for breeders (0.72 to 0.80) compared to non-breeders (0.75 to 0.82). The average probability of surviving the first 2 years after fledging ranged from 0.43 (SD = 0.14) at Royds and Crozier (0.43, SD = 0.10) to 0.55 (SD = 0.15) at Bird. Movement between colonies was highest for pre-breeders (0.00%–12.00% depending on age and colony) and lowest for breeders (<0.20%). We observed the lowest age-related recruitment rates at Royds, with recruitment at Crozier almost twice as high, and intermediate at Bird. Breeding propensity was highest at Crozier and lowest at Bird. Colony-specific variation in vital rates likely contributed differently to population trajectories, suggesting that care must be taken to extrapolate vital rate estimates across colonies even within a metapopulation. These findings also highlight the importance of considering age, life-history stage, and geographic variation when assessing population vital rates in species with complex life histories.

Frontiers in Ecology and Environment↗

Numerical modeling of Late Pleistocene to Holocene earthquake-induced progressive rock slope damage in the paraglacial Serpentine valley, Prince William Sound, Alaska

Landslides in deglaciating fjords pose a potential tsunami threat to nearby communities; however, processes contributing to long-term progressive rock damage and landslide conditioning remain poorly constrained in paraglacial settings. Here, we analyse the role of earthquake-induced rock mass damage over late Pleistocene to Holocene time scales, as a conditioning factor for modern landslides, using distinct element numerical modelling to assess spatial and temporal patterns of fracture propagation influenced by varying glacier thickness. Conceptualised numerical models were parameterised by in situ rock mass, glacial and topographic conditions in Serpentine valley, located in Prince William Sound, Alaska, where several large landslides are actively developing along the western valley wall. Results show that although rigid glacier buttressing reduces co-seismic rock mass damage, it does not suppress it completely, and damage occurs both above and below the glacier surface elevation. We demonstrate that topography, and especially steep slopes with topographic convexity, as well as preexisting damage of joint networks and faults inherited from tectonic and exhumation induced stresses, exert primary control on the location of new co-seismic damage. Simulations representing a simplified deglaciation sequence over the past 25 ka, with a series of 10 evenly spaced earthquakes, generated rock mass damage patterns that qualitatively match in situ landslide structural and kinematic observations at one instability in Serpentine valley. Our conceptual study helps clarify the role of repeated seismicity over glacial timescales as a long-term conditioning process for paraglacial rock slope failure, highlighting spatial and temporal patterns of progressive damage accumulation, with outcomes relevant for modern landslide hazard assessment.

Alaska↗

Rewilding the upper Klamath River Basin: Rapid recolonization of Chinook salmon following the world’s largest dam removal

Habitat fragmentation is a global driver of decline in biodiversity, yet evaluations of ecological response following re-connection remain rare. In 2024, four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River were removed, reconnecting over 640 km of anadromous habitat and marking the largest dam removal project completed to date. We used a stationary high-resolution multi-beam imaging SONAR to quantify adult Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) passage into newly reopened reaches during the first two migratory seasons following dam removal. An estimated 7,742 (95% CI: 7,702–7,778) Chinook salmon migrated upstream in 2024 and 13,310 (95% CI: 12,876–13,733) in 2025, representing 18–19% of fish returning to the Klamath River Basin. Within this period, Chinook salmon recolonized 88% of their documented historical distribution, expanding into 345 km of reconnected habitats and reaching elevations of up to 1,250 m. Recolonization required fish to swim through dam removal sites, complex hydraulic corridors and engineered fishways, demonstrating the propensity for rapid recolonization at basin scale despite these challenges. These findings provide the first quantitative assessment of salmon response to the world’s largest dam removal and demonstrate how reconnection can catalyze large-scale recolonization in historically fragmented river networks.

California, Oregon↗

Streamflow, water quality, and constituent loads and yields, Scituate Reservoir drainage area, Rhode Island, water year 2023

As part of a long-term cooperative program to monitor water quality within the Scituate Reservoir drainage area, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Providence Water (formerly the Providence Water Supply Board), collected streamflow and water-quality data in tributaries to the Scituate Reservoir, Rhode Island. Streamflow and concentrations of chloride and sodium estimated from records of specific conductance for 16 tributaries were used to calculate loads of chloride and sodium during water year 2023 (October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2023). Water-quality samples were collected by Providence Water at 38 sampling stations on tributaries to the Scituate Reservoir during water year 2023. These water-quality data are summarized by using values of central tendency and are used, in combination with measured (or estimated) streamflows, to calculate loads and yields of selected water-quality constituents for water year 2023. Annual mean streamflows for monitoring stations in this study ranged from 0.47 to 34.4 cubic feet per second during water year 2023. At the 16 continuous-record streamgages, tributaries transported about 3,000 metric tons of chloride and 1,900 metric tons of sodium to the Scituate Reservoir; annual chloride yields for the tributaries ranged from 19 to 200 metric tons per square mile, and annual sodium yields ranged from 13 to 120 metric tons per square mile. At the stations where water-quality samples were collected by Providence Water, the medians of the median daily loads were 65,000 million colony forming units per day for coliform bacteria, 870 million colony forming units per day for Escherichia coli , 200 kilograms per day for chloride, 8.2 grams per day as nitrogen for nitrite, 520 grams per day as nitrogen for nitrate, and 300 grams per day as orthophosphate for phosphate. The medians of the median yields were 25,000 million colony forming units per day per square mile for coliform bacteria, 600 million colony forming units per day per square mile for Escherichia coli , 65 kilograms per day per square mile for chloride, 4.6 grams per day per square mile as nitrogen for nitrite, 180 grams per day per square mile as nitrogen for nitrate, and 180 grams per day per square mile as orthophosphate for phosphate.

Rhode Island↗

Effect of mineral deposit data on predictions from the three-part approach to quantitative mineral resource assessment—A study of 16 previous U.S. Geological Survey assessments

The three-part approach to quantitative mineral resource assessment requires information about the properties of undiscovered mineral deposits in an assessment area. These properties are unknown, so the properties of discovered mineral deposits of the same mineral deposit type are used instead. In the three-part approach, these discovered mineral deposits come from around the world, and their properties constitute the pooled data for that mineral deposit type. Alternatively, these discovered mineral deposits could come from the assessment area, and their properties constitute the tract data for that mineral deposit type. Tract data may be more representative of the undiscovered mineral deposits in the assessment area than the pooled data. The goal of this study was to determine whether resource predictions using pooled data are equivalent to resource predictions using tract data. To this end, 16 previous U.S Geological Survey assessments were studied. For each assessment, resources were predicted for one undiscovered mineral deposit in the assessment area. One set of predictions used pooled data, and another used tract data. The two sets of predictions were compared with an equivalence test, using the six assessment statistics that are commonly reported for mineral resource assessments. Practical equivalence is the condition that two corresponding assessment statistics are within a factor of 1.5 of one another. For each of 2 assessments, all 6 assessment statistics were practically equivalent. For both assessments, the assessment statistics from the pooled data, relative to the corresponding assessment statistics from the tract data, ranged from 1.30 times smaller to 1.03 times larger. For each of 14 assessments, 1 or more of the 6 assessment statistics were not practically equivalent. The assessment statistics from the pooled data, relative to the corresponding assessment statistics from the tract data, ranged from 26.6 times smaller to 5.53 times larger. The use of pooled data has been a standard procedure in the three-part approach since at least 1986. The 16 assessments in this study are not a representative sample of those prior assessments that used pooled data. So, it is inappropriate to use the study results to infer whether pooled data affected the resource predictions for those prior assessments.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

Towards a refined definition of “tidal influence” for the coastal wetland sciences

The astronomical tide relates to lunar (and to a lesser extent solar) influences on rising and falling water bodies, and is a key control of many coastal processes. However, tides manifest along coastal margins in different ways to muddle application beyond Sir Isaac Newton’s first descriptions. Here, we argue that tide, or specifically “tidal,” has not been adequately defined for the coastal wetland sciences to facilitate contemporary interdisciplinary distinction for rapidly changing coastlines and future climate adaptation planning. We provide a brief history of the tidal concept, and we describe tides in a diversity of uncommonly recognized marginal coastal environments. Common astronomical tide manifestations are described through hydrographic examples, then expanded to include those tidal environments exposed additionally to fluvial, meteorological (wind), or groundwater influences. Our expanded definition of “tidal” is intended to be a forward-looking construct as environments will inevitably change with sea-level rise, water extraction, and anthropogenic flow alteration. Our definition of wetland tidal influence, which we broaden, includes those “wetlands affected by astronomic water level fluctuations within coastally restricted environments causing frequent or infrequent surface inundation or groundwater tidal variation that affects the biogeochemistry of the soil (e.g., ion exchange capacity, oxygen state, mineralization processes)”. Astronomic water level fluctuations are often amplified or dampened by non-astronomical events, such as wind. Expanding the definition of what is considered tidal by the scientific community is critical for improved understanding of coastal wetland function and the suite of ecosystem services they provide people and society, including climate mitigation opportunity, management, and adaptation.

Wetlands↗

Evaluating interactive effects of the Conservation Reserve Program and wind energy infrastructure on grassland bird abundance in the United States

The extent of grasslands has contracted globally, leading to significant declines in grassland-obligate species, including birds. Grassland birds are threatened by multiple factors, including grassland conversion to cropland, and development, including energy infrastructure. In the USA, the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provides financial incentives for agricultural landowners to convert marginal cropland to vegetative covers, including grassland, making it a key approach to recovering grasslands. However, given the high percentage of wind turbines near Conservation Reserve Program land, it is critical to determine if wind energy and the Conservation Reserve Program interact to affect grassland birds. We used generalized additive models and community science eBird data to assess the interactive effects of wind and the Conservation Reserve Program on the abundances of 27 grassland-obligate bird species across their breeding ranges in the continental US. We found associations between bird relative abundances and interactions involving wind and Conservation Reserve Program variables, suggesting that wind energy development near Conservation Reserve Program fields could dampen the benefits of the Conservation Reserve Program for some species. These results indicate that decisions about where to install wind energy infrastructure that incorporate information about the presence of Conservation Reserve Program land may reduce the adverse effects of wind energy on grassland birds. This study provides information that can help maximize the benefits of the Conservation Reserve Program while allowing for environmentally friendly development of renewable energy.

contiguous United States↗

Satellite embeddings for crop type classification: A comparative examination

Embedding datasets encode complex relationships among multiple sources of Earth observation data into a compact format. Here, we evaluated the utility of a 10-m global Satellite Embedding product (SE) for classifying crop types in central California for the year 2020. We compared the classification accuracy of a random forest model based exclusively on the SE layer to an existing random forest model with multiple imagery inputs. Our results showed the SE-based classification had higher agreement with the reference dataset (California Department of Water Resources crop map) than the classification based on Landsat and National Agricultural Imagery Program inputs (94.7% versus. 91.9% overall accuracy, respectively). The performance of individual crop types was consistent across models, ranging from high agreement for rice (98.4% versus 98% accuracy) to lower agreement for pasture, grain, and fallow/young perennial classes (< 65% accuracy in both models). The SE-based workflow used three times less cloud-based computational resources and represented substantial savings of predictor development time. Geospatial embedding products can aid classification efforts by reducing predictor development time and processing demands while maintaining classification accuracy.

California↗

SlideDetect: Spatio-temporal landslide detection using a three-dimensional convolutional neural network

Landslides pose a serious and ongoing threat to both human lives and infrastructure worldwide; therefore, it is of interest to predict where and when landslides are likely to occur. Advances in machine learning techniques have spurred numerous studies aimed at estimating relative landslide propensity, but are limited to spatial (as opposed to temporal) prediction due to the sparsity of landslide timing data. We address this data gap by training SlideDetect, a 3-dimensional convolutional neural network (3D CNN), to identify landslides based on their spatial and temporal occurrence within multitemporal image stacks. We use an inventory of landsides triggered by the 2018 Hokkaido earthquake and two years of monthly composite optical imagery spanning this event. The model can identify not only landslide location but also landslide date with an area under the precision-recall curve (PR-AUC) of 0.84. We further present a new standard for presenting PR curve results that explicitly compares model performance at different confidence thresholds, allowing for clearer model evaluation and comparison. Our new approach to constraining landslide timing paired with this more consistent and objective method for evaluating model performance shows considerable promise, and with further application and testing, SlideDetect could enhance the data availability and tools needed to advance landslide hazard and risk assessments.

JGR Machine Learning and Computation↗

Ductile and brittle Rio Grande Rift deformation in Oligocene granite records a two-stage rift history in southern Colorado

The timing and nature of early deformation in the Rio Grande Rift remains poorly constrained. We present evidence for the earliest structural signature of rift extension in the Sangre de Cristo Range, southern Colorado, based on new geologic mapping, structural analysis, rock magnetic data, and thermochronology. These analyses focus on the ~30.0 Ma granite of Chokecherry Canyon, which hosts discrete low-angle mylonitic shear zones and a distributed, gently SW-dipping protomylonitic fabric. Incremental stretching axes, stretching lineations, and Kmax magnetic lineations plunge gently WSW. Quartz microstructures and crystallographic orientations indicate dominantly coaxial strain in the protomylonite and general shear in the discrete shear zones. Quartz c-axis opening-angle thermometry suggests deformation at ~420–540°C. Thermal modeling of ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar K-feldspar data indicates rapid post magmatic cooling below the brittle–plastic transition, supporting shear-zone formation immediately after emplacement. Slow cooling from ~20–13 Ma was followed by renewed rapid cooling at ~13 Ma, interpreted as the onset of extensional exhumation along the Sangre de Cristo Fault System. These results show that extension in the northern Rio Grande Rift was active by ~30 Ma, earlier than previously recognized. We propose a two-stage model for northern Rio Grande Rift evolution: Stage I (30–23 Ma) records ENE–WSW extension localized in low-angle mylonitic shear zones associated with mid-crustal intrusions; Stage II (≤18 Ma) reflects brittle high-angle normal faulting, focused exhumation, and rift narrowing. Stage I magmatism and deformation along the western range front likely established crustal weaknesses that guided later fault development.

Colorado↗

Predator hunting modes induce varied selection pressures on prey personality

Consistent individual differences in animal behavior—ie, personalities—have been documented in many taxa to have important fitness consequences in the context of predator-prey interactions. Multiple mechanisms have been suggested to maintain variation in prey personality traits, including life-history tradeoffs and divergent selection pressures from predators with different hunting strategies. However, empirical evidence for these hypotheses has been limited by a lack of data originating from complex multipredator systems in situ. To address this gap and evaluate these 2 mechanisms, we collected hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) in the Florida Everglades and quantified 3 behavioral traits in the field. After releasing rats at their point of capture, we monitored their survival in their natural habitat where they faced threats from a diversity of ambush (snakes) and active predators (mammals; birds). Using Cox proportional hazards regression models and competing risks models, we assessed the effect of boldness, activity, and docility on rodent predation risk. Contrary to conventional predictions that bolder and more active individuals would face higher predation risk due to life-history tradeoffs, we found that the impact of these traits on prey survival varied with the predators' hunting modes: shyer, more active individuals were more likely to be killed by active predators, whereas less active rats appeared more likely to be killed by ambush predators. Our study supports the hypothesis that a diversity of predator hunting strategies may help maintain trait variation in prey populations.

Florida↗

Applying a metapopulation model to compare native and invasive fish passage scenarios in the Upper Mississippi River

The U.S. Geological Survey assessed the ability of metapopulation models to evaluate population-level effects of fish passage projects in the Upper Mississippi River for six native species: Ictalurus furcatus (Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1840; blue catfish), Ictiobus cyprinellus (Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1844; bigmouth buffalo), Acipenser fulvescens (Rafinesque, 1817; lake sturgeon), Polyodon spathula (Walbaum, 1792; American paddlefish [paddlefish]), Ictiobus bubalus (Rafinesque, 1818; smallmouth buffalo), Scaphirhynchus platorynchus (Rafinesque, 1818; shovelnose sturgeon), and one invasive species: Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1844; silver carp). The study had four objectives: to (1) compile parameter values and identify gaps, (2) parameterize species-specific models, (3) apply the models to multiple scenarios, and (4) develop a point-and-click interface. The literature review revealed a paucity of data, for all species except silver carp and paddlefish; however, length–weight relations, female length–maturity curves, growth curves, spawning and recruitment estimates, and movement data among pools were identified. These data allowed the parameterization of native species metapopulation models, in addition to the use of an existing silver carp model. The models were applied to scenarios representing increased passage, decreased passage, combined passage and deterrents effects, and increased native passage with decreased invasive passage. Increased passage scenarios (depicting potential passage projects) produced greater movement and larger upriver populations. Decreased passage scenarios (depicting potential deterrent projects) yielded reduced movement. Similar population dynamic patterns were observed across species for each scenario because of a lack of species-specific empirical movement data. Simulations for longer lived, slow growing species required longer response times, including time to reach equilibria. A point-and-click model was created to allow others to use the model. Data availability for movement limited the ability of the model to be used to understand fish-movement biology and thereby inform management strategies. More fish-movement data could improve model projections of these scenarios.

Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin↗

The fluorine dichotomy: Amphibole control on fluorine availability during magmatic differentiation

Experimental and observational evidence suggests that water and fluorine (F) are incompatible in silicate minerals and originate from similar sources in the mantle. This, in turn, suggests that F and water should coevolve in magmatic systems. However, hydrous subduction zone (“arc”) magmas are depleted in F relative to anhydrous magmas. We explore this apparent dichotomy in fluorine’s behavior by examining amphibole, which preferentially incorporates F into its crystal structure. By developing a parametrized fluorine amphibole/silicate melt partition coefficient for F, we show that F concentrations in calculated equilibrium melts in arc systems do not increase with differentiation. This indicates that F behaves compatibly in hydrous arc magmas due to sequestration in amphibole-bearing arc cumulates. In dry magmatic systems, where amphibole does not crystallize, we show that F behaves incompatibly during differentiation, resulting in F enrichment in evolved magmas. These results have implications for the formation of ore deposits associated with elements that complex with F, such as rare-earth elements.

Volcanica↗

Key minerals in energy transmission

The electrical grid relies on minerals with unique properties to transform, transmit, and convert electricity. Transmission needs are growing—to support the expansion of data centers and link diverse energy resources into the grid. This expansion will require greater quantities of minerals. Although some minerals are produced in the United States, the United States relies on imports for others. This infographic shows the key minerals that support energy transmission, and how reliant the United States is on imports for these minerals.

General Information Product↗

A case study of maximum depositional ages from terrestrial sandstones near the Cretaceous—Paleogene transition, western Williston Basin, USA

We present a new Bayesian method for deriving maximum depositional ages from detrital K-feldspar using total-fusion 40 Ar/ 39 Ar data. Individual analyses weighted by K/Ca ratio, age uncertainty, and percent radiogenic argon prioritize a result to come from accurately measured volcanic sources. Results from this method applied to sandstones from the Hell Creek region of northeastern Montana show that detrital K-feldspar maximum depositional ages align closely with detrital U-Pb zircon ages as well as tephra based chronostratigraphic constraints from both 40 Ar/ 39 Ar and U-Pb data. An age model informed by maximum depositional ages and available tephra data provides an estimate of 1.74 ± 1.04 Ma for the duration of deposition for the Hell Creek Formation. Combined age model and maximum depositional age data suggest ≤ 1.84 Ma of missing time is represented by the Hell Creek and Fox Hills formational disconformity, coinciding with the final regression of the Western Interior seaway.

Montana↗

Sex-specific reproductive investment and survival of adult Atlantic salmon kelts across multiple dams

In adult Atlantic salmon, individual variation in migration and movement within rivers during spawning (i.e., reproductive movement, RM) is an important component of overall reproductive investment that may influence subsequent survival and repeat spawning. We test the cost-of-reproduction hypothesis—which states that increased reproductive investment decreases survival—by first quantifying individual RM of landlocked Atlantic salmon and then evaluating how RM, sex, and dams influence outmigration survival. Consistent with sexual selection for male mobility, male RM was ~4 times greater than that of females: they moved further, were more exploratory, visited a tributary more, went further upstream, and spent longer in the river. Results provide mixed support for a cost of RM on outmigration survival: individuals (inclusive of both sexes) that abandoned spawning and migrated downstream (i.e., “fallbacks”) survived 3.5-fold better than those that spawned (supporting an overall cost-of reproduction). However, males (with higher RM) had 2.8 times higher survival than females, and among males there was no effect of RM on survival (not-supporting a cost-of-RM). The most influential factor on survival was dam interactions, which reduced per-kilometer survival 18-fold relative to migration within free-flowing reaches. Documenting male-biased survival was unexpected given the (1) high RM of males and (2) that most prior studies find higher outmigration survival of female Atlantic salmon. We highlight how dams exacerbate the already high costs of reproduction in Atlantic salmon, which has important implications for contemporary evolution of behavioral tradeoffs.

Vermont↗