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At least 1,657 records · Page 92Linked to original sources

USGS2007

Hydrographic characterization of two tidal creeks with implications for watershed land use, flushing times, and benthic production

Many coastal ecosystems are undergoing anthropogenic stress from large increases in population and urbanization. In many regions changes in freshwater and material inputs to the coastal zone are altering the biogeochemical and biological capacities of ecosystems. Despite increased watershed inputs, large tidal volumes and flushing indicative of macrotidal estuaries can modulate the fate of introduced materials masking some of the symptoms of eutrophication. The Land Use Coastal Ecosystem Study (LU-CES) examined linkages between land use and environmental properties of Malind and Okatee Creeks in South Carolina from 2001 to 2004. The objectives of this particular study were to assess the hydrography of the two macrotidal creek ecosystems, explore differences in dissolved oxygen (DO), and develop a better understanding of the variations in primary and benthic secondary production in southeastern creek ecosystems. Depth, pH, salinity, and DO were reduced and more variable in Malind Creek than in Okatee Creek, although both creeks had strong semidiurnal frequencies in salinity time signatures. While time series analyses of DO saturation in Malind Creek revealed a dominant semidiurnal pattern, Okatee Creek had a distinctly diel DO pattern. The strongly semidiurnal fluctuations in DO and reduced flushing time indicated that biological processes were not fast enough to influence DO in Malind Creek. The Okatee Creek system had a much greater storage volume, a wider marsh, and a dominant 25-h DO frequency. These attributes contributed to an estimated 8-10 times more phytoplankton-based carbon in Okatee Creek and twice the annual benthic production. As expected from their proximity to the upland, low surface area, and high organic content, both ecosystems were net heterotrophic. This fundamental understanding of tidal creek hydrography is being used to help define linkages among differential watershed land uses, flushing characteristics, and levels of biological production in coastal ecosystems of the southeastern United States.

South Carolina↗

USGS2013

Connectedness of land use, nutrients, primary production, and fish assemblages in oxbow lakes

We explored the strength of connectedness among hierarchical system components associated with oxbow lakes in the alluvial valley of the Lower Mississippi River. Specifically, we examined the degree of canonical correlation between land use (agriculture and forests), lake morphometry (depth and size), nutrients (total nitrogen and total phosphorus), primary production (chlorophyll- a ), and various fish assemblage descriptors. Watershed (p < 0.01) and riparian (p = 0.02) land use, and lake depth (p = 0.05) but not size (p = 0.28), were associated with nutrient concentrations. In turn, nutrients were associated with primary production (p < 0.01), and primary production was associated with sunfish (Centrarchidae) assemblages (p < 0.01) and fish biodiversity (p = 0.08), but not with those of other taxa and functional guilds. Multiple chemical and biological components of oxbow lake ecosystems are connected to landscape characteristics such as land use and lake depth. Therefore, a top-down hierarchical approach can be useful in developing management and conservation plans for oxbow lakes in a region impacted by widespread landscape changes due to agriculture.

Arkansas, Mississippi↗

USGS2006

Spatial analysis of land use and shallow groundwater vulnerability in the watershed adjacent to Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland and Virginia, USA

Spatial relations between land use and groundwater quality in the watershed adjacent to Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland and Virginia, USA were analyzed by the use of two spatial models. One model used a logit analysis and the other was based on geostatistics. The models were developed and compared on the basis of existing concentrations of nitrate as nitrogen in samples from 529 domestic wells. The models were applied to produce spatial probability maps that show areas in the watershed where concentrations of nitrate in groundwater are likely to exceed a predetermined management threshold value. Maps of the watershed generated by logistic regression and probability kriging analysis showing where the probability of nitrate concentrations would exceed 3 mg/L (>0.50) compared favorably. Logistic regression was less dependent on the spatial distribution of sampled wells, and identified an additional high probability area within the watershed that was missed by probability kriging. The spatial probability maps could be used to determine the natural or anthropogenic factors that best explain the occurrence and distribution of elevated concentrations of nitrate (or other constituents) in shallow groundwater. This information can be used by local land-use planners, ecologists, and managers to protect water supplies and identify land-use planning solutions and monitoring programs in vulnerable areas. ?? 2006 Springer-Verlag.

Environmental Geology↗

USGS2009

Monitoring of land subsidence and ground fissures in Xian, China 2005-2006: Mapped by sar Interferometry

The City of Xian, China, has been experiencing significant land subsidence and ground fissure activities since 1960s, which have brought various severe geohazards including damages to buildings, bridges and other facilities. Monitoring of land subsidence and ground fissure activities can provide useful information for assessing the extent of, and mitigating such geohazards. In order to achieve robust Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) results, six interferometric pairs of Envisat ASAR data covering 2005–2006 are collected to analyze the InSAR processing errors firstly, such as temporal and spatial decorrelation error, external DEM error, atmospheric error and unwrapping error. Then the annual subsidence rate during 2005–2006 is calculated by weighted averaging two pairs of D-InSAR results with similar time spanning. Lastly, GPS measurements are applied to calibrate the InSAR results and centimeter precision is achieved. As for the ground fissure monitoring, five InSAR cross-sections are designed to demonstrate the relative subsidence difference across ground fissures. In conclusion, the final InSAR subsidence map during 2005–2006 shows four large subsidence zones in Xian hi-tech zones in western, eastern and southern suburbs of Xian City, among which two subsidence cones are newly detected and two ground fissures are deduced to be extended westward in Yuhuazhai subsidence cone. This study shows that the land subsidence and ground fissures are highly correlated spatially and temporally and both are correlated with hi-tech zone construction in Xian during the year of 2005–2006.

Environmental Geology↗

USGS2014

Relationships between land cover and dissolved organic matter change along the river to lake transition

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) influences the physical, chemical, and biological properties of aquatic ecosystems. We hypothesized that controls over spatial variation in DOM quantity and composition (measured with DOM optical properties) differ based on the source of DOM to aquatic ecosystems. DOM quantity and composition should be better predicted by land cover in aquatic habitats with allochthonous DOM and related more strongly to nutrients in aquatic habitats with autochthonous DOM. Three habitat types [rivers (R), rivermouths (RM), and the nearshore zone (L)] associated with 23 tributaries of the Laurentian Great Lakes were sampled to test this prediction. Evidence from optical indices suggests that DOM in these habitats generally ranged from allochthonous (R sites) to a mix of allochthonous-like and autochthonous-like (L sites). Contrary to expectations, DOM properties such as the fluorescence index, humification index, and spectral slope ratio were only weakly related to land cover or nutrient data (Bayesian R 2 values were indistinguishable from zero). Strongly supported models in all habitat types linked DOM quantity (that is, dissolved organic carbon concentration [DOC]) to both land cover and nutrients (Bayesian R 2 values ranging from 0.55 to 0.72). Strongly supported models predicting DOC changed with habitat type: The most important predictor in R sites was wetlands whereas the most important predictor at L sites was croplands. These results suggest that as the DOM pool becomes more autochthonous-like, croplands become a more important driver of spatial variation in DOC and wetlands become less important.

Great Lakes↗

USGS2006

Effects of watershed land use on nitrogen concentrations and δ 15 nitrogen in groundwater

Eutrophication is a major agent of change affecting freshwater, estuarine, and marine systems. It is largely driven by transportation of nitrogen from natural and anthropogenic sources. Research is needed to quantify this nitrogen delivery and to link the delivery to specific land-derived sources. In this study we measured nitrogen concentrations and δ 15 N values in seepage water entering three freshwater ponds and six estuaries on Cape Cod, Massachusetts and assessed how they varied with different types of land use. Nitrate concentrations and δ 15 N values in groundwater reflected land use in developed and pristine watersheds. In particular, watersheds with larger populations delivered larger nitrate loads with higher δ 15 N values to receiving waters. The enriched δ 15 N values confirmed nitrogen loading model results identifying wastewater contributions from septic tanks as the major N source. Furthermore, it was apparent that N coastal sources had a relatively larger impact on the N loads and isotopic signatures than did inland N sources further upstream in the watersheds. This finding suggests that management priorities could focus on coastal sources as a first course of action. This would require management constraints on a much smaller population.

Massachusetts↗

USGS2008

Changes in the character of DOC in streams during storms in two Midwestern watersheds with contrasting land uses

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) dynamics in streams is important, yet few studies focus on DOC dynamics in Midwestern streams during storms. In this study, stream DOC dynamics during storms in two Midwestern watersheds with contrasting land uses, the change in character of stream DOC during storms, and the usability of DOC as a hydrologic tracer in artificially drained landscapes of the Midwest are investigated. Major cation/DOC concentrations, and DOC specific UV absorbance (SUVA) and fluorescence index (FI) were monitored at 2-4 h intervals during three spring storms. Although DOC is less aromatic in the mixed land use watershed than in the agricultural watershed, land use has little impact on stream DOC concentration during storms. For both watersheds, DOC concentration follows discharge, and SUVA and FI values indicate an increase in stream DOC aromaticity and lignin content during storms. The comparison of DOC/major cation flushing dynamics indicates that DOC is mainly exported via overland flow/macropore flow. In both watersheds, the increase in DOC concentration in the streams during storms corresponds to a shift in the source of DOC from DOC originating from mineral soil layers of the soil profile at baseflow, to DOC originating from surficial soil layers richer in aromatic substances and lignin during storms. Results also suggest that DOC, SUVA and FI could be used as hydrologic tracers in artificially drained landscapes of the Midwest. These results underscore the importance of sampling streams for DOC during high flow periods in order to understand the fate of DOC in streams. ?? 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Biogeochemistry↗

USGS2019

Relationships between diatom metrics based on species nutrient traits and agricultural land use

We assessed how diatom metrics were related to different ranges of agricultural land use. Diatom assemblage composition, nutrients, and landscape characteristics were determined at 232 sites in eight agriculturally dominated study areas of the continental United States. Two regional groups based on differences in diatom relations to human disturbance were determined. Changes in diatom species composition were related to nutrients,pH,and conductivity in the eastern study areas (due to more wetlands) and more exclusively to nutrients in the west-central study areas. Homogenization of diatom flora among streams was related to high agricultural disturbance at this transcontinental scale. Species traits were developed separately for the east and west central study groups and calculated two ways: indicator species analysis for taxa in low and high TN or TP conditions and weighted average partial least squares models of TN and TP concentration. These diatom metrics were significantly related to many indicators of agricultural land use in watersheds, especially percent row crops. Further analysis was conducted on only the west-central region due to its larger sample size.Overall, diatom metrics using species responses to N gradients were better related to agricultural land use than were species responses to P gradients. Most nutrient-based diatom metrics changed greatly in response to low ranges of percent row crops, but only a few high N diatom metrics responded to high row crop conditions. The greater response of diatoms to changes in low agriculture conditions may be due to past diatom evolution occurring when most waters had low nutrient conditions.

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Ida↗

USGS2019

Relations of dissolved-oxygen variability, selected field constituents, and metabolism estimates to land use and nutrients in high-gradient Boston Mountain streams, Arkansas

Continuous monitoring data can be extremely useful for assessing water quality conditions particularly for variables that exhibit dynamic diel swings such as dissolved oxygen. As a means of evaluating dissolved oxygen criteria used by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) for assessing this stream class, we compared continuous dissolved oxygen (DO) data collected at five small- to moderate-sized (watersheds 10-100 mi 2 ), high-gradient streams in the Boston Mountains distributed across a land-use and nutrient condition gradient. The current DO criteria employed by ADEQ for Boston Mountains streams >10 mi2 consists of both an exceedance rate and a magnitude, in which, streams may be considered 'impaired' if greater than 10% of DO measurements during a period of record are < 6 mg/L. The 10% exceedance rate, however, is a commonly used “default” value that requires independent testing for different ecoregion stream classifications. Our findings for the five Boston Mountain streams fit a general pattern established for other aquatic systems (e.g. larger streams, low-gradient streams, and lakes) where increasing land-use intensity generally results in increased nutrient concentrations, which can lead to stream eutrophication and increased DO variability. DO concentrations were < 6 mg/L for fewer than 4% of measurements at the two sites identified “a priori” as least disturbed by nutrient and land-use indices, while concentrations at the three sites identified as moderately and most disturbed were < 6 mg/L for 20 to 33% of measurements. These findings demonstrate that the 10% exceedance rate currently employed by ADEQ was effective at identifying various degrees of DO impairment in Boston Mountain streams. Our analysis also demonstrated that continuous pH and specific conductance data and estimates of stream metabolism were helpful for associating DO variability to anthropogenic or natural origins. Considerations that were useful for examining these relationships and evaluating ADEQ’s DO criteria should be applicable to DO studies in other locations where stream and geologic characteristics are like those of the Boston Mountains.

Arkansas, Oklahoma↗

USGS2019

Influence of surrounding land-use on mussel growth and glycogen levels in the St. Croix and Minnesota River basins

Freshwater mussels face threats from climate change and changing land use that are dramatically altering their habitat. The health of mussel populations and the state of current and past environmental conditions can be monitored by measuring mussel growth and glycogen levels. In this study we measured growth and glycogen levels in mussels from two small river basins impacted by different land uses. The Snake River in the St. Croix Basin had low levels of suspended sediments and was surrounded mostly by forest and some developed land. The Chippewa, Cottonwood, and Le Sueur rivers in the Minnesota River Basin had significantly higher annual suspended sediment loads and highly agricultural basins. Mussel growth was highest in the Le Sueur and Cottonwood rivers followed by the Chippewa and the Snake rivers. Mussels in the Minnesota Basin rivers all had higher foot glycogen concentrations than the Snake River. These patterns were similar for two mussel species, suggesting that environmental conditions are likely determining levels of growth. Although agriculture had a negative effect on mussel population abundance and diversity, it had a positive effect on growth and glycogen levels.

Minnesota↗

USGS2022

Climate and land change impacts on future managed wetland habitat: A case study from California’s Central Valley

Concept California’s Central Valley provides critical habitat for migratory waterbirds, yet only 10% of naturally occurring wetlands remain. Competition for limited water supplies and climate change will impact the long-term viability of these intensively managed habitats. Objectives Forecast the distribution, abundance, and connectivity of surface water and managed wetland habitats, using 5 spatially explicit (270 m 2 ) climate/land use/water prioritization scenarios. Mapping potential future dynamic flooded habitat used by waterbirds and other wetland-dependent wildlife to inform management decisions. Methods We integrated a climate-driven hydrologic water use model with a spatially explicit land change model, to examine stakeholder-driven scenarios of future land change, climate, and water use and their impacts on future habitat availability. Results Declining water availability is the dominant driver of habitat loss across scenarios. The hot/dry scenarios showed the greatest declines in January flooded area by 2101—an important month for overwintering waterbirds. In contrast, higher water supplies in wet climates drive perennial cropland conversion and loss of potential habitat. Potential flooded cropland declined (25 and 33%) under warmer/wetter climate conditions due to this conversion to perennial crops, exposing habitat vulnerability. Conclusion Climate-driven loss of water availability had a greater impact on flooded habitat availability than land-use change. When combined, climate change and the conversion of potentially flooded cropland to perennial cropland will threaten future waterbird habitat particularly in January, the peak of the migratory bird season, even when habitat restoration goals are met. Stakeholder-informed scenario analysis can identify target areas for potential habitat change, vulnerability, and conservation.

California↗

USGS2022

Over the hills and through the farms: Land use and topography influence genetic connectivity of northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) in the Prairie Pothole Region

Context Agricultural land-use conversion has fragmented prairie wetland habitats in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), an area with one of the most wetland dense regions in the world. This fragmentation can lead to negative consequences for wetland obligate organisms, heightening risk of local extinction and reducing evolutionary potential for populations to adapt to changing environments. Objectives This study models biotic connectivity of prairie-pothole wetlands using landscape genetic analyses of the northern leopard frog ( Rana pipiens ) to (1) identify population structure and (2) determine landscape factors driving genetic differentiation and possibly leading to population fragmentation. Methods Frogs from 22 sites in the James River and Lake Oahe river basins in North Dakota were genotyped using Best-RAD sequencing at 2868 bi-allelic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Population structure was assessed using STRUCTURE, DAPC, and fineSTRUCTURE. Circuitscape was used to model resistance values for ten landscape variables that could affect habitat connectivity. Results STRUCTURE results suggested a panmictic population, but other more sensitive clustering methods identified six spatially organized clusters. Circuit theory-based landscape resistance analysis suggested land use, including cultivated crop agriculture, and topography were the primary influences on genetic differentiation. Conclusion While the R. pipiens populations appear to have high gene flow, we found a difference in the patterns of connectivity between the eastern portion of our study area which was dominated by cultivated crop agriculture, versus the western portion where topographic roughness played a greater role. This information can help identify amphibian dispersal corridors and prioritize lands for conservation or restoration.

North Dakota↗

USGS2018

The influence of land-cover changes on the variability of saturated hydraulic conductivity in tropical peatlands

Understanding the movement of water through peat is essential for effective conservation and management strategies for peatlands. Saturated hydraulic conductivity, K s , describes water movement through the peat profile. However, the spatial variability of K s in tropical peatlands and the effects of land conversion on peat characteristics are poorly understood. Utilizing the slug test method, we estimated hydraulic conductivity in tropical peatlands in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, at three depths (0.75, 3.5, and 5.5 m) across four different land-cover types (undrained forests, recently burned forests, early seral communities, and oil palm ( Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) plantations). We found strong spatial autocorrelation among measurements collected at our 19 study sites and evaluated the relationship between hydraulic conductivity and land-cover types, peat properties, and depth of measurement with a hierarchical linear model. Hydraulic conductivity varied greatly ( c. 0.001–13.9 m d −1 ). The best approximating model for estimating K s contained depth, forest cover, a depth and forest cover interaction, and the von Post degree of decomposition ( K s ~ depth + forest + depth × forest + von Post). Parameter estimates indicated that K s was greater in forested than non-forested sites and decreased with increasing depth and decomposition stage. There was no evidence that K s differed among the non-forested sites or was related to other physical and chemical peat properties. Our results suggest that K s should be measured directly in tropical peatlands rather than estimated as a function of peat properties. Additionally, the strong spatial dependence suggests that similar research designs should examine the sample data for spatial dependence and, if necessary, incorporate hierarchical models.

Mitigation and Adaption Strategies for Global Chan↗

USGS2012

Surface properties of the Mars Science Laboratory candidate landing sites: characterization from orbit and predictions

This work describes the interpretation of THEMIS-derived thermal inertia data at the Eberswalde, Gale, Holden, and Mawrth Vallis Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) candidate landing sites and determines how thermophysical variations correspond to morphology and, when apparent, mineralogical diversity. At Eberswalde, the proportion of likely unconsolidated material relative to exposed bedrock or highly indurated surfaces controls the thermal inertia of a given region. At Gale, the majority of the landing site region has a moderate thermal inertia (250 to 410 J m -2 K -1 s -1/2 ), which is likely an indurated surface mixed with unconsolidated materials. The primary difference between higher and moderate thermal inertia surfaces may be due to the amount of mantling material present. Within the mound of stratified material in Gale, layers are distinguished in the thermal inertia data; the MSL rover could be traversing through materials that are both thermophysically and compositionally diverse. The majority of the Holden ellipse has a thermal inertia of 340 to 475 J m -2 K -1 s -1/2 and consists of bed forms with some consolidated material intermixed. Mawrth Vallis has a mean thermal inertia of 310 J m -2 K -1 s -1/2 and a wide variety of materials is present contributing to the moderate thermal inertia surfaces, including a mixture of bedrock, indurated surfaces, bed forms, and unconsolidated fines. Phyllosilicates have been identified at all four candidate landing sites, and these clay-bearing units typically have a similar thermal inertia value (400 to 500 J m -2 K -1 s -1/2 ), suggesting physical properties that are also similar.

Space Science Reviews↗

USGS1996

A glass spherule of questionable impact origin from the Apollo 15 landing site: Unique target mare basalt

A 6 mm-diameter dark spherule, 15434,28, from the regolith on the Apennine Front at the Apollo 15 landing site has a homogeneous glass interior with a 200 ??m-thick rind of devitrified or crystallized melt. The rind contains abundant small fragments of Apollo 15 olivine-normative mare basalt and rare volcanic Apollo 15 green glass. The glass interior of the spherule has the chemical composition, including a high FeO content and high CaO/Al2O3, of a mare basalt. Whereas the major element and Sc, Ni, and Co abundances are similar to those of low-Ti mare basalts, the incompatible elements and Sr abundances are similar to those of high-Ti mare basalts. The relative abundance patterns of the incompatible trace elements are distinct from any other lunar mare basalts or KREEP; among these distinctions are a much steeper slope of the heavy rare earth elements. The 15434,28 glass has abundances of the volatile element Zn consistent with both impact glasses and crystalline mare basalts, but much lower than in glasses of mare volcanic origin. The glass contains siderophile elements such as Ir in abundances only slightly higher than accepted lunar indigenous levels, and some, such as Au, are just below such upper limits. The age of the glass, determined by the 40Ar/39Ar laser incremental heating technique, is 1647 ?? 11 Ma (2 ??); it is expressed as an age spectrum of seventeen steps over 96% of the 39Ar released, unusual for an impact glass. Trapped argon is negligible. The undamaged nature of the sphere demonstrates that it must have spent most of its life buried in regolith; 38Ar cosmic ray exposure data suggest that it was buried at less than 2m but more than a few centimeters if a single depth is appropriate. That the spherule solidified to a glass is surprising; for such a mare composition, cooling at about 50??C s-1 is required to avoid crystallization, and barely attainable in such a large spherule. The low volatile abundances, slightly high siderophile abundances, and the young age are perhaps all most consistent with an impact origin, but nonetheless not absolutely definitive. The 15434,28 glass is distinct from the common yellow impact glasses at the Apollo 15 landing site, in particular in its lower abundances of incompatible elements and much younger age. If we accept an impact origin, then the trace element relative abundances preclude both typical KREEP and the common Apollo 15 yellow impact glass from contributing more than a few percent of the incompatible elements to potential mixtures. The melted part of any target must have consisted almost entirely of a variety (or varieties) of mare basalt or glass distinct from any known mare basalts or glasses, including Apollo 15 yellow volcanic glass, or mixtures of them. However, the rind inclusions, similar to materials of local origin, do suggest a source near the Apollo 15 landing site. An impact melt cannot have dissolved much, if any, of such inclusions. A lack of regolith materials in the rind and in the melt component suggest an immature source terrain. Thus, even for an impact origin, there is the possibility (though not requirement) that the volcanic target is younger than most mare plains. The crater Hadley C, 25 km away, is a potential source. If the 15434,28 glass is instead directly of volcanic origin, it represents an extremely young mare magma of a type previously undiscovered on the Moon.

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta↗

USGS1995

Uraniferous waters of the Arkansas River valley, Colorado, U.S.A.: A function of geology and land use

The effect of local geology and land-use practices on dissolved U was investigated by analysis of surface water and some springs in the Arkansas River valley of southeastern Colorado. Water samples were collected during a 2 week period in April, 1991. The rate of increase of U concentration with distance downriver increased markedly as the river flowed from predominantly undeveloped lands underlain by igneous and metamorphic rocks to agriculturally developed lands underlain by marine shale and limestone. An additional abrupt increase in dissolved U was observed along the section of river where discharge is often greatly reduced because of extensive diversions for irrigation and where remaining flow is largely composed of irrigation return water. Dissolved U in this last section of river and in most of its tributaries exceeded the proposed U.S. drinking water standard of 20 μ/L In water samples collected from agricultural areas dissolved U showed strong positive correlation with major dissolved constituents Na, Ca, Mg, and SO 4 that increase as a result of sulfate mineral dissolution and clay mineral ion-exchange reactions in weathered shale bedrock and shaley soils. Highly soluble minor and trace elements Cl, Li, B, Sr, and Se that are not subject to strong sorptive uptake or precipitation in this setting also correlated positively with U. These combined observations indicate that natural leaching of U-bearing shale bedrock and derivative soils, additional leaching of rock and soil by irrigation water, and evaporative concentration in a semi-arid climate can produce concentrations of dissolved U in surface water and shallow ground water that may threaten nearby drinking water supplies. Other agriculturally developed areas of the semi-arid Western U.S. with similar geology are likely to contain high concentrations of U in irrigation drain water.

Colorado↗

USGS2024

Life on land needs fresh water (SDG 15)

Terrestrial ecosystems, such as forests, and the inland waters within them, such as bogs, floodplains, lakes, rivers, springs, and wetlands, are foundational for life on earth. They provide critical ecosystem services such as carbon storage and sequestration, clean water, primary production, pollination, soil fertility, and erosion control. The human footprint on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems continues to expand, imposing pressures from deforestation, invasive species, climate change, overexploitation of species, and land conversion for agricultural production. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 (Life on Land) aims to address these changes by promoting the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems globally. Freshwater ecosystem services and freshwater biological diversity are inherently part of, and critical to, achieving SDG 15; yet they remain absent from the goal and largely hidden within the targets and indicators. Here, we aim to highlight the role and importance of freshwater ecosystems in achieving SDG 15. We identify the six major themes of SDG 15 in which freshwater ecosystems have a preeminent role: (1) increasing protected areas, (2) sustainably managing forests, (3) reducing land degradation, (4) protecting threatened and trafficked species, (5) reducing invasive species, and (6) mobilizing resources. For each theme, we detail (a) freshwater connections to the topic, (b) key opportunities in addressing freshwater components, and (c) a relevant case study highlighting cobenefits for terrestrial ecosystems from actions targeting freshwater ecosystems. We conclude with opportunities for integrative terrestrial–aquatic monitoring, management, and policy actions. Ultimately, achieving the targets of SDG 15 requires recognition of terrestrial–aquatic interdependencies and prioritization of freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity.

Book chapter↗

USGS2005

Supporting users through integrated retrieval, processing, and distribution systems at the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center

The US Geological Survey's EROS Data Center (EDC) hosts the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC). The LP DAAC supports NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS), which is a series of polar-orbiting and low inclination satellites for long-term global observations of the land surface, biosphere, solid Earth, atmosphere, and oceans. The EOS Data and Information Systems (EOSDIS) was designed to acquire, archive, manage and distribute Earth observation data to the broadest possible user community. The LP DAAC is one of four DAACs that utilize the EOSDIS Core System (ECS) to manage and archive their data. Since the ECS was originally designed, significant changes have taken place in technology, user expectations, and user requirements. Therefore the LP DAAC has implemented additional systems to meet the evolving needs of scientific users, tailored to an integrated working environment. These systems provide a wide variety of services to improve data access and to enhance data usability through subsampling, reformatting, and reprojection. These systems also support the wide breadth of products that are handled by the LP DAAC. The LP DAAC is the primary archive for the Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data; it is the only facility in the United States that archives, processes, and distributes data from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission/Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra spacecraft; and it is responsible for the archive and distribution of “land products” generated from data acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites.

Acta Astronautica↗