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At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources
USGS2010

Sediment management strategies associated with dam removal in the State of Washington

Different removal strategies are described for dams in three diverse drainage basins (Wind River, White Salmon River, and Elwha River basins) in the State of Washington (USA). The comparisons between the strategies offer the opportunity to track the effects of sediment resulting from dam decommissioning in the Pacific Northwest and to determine possible effects on socio-economically important species of anadromous salmonids. Hemlock Dam, located on Trout Creek and managed by the United States Forest Service, was removed from July to September 2009. To mitigate the effect on fish downstream (specifically, salmonids) and to minimize sediment aggradation downstream in the main-stem Wind River, the Forest Service chose to excavate the approximately 42,000 cubic meters of sediment entrapped behind the dam before removal of the dam. Thus, the reach of Trout Creek downstream of the dam will not be affected by a large, released pulse of accumulated sediment. In contrast, the scheduled removal of Condit Dam, located on the White Salmon River 30 kilometers to the east of Hemlock Dam, involves a different removal strategy. Condit Dam will be breached near its base in order to mobilize the 1.7 million cubic meters of trapped sediment during the reservoir drawdown in an effort to decrease the time needed for the downstream reach to return to normal levels of suspended sediment. Finally, the much-anticipated 2011 removal of two dams on the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula in northwestern Washington will take place over 2 years with progressive notches cut into the dams from the top down. Although some portion of reservoir sediment will be carried downstream by the river, the specific timing of notching will be adaptively managed to mitigate the effects of raised sediment concentration on fishes and people living downstream. With improved scientific understanding from these studies, future damremoval projects can be planned and executed with approaches that mitigate deleterious effectson salmonids.

Washington↗
USGS1981

An annotated bibliography of literature on Alaska water birds

The demand for information on birds in Alaska has surged within the past few years, primarily because of the need to adequately assess the impacts of a wide range of planned developments. The accompanying increase in studies of avian populations has resulted in a growing need for a comprehensive bibliography of Alaska ornithology. An initial effort by Bartonek and Lensink (1978) provided a list of published and unpublished references on marine birds, but this list was only marginally useful because it lacked adequate indexing and annotation of references cited. Their bibliography, however, plus those of Cade (1953) and Gabrielson and Lincoln (1959), provided the basis and primary reference sources for our work. In the present bibliography we have attempted to compile all substantive references addressing water birds in Alaska because this group of birds appears to be most Vulnerable to repercussions of development, particularly along the coast. However, the works cited make up an estimated 70-80% of all literature on birds in Alaska, and this volume thus provides an initial source of references on terrestrial birds. This bibliography, which contains 1554 citations, is current for most journal sources through 1979 and most of 1980. The content of each paper has been summarized, and we have indexed the citations by subject, species, and geographic location to make the bibliography a more useful reference. Furthermore, the bibliography has been designed to facilitate future inclusion of references that have been omitted or that will be published in the rapidly growing body of literature on Alaska birds.

Alaska↗
USGS2017

Application of synthetic scenarios to address water resource concerns: A management-guided case study from the Upper Colorado River Basin

Water managers are increasingly interested in better understanding and planning for projected resource impacts from climate change. In this management-guided study, we use a very large suite of synthetic climate scenarios in a statistical modeling framework to simultaneously evaluate how (1) average temperature and precipitation changes, (2) initial basin conditions, and (3) temporal characteristics of the input climate data influence water-year flow in the Upper Colorado River. The results here suggest that existing studies may underestimate the degree of uncertainty in future streamflow, particularly under moderate temperature and precipitation changes. However, we also find that the relative severity of future flow projections within a given climate scenario can be estimated with simple metrics that characterize the input climate data and basin conditions. These results suggest that simple testing, like the analyses presented in this paper, may be helpful in understanding differences between existing studies or in identifying specific conditions for physically based mechanistic modeling. Both options could reduce overall cost and improve the efficiency of conducting climate change impacts studies.

Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming↗
USGS2019

Simulating land cover change impacts on groundwater recharge under selected climate projections, Maui, Hawaiʻi

This project developed an integrated land cover/hydrological modeling framework using remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) data, stakeholder input, climate information and projections, and empirical data to estimate future groundwater recharge on the Island of Maui, Hawaiʻi, USA. End-of-century mean annual groundwater recharge was estimated under four future land cover scenarios: Future 1 (conservation-focused), Future 2 (status-quo), Future 3 (development-focused), and Future 4 (balanced conservation and development), and two downscaled climate projections: a coupled model intercomparison project (CMIP) phase 5 (CMIP5) representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5 “dry climate” future and a CMIP3 A1B “wet climate” future. Results were compared to recharge estimated using the 2017 baseline land cover to understand how changing land management and climate could influence groundwater recharge. Estimated recharge increased island-wide under all future land cover and climate combinations and was dominated by specific land cover transitions. For the dry future climate, recharge for land cover Futures 1 to 4 increased by 12%, 0.7%, 0.01%, and 11% relative to 2017 land cover conditions, respectively. Corresponding increases under the wet future climate were 10%, 0.9%, 0.6%, and 9.3%. Conversion from fallow/grassland to diversified agriculture increased irrigation, and therefore recharge. Above the cloud zone (610 m), conversion from grassland to native or alien forest led to increased fog interception, which increased recharge. The greatest changes to recharge occurred in Futures 1 and 4 in areas where irrigation increased, and where forest expanded within the cloud zone. Furthermore, new future urban expansion is currently slated for coastal areas that are already water-stressed and had low recharge projections. This study demonstrated that a spatially-explicit scenario planning process and modeling framework can communicate the possible consequences and tradeoffs of land cover change under a changing climate, and the outputs from this study serve as relevant tools for landscape-level management and interventions.

Hawaii↗
USGS2018

A science products inventory for citizen-science planning and evaluation

Citizen science involves a range of practices involving public participation in scientific knowledge production, but outcomes evaluation is complicated by the diversity of the goals and forms of citizen science. Publications and citations are not adequate metrics to describe citizen-science productivity. We address this gap by contributing a science products inventory (SPI) tool, iteratively developed through an expert panel and case studies, intended to support general-purpose planning and evaluation of citizen-science projects with respect to science productivity. The SPI includes a collection of items for tracking the production of science outputs and data practices, which are described and illustrated with examples. Several opportunities for further development of the initial inventory are highlighted, as well as potential for using the inventory as a tool to guide project management, funding, and research on citizen science.

BioScience↗
USGS2009

Geologic Map of the Shenandoah National Park Region, Virginia

The geology of the Shenandoah National Park region of Virginia was studied from 1995 to 2008. The focus of the study was the park and surrounding areas to provide the National Park Service with modern geologic data for resource management. Additional geologic data of the adjacent areas are included to provide regional context. The geologic map can be used to support activities such as ecosystem delineation, land-use planning, soil mapping, groundwater availability and quality studies, aggregate resources assessment, and engineering and environmental studies. The study area is centered on the Shenandoah National Park, which is mostly situated in the western part of the Blue Ridge province. The map covers the central section and western limb of the Blue Ridge-South Mountain anticlinorium. The Skyline Drive and Appalachian National Scenic Trail straddle the drainage divide of the Blue Ridge highlands. Water drains northwestward to the South Fork of the Shenandoah River and southeastward to the James and Rappahannock Rivers. East of the park, the Blue Ridge is an area of low relief similar to the physiography of the Piedmont province. The Great Valley section of the Valley and Ridge province is west of Blue Ridge and consists of Page Valley and Massanutten Mountain. The distribution and types of surficial deposits and landforms closely correspond to the different physiographic provinces and their respective bedrock. The Shenandoah National Park is underlain by three general groups of rock units: (1) Mesoproterozoic granitic gneisses and granitoids, (2) Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Swift Run Formation and metabasalt of the Catoctin Formation, and (3) siliciclastic rocks of the Lower Cambrian Chilhowee Group. The gneisses and granitoids mostly underlie the lowlands east of Blue Ridge but also rugged peaks like Old Rag Mountain (996 meter). Metabasalt underlies much of the highlands, like Stony Man (1,200 meters). The siliciclastic rocks underlie linear ridges from 800 to 400 meters in altitude. The Page Valley is underlain by Cambrian and Ordovician carbonate rocks. Siliciclastic rocks are mostly west of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River and underlie Massanutten Mountain. Surficial deposits in the highlands include colluvium and debris fans. The lowlands have broad alluvial fans, alluvial plains, and fluvial terraces. Ridges underlain by siliciclastic rocks have abundant boulder fields. Numerous sinkholes and caves are due to the dissolution of the carbonate bedrock.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1980

Hydrology of Jumper Creek Canal basin, Sumter County, Florida

In 1960, floods caused extensive damage to agribusiness in Jumper Creek Canal basin. In 1962, a plan was developed for a proposed project to reduce the threat of floods. In 1976, a study of the hydrology of the basin was proposed to help evaluate this plan and to serve as a basis for its modification; the study was conducted from October 1976 through September 1977. Jumper Creek Canal drains a basin of 83 square miles in which the average yearly rainfall is about 53 inches. Average runoff from the upper 40 square miles of the basin is estimated to be about 30 cubic feet per second or 10 inches per year. Evapotranspiration is estimated to be about 37 inches per year. Variation in runoff from Jumper Creek Canal is much less than that from most other basins in west-central Florida because of large storage capacity in the basin both on the surface and in the ground. Limestone in Jumper Creek Canal basin is covered by a veneer of sand and clays which ranges in thickness from 0 to 10 feet. The study indicates that most of the base flow in the canal enters the canal east of the site of the proposed water-control structure number 5 and that the discharge in the canal at State Highway 475 has been about the same relative to rainfall in the basin since 1963 whether the base flow was derived entirely from natural inseepage or partly from mine pumpage. The study shows that implementation of the proposed project will result in (1) a decrease in surface outflow, (2) an increase in subsurface outflow, (3) a rise in the potentiometric surface of the Floridan aquifer near the canal and (4) a tendency to increase evapotranspiration and the magnitude of floods in the basin.

Florida↗
USGS2007

Estimation of Freely-Dissolved Concentrations of Polychlorinated Biphenyls, 2,3,7,8-Substituted Congeners and Homologs of Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and Dibenzofurans in Water for Development of Total Maximum Daily Loadings for the Bluestone River Watershed, Virginia and West Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, working closely with the State of West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is undertaking a polychlorinated biphenyl source assessment study for the Bluestone River watershed. The study area extends from the Bluefield area of Virginia and West Virginia, targets the Bluestone River and tributaries suspected of contributing to polychlorinated biphenyl, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran contamination, and includes sites near confluences of Big Branch, Brush Fork, and Beaver Pond Creek. The objectives of this study were to gather information about the concentrations, patterns, and distribution of these contaminants at specific study sites to expand current knowledge about polychlorinated biphenyl impacts and to identify potential new sources of contamination. Semipermeable membrane devices were used to integratively accumulate the dissolved fraction of the contaminants at each site. Performance reference compounds were added prior to deployment and used to determine site-specific sampling rates, enabling estimations of time-weighted average water concentrations during the deployed period. Minimum estimated concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in water were about 1 picogram per liter per congener, and total concentrations at study sites ranged from 130 to 18,000 picograms per liter. The lowest concentration was 130 picograms per liter, about threefold greater than total hypothetical concentrations from background levels in field blanks. Polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in water fell into three groups of sites: low (130-350 picogram per liter); medium (640-3,500 picogram per liter; and high (11,000-18,000 picogram per liter). Concentrations at the high sites, Beacon Cave and Beaverpond Branch at the Resurgence, were about four- to sixfold higher than concentrations estimated for the medium group of sites. Minimum estimated concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran congeners in water were about 0.2 to 1 femtograms per liter. Estimated total concentrations of 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners in water at study sites ranged from less than 1 to 22,000 femtograms per liter and less than 1 to 2,300 femtograms per liter for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran congeners, respectively. Total concentrations of 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners in water were comprised largely of octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran, with less than 10 percent of the total contributed by concentrations of other congeners, mainly 2,3,7,8-heptachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran. Of special interest for this study was 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin with a regulatory surface water-quality criterion of 1,200 femtograms per liter. Estimated concentrations in water ranged from 0.5 to 41 femtograms per liter. Concentrations in water were less than 5 femtograms per liter at all study sites, except the Bluefield Westside Sewage Treatment Plan, with an estimated concentration of 41 femtograms per liter. Estimated total concentrations of homologs of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in water at the study sites ranged from 3,200 to 36,000 femtograms per liter and 210-4,800 femtograms per liter, respectively. Again, homologs of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in water were comprised largely of octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2025

A compilation pipeline for wildlife tracking datasets collected from ground-based and satellite-based telemetry transmission devices

Wildlife conservation planning increasingly requires collaboration and integration of research from discrete studies spanning large geographic areas. Tracking datasets are essential for analyzing animal movements and species distributions in relation to environmental conditions and combining them can enable powerful analyses to further aid planning efforts. However, combining datasets necessitates addressing variation in study designs, tracking methodologies, location uncertainty, and data attributes. We outline a compilation pipeline to integrate ground-based and satellite-based telemetry tracking datasets, motivated from our work with greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ), a highly imperiled species of western North America. Our objective was to create a database with a standardized set of attributes to facilitate filtering locations for spatial analyses. Our pipeline phases are: (1) dataset pre-processing, (2) formatting individual datasets to a common template, (3) dataset binding, (4) error checking, and (5) filtering. Our pipeline includes additional functionality to identify coordinates from recurrently visited locations (e.g., nest sites), which may be of special interest. The final compiled sage-grouse database included nearly 5 million locations collected from 53 datasets and over 19,000 birds tracked from 1980 to 2022, including over 11,000 nest locations. Our error checks flagged 3.9 % of locations as likely errors, predominantly collected from satellite-based telemetry transmissions. We demonstrate the ability of our pipeline to identify nest locations and flag erroneous locations by applying it to simulated tracking datasets. Overall, our workflow offers a transferable approach for researchers aiming to standardize wildlife telemetry datasets and conduct ecological analyses for both individual studies and large-scale collaborations.

California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Nort↗
USGS2007

Evolving plans for the USA National Phenology Network

Phenology is the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events, how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate, and how they modulate the abundance, diversity, and interactions of organisms. The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) is currently being organized to engage federal agencies, environmental networks and field stations, educational institutions, and citizen scientists. The first USA-NPN planning workshop was held August 2005, in Tucson, Ariz. (Betancourt et al. [2005]; http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/Geography/npn/; by 1 June 2007, also see http://www.usanpn.org). With sponsorship from the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and NASA, the second USA-NPN planning workshop was held at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on 10–12 October 2006 to (1) develop lists of target species and observation protocols; (2) identify existing networks that could comprise the backbone of nationwide observations by 2008; (3) develop opportunities for education, citizen science, and outreach beginning in spring 2007; (4) design strategies for implementing the remote sensing component of USA-NPN; and (5) draft a data management and cyberinfrastructure plan.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2024

Strategic restoration planning for land birds in the Colorado River Delta, Mexico

Ecological restoration is an essential strategy for mitigating the current biodiversity crisis, yet restoration actions are costly. We used systematic conservation planning principles to design an approach that prioritizes restoration sites for birds and tested it in a riparian forest restoration program in the Colorado River Delta. Restoration goals were to maximize the abundance and diversity of 15 priority birds with a variety of habitat preferences. We built abundance models for priority birds based on the current landscape, and predicted bird distributions and relative abundances under a scenario of complete riparian forest restoration throughout our study area. Then, we used Zonation conservation planning software to rank this restored landscape based on core areas for all priority birds. The locations with the highest ranks represented the highest priorities for restoration and were located throughout the river reach. We optimized how much of the available landscape to restore by simulating restoration of the top 10–90% of ranked sites in 10% intervals. We found that total diversity was maximized when 40% of the landscape was restored, and mean relative abundance was maximized when 80% of the landscape was restored. The results suggest that complete restoration is not optimal for this community of priority birds and restoration of approximately 60% of the landscape would provide a balance between maximum relative abundance and diversity. Subsequent planning efforts will combine our results with an assessment of restoration costs to provide further decision support for the restoration-siting process. Our approach can be applied to any landscape-scale restoration program to improve the return on investment of limited economic resources for restoration.

Colorado River Delta↗
USGS1986

Results of a preimpoundment water-quality study of Swatara Creek, Pennsylvania

The water quality of Swatara Creek prior to impoundment by the proposed Swatara Creek Reservoir in south-central Pennsylvania was studied from July 1981 through October 1982. The report, done in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources (PaDER), Bureau of State Parks, presents information on existing water-quality conditions. A discussion of possible water-quality conditions in and downstream from the planned impoundment is also included. Precipitation measured near the study area at Lebanon, Pennsylvania from October 1981 through September 1982 was 8 percent below normal. Streamflow for the same period at Swatara Creek at Harper Tavern just downstream from the study area was 15 percent below the average annual flow. Swatara Creek above Highway 895 has been degraded by acid mine drainage. The main inflow to the planned impoundment has 2.1 times the discharge of Lower Little Swatara Creek--a forested and agricultural basin that is also tributary to the proposed impoundment. During the 1982 water year, 17,400 tons of suspended sediment were transported from the study area. About 46 percent of the annual load was transported during 3 days of high flow. Inflows to the planned impoundment from both Lower Little Swatara Creek and Swatara Creek above Highway 895 were poorly buffered. Measured concentrations of alkalinity and acidity were usually less than 10 mg/L (milligrams per liter) and 5 mg/L as CaCO3, respectively. The inflows contain high concentrations of nutrients and metals that would probably stratify in a reservoir. Maximum concentrations of dissolved nitrate and total phosphorus were 2.6 mg/L and 0.31 mg/L, respectively. At Lower Little Swatara Creek; these concentrations are well above those needed for growth of algae. Maximum observed concentrations for total recoverable iron, aluminum, and manganese at Swatara Creek above Highway 895 at Pine Grove were 100,000 ug/L (micrograms per liter), 66,000 ug/L, and 2,300 ug/L, respectively. Large increases in metal concentrations along with simultaneous decreases in pH and increases in acidity confirm that mine drainage continues to degrade the water quality of Swatara Creek and may have a large impact on water quality of the planned impoundment. Iron, lead, copper, and zinc concentrations periodically exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) criteria for freshwater aquatic life. Concentrations of manganese and lead also exceeded the U.S. EPA criteria for domestic water supplies and human health, respectively. The water quality of the Swatara Creek Reservoir will depend on characteristics such as (1) the detention time of water in the lake, (2) the timing and extent of thermal and chemical stratification, (3) sedimentation, and (4) the chemical loading and concentrations in the lake. Each of these characteristics may depend in part, on streamflow. The impoundment will act as a sediment trap and thus reduce the concentrations of total phosphorus, iron, aluminum, lead, copper, and zinc immediately downstream from the impoundment. Large storm discharges and releases from the hypolimnion of the reservoir to attain the winter-pool level may contain low oxygen concentrations and elevated concentrations of iron, aluminum, lead, copper, and zinc. Unless conservation releases from the multi-level release gates are carefully controlled, low dissolved-oxygen levels and high metal concentrations may degrade the downstream water quality and be detrimental to the aquatic community.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS2010

Volcanic hazards and their mitigation: progress and problems

At the beginning of the twentieth century, volcanology began to emerge as a modern science as a result of increased interest in eruptive phenomena following some of the worst volcanic disasters in recorded history: Krakatau (Indonesia) in 1883 and Mont Pelée (Martinique), Soufrière (St. Vincent), and Santa María (Guatemala) in 1902. Volcanology is again experiencing a period of heightened public awareness and scientific growth in the 1980s, the worst period since 1902 in terms of volcanic disasters and crises. A review of hazards mitigation approaches and techniques indicates that significant advances have been made in hazards assessment, volcano monitoring, and eruption forecasting. For example, the remarkable accuracy of the predictions of dome-building events at Mount St. Helens since June 1980 is unprecedented. Yet a predictive capability for more voluminous and explosive eruptions still has not been achieved. Studies of magma-induced seismicity and ground deformation continue to provide the most systematic and reliable data for early detection of precursors to eruptions and shallow intrusions. In addition, some other geophysical monitoring techniques and geochemical methods have been refined and are being more widely applied and tested. Comparison of the four major volcanic disasters of the 1980s (Mount St. Helens, U.S.A. (1980), El Chichón, Mexico (1982); Galunggung, Indonesia (1982); and Nevado del Ruíz, Colombia (1985) illustrates the importance of predisaster geoscience studies, volcanic hazards assessments, volcano monitoring, contingency planning, and effective communications between scientists and authorities. The death toll (>22,000) from the Ruíz catastrophe probably could have been greatly reduced; the reasons for the tragically ineffective implementation of evacuation measures are still unclear and puzzling in view of the fact that sufficient warnings were given. The most pressing problem in the mitigation of volcanic and associated hazards on a global scale is that most of the world's dangerous volcanoes are in densely populated countries that lack the economic and scientific resources or the political will to adequately study and monitor them. This problem afflicts both developed and developing countries, but it is especially acute for the latter. The greatest advances in volcanic hazards mitigation in the near future are most likely to be achieved by wider application of existing technology to poorly understood and studied volcanoes, rather than by refinements or new discoveries in technology alone.

Reviews of Geophysics↗
USGS2023

Predicting burn severity for integration with post-fire debris-flow hazard assessment: A case study from the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA

Background: Burn severity significantly increases the likelihood and volume of post-wildfire debris flows. Pre-fire severity predictions can expedite mitigation efforts because precipitation contributing to these hazards often occurs shortly after wildfires, leaving little time for post-fire planning and management. Aim: The aim of this study was to predict burn severity using pre-fire conditions of individual wildfire events and estimate potential post-fire debris flow to unburned areas. Methods: We used random forests to model dNBR from pre-fire weather, fuels, topography, and remotely sensed data. We validated our model predictions against post-fire observations and potential post-fire debris-flow hazard estimates. Key results: Fuels, pre-fire weather, and topography were important predictors of burn severity, although predictor importance varied between fires. Post-fire debris-flow hazard rankings from predicted burn severity (pre-fire) were similar to hazard assessments based on observed burn severity (post-fire). Conclusion: Predicted burn severity can serve as an input to post-fire debris-flow models before wildfires occur, antecedent to standard post-fire burn severity products. Assessing a larger set of fires under disparate conditions and landscapes will be needed to refine predictive models. Implications: Burn severity models based on pre-fire conditions enable the prediction of fire effects and identification of potential hazards to prioritise response and mitigation.

Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming↗
USGS1991

Denali Park wolf studies: Implications for Yellowstone

The Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1987) recommends re-establishment of wolves ( Canis lupus ) in Yellowstone National Park. Bills proposing wolf re-establishment in the Park have been introduced into the U.S. House and Senate. However, several questions have been raised about the possible effects of wolf re-establishment on other Yellowstone Park fauna, on human use of the Park and on human use of surrounding areas. Thus the proposed wolf re-establishment remains controversial. Information pertinent to some of the above questions is available from a current study of wolf ecology in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, which we began in 1986. Although Denali Park differs from Yellowstone in several ways, it is also similar enough in important respects to provide insight into questions raised about wolf re-establishment in Yellowstone.

Transactions of the North American Wildlife and Na↗
USGS2026

An overview and participatory framework for choosing spatial boundaries in social–ecological systems modeling

A common challenge when modeling social–ecological systems (SESs) is defining the spatial extent of the system. Boundaries that do not adequately capture both social and ecological processes and their interactions can lead to mischaracterization of the system, while expanding boundaries too widely can impact model complexity and required resources. Socially, boundaries can invoke and influence identity, culture, power, and sense of place. Boundary decisions benefit from flexible, iterative approaches and the expertise of local communities. Here, we use a structured database search supplemented with citation searching to identify and review the literature that addresses choosing or defining spatial boundaries in SESs mapping or modeling and, when applicable, how participatory methods were used in the research process. In a review of the resulting 79 studies, we discovered that pre-existing social or ecological boundaries were used most frequently (36 and 18 publications, respectively). Twenty-one publications combined social and ecological boundaries or data to create custom boundaries, and four studies used an alternative approach to conventional boundaries. Informed by the literature review, we present a general framework for defining boundaries at the outset of SES research. We then connect the framework to a specific case study based on a collaborative project with Tribal, university, and federal scientists to develop a social–ecological climate adaptation plan. We present guiding questions alongside candidate boundaries for our study system and explore the tradeoffs of these boundary options, which can function as a useful template for other social–ecological research collaborations.

ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information↗
USGS2000

Hydrology, water quality, and phosphorus loading of Little St. Germain Lake, Vilas County, Wisconsin

Little St. Germain Lake, which is in Vilas County. Wisconsin, just northeast of St. Germain (fig. 1), is one of 21 impoundments operated by Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company (WVIC) to provide storage for power and recreational use. The level of the lake, which was originally dammed in 1882, has been maintained by the WVIC at about 5 feet above its natural level since 1929, and it is annually drawn down about 1.5 feet from December through March. In the interest of protecting and improving the water quality of the lake, the Little St. Germain Lake Improvement Association was established in 1959. Later, the I .ittle St. Germain Lake District was formed. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), in collaboration with the Lake District, did a study during 1983-85 to document the water quality of the lake and examine management alternatives (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 1985). Results of the study indicated that, because of relatively high phosphorus loading to the lake, most of the lake was eutrophic (relatively productive), with the possible exception of the West Bay. The results also indicated monitoring of the lake should continue, and that actions should be taken to decrease nutrient loading to the lake by controlling erosion, fertilizer runoff, and leakage from septic systems. The lake was monitored in detail again during 1991-94 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as part of a cooperative study with the Lake District. This study demonstrated water-quality variation among the basins of Little St. Germain Lake and extensive areas of winter anoxia (absence of oxygen). Further in-depth studies were then conducted during 1994-2000 to define the extent of winter anoxia, refine the hydrologic and phosphorus budgets of the lake, quantify the effects of annual drawdowns, and provide information needed to develop a comprehensive lake-management plan. This report presents the results of the studies since 1991.

Wisconsin↗