USGS Newsroom

USGS Study Confirms U.S. Amphibian Populations Declining at Precipitous Rates

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:59:00 EDT

CORVALLIS, Ore. — The first-ever estimate of how fast frogs, toads and salamanders in the United States are disappearing from their habitats reveals they are vanishing at an alarming and rapid rate.

According to the study released today in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, even the species of amphibians presumed to be relatively stable and widespread are declining. And these declines are occurring in amphibian populations everywhere, from the swamps in Louisiana and Florida to the high mountains of the Sierras and the Rockies.

The study by USGS scientists and collaborators concluded that U.S. amphibian declines may be more widespread and severe than previously realized, and that significant declines are notably occurring even in protected national parks and wildlife refuges.

"Amphibians have been a constant presence in our planet's ponds, streams, lakes and rivers for 350 million years or so, surviving countless changes that caused many other groups of animals to go extinct," said USGS Director Suzette Kimball. "This is why the findings of this study are so noteworthy; they demonstrate that the pressures amphibians now face exceed the ability of many of these survivors to cope."

On average, populations of all amphibians examined vanished from habitats at a rate of 3.7 percent each year. If the rate observed is representative and remains unchanged, these species would disappear from half of the habitats they currently occupy in about 20 years. The more threatened species, considered "Red-Listed" in an assessment by the global organization International Union for Conservation of Nature, disappeared from their studied habitats at a rate of 11.6 percent each year. If the rate observed is representative and remains unchanged, these Red-Listed species would disappear from half of the habitats they currently occupy in about six years.

"Even though these declines seem small on the surface, they are not," said USGS ecologist Michael Adams, the lead author of the study. "Small numbers build up to dramatic declines with time. We knew there was a big problem with amphibians, but these numbers are both surprising and of significant concern."

For nine years, researchers looked at the rate of change in the number of ponds, lakes and other habitat features that amphibians occupied. In lay terms, this means that scientists documented how fast clusters of amphibians are disappearing across the landscape.

In all, scientists analyzed nine years of data from 34 sites spanning 48 species. The analysis did not evaluate causes of declines.

The research was done under the auspices of the USGS Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative, which studies amphibian trends and causes of decline. This unique program, known as ARMI, conducts research to address local information needs in a way that can be compared across studies to provide analyses of regional and national trends.

Brian Gratwicke, amphibian conservation biologist with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, said, "This is the culmination of an incredible sampling effort and cutting-edge analysis pioneered by the USGS, but it is very bad news for amphibians. Now, more than ever, we need to confront amphibian declines in the U.S. and take actions to conserve our incredible frog and salamander biodiversity."

The study offered other surprising insights. For example, declines occurred even in lands managed for conservation of natural resources, such as national parks and national wildlife refuges.

"The declines of amphibians in these protected areas are particularly worrisome because they suggest that some stressors – such as diseases, contaminants and drought – transcend landscapes," Adams said. "The fact that amphibian declines are occurring in our most protected areas adds weight to the hypothesis that this is a global phenomenon with implications for managers of all kinds of landscapes, even protected ones."

Amphibians seem to be experiencing the worst declines documented among vertebrates, but all major groups of animals associated with freshwater are having problems, according to Adams. While habitat loss is a factor in some areas, other research suggests that things like disease, invasive species, contaminants and perhaps other unknown factors are related to declines in protected areas.

"This study," said Adams, "gives us a point of reference that will enable us to track what's happening in a way that wasn’t possible before."

Read FAQs about this research

The publication, Trends in amphibian occupancy in the United States, is authored by Adams, M.J., Miller, D.A., Muths, E., Corn, P.S., Campbell Grant, E.H., Bailey, L., Fellers, G.M., Fisher, R.N., Sadinski, W.J., Waddle, H., and Walls, S.C., and is available to the public.

Read a USGS blog, Front-row seats to climate change, about 3 other recent USGS amphibian studies. For more information about USGS amphibian research, visit http://armi.usgs.gov/

Observing Volcano Awareness Month in Washington

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Mon, 6 May 2013 13:12:18 EDT

VANCOUVER, Wash. — May is Volcano Awareness Month in Washington state. While no volcanoes in Washington currently show indications of immediate reawakening, experience has taught us that volcanoes often give just a few days' warning before an eruption begins. Monitoring Washington’s volcanoes and developing eruption response plans are important tasks for volcano scientists and public officials. Preparing to survive and recover from Washington’s next volcanic eruption will help keep our communities safe and get back to normal sooner after the next eruption occurs.

"The May 18, 1980, eruption and subsequent smaller eruptions of Mount St. Helens are reminders that Washington state has five active volcanoes within its borders and is vulnerable to the multiple hazards associated with volcanic eruptions," said John Ewert, Scientist-in-Charge of the U.S. Geological Survey's Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington. “We are striving to improve our monitoring and forecasting capabilities at other hazardous Cascade volcanoes."

Volcano Awareness Month is an opportunity for the state's residents to become familiar with volcano risk within their communities and to take steps that reduce potential effects on people and property. Safety officials and educators are encouraged to discuss the hazards of volcanoes in their communities. Information about volcanoes and their hazards in Washington state are posted on the USGS CVO website. Volcano response measures are highlighted on the Washington State Emergency Management Division's website.

For Volcano Awareness Month in 2013, the USGS introduces a new publication entitled, "Mount St. Helens, 1980 to Now—What’s Going On?”.

Mount St. Helens seized the attention of the world on May 18, 1980 when the largest historical landslide on Earth and a powerful explosive eruption reshaped the volcano, created its distinctive crater, and dramatically modified the surrounding landscape. Fifty-seven people died during that eruption, and more than $1 billion in damages occurred. Quieter eruptions during 1980-1986, and again in 2004-2008 built lava domes within the crater. Scientists at the USGS and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network maintain a dense monitoring network on Mount St. Helens and other Cascade volcanoes.

This new six-page publication, USGS Fact Sheet 2013-3014, uses text, photos, graphics, and links to dramatic video clips to summarize eruptive events of 1980-1986 and 2004-2008, and the continuing long-term effects of those eruptions. Additional video links provide overviews of monitoring Mount St. Helens, volcano preparedness for the public, and information about the silent forces beneath us that create volcanic eruptions within the Cascade Range. Paper copies of the publication are available from the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, and from the visitor facilities at Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

Public Open House Canceled at Cascades Volcano Observatory

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:53:13 EDT

VANCOUVER, Wash. – The U.S. Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory is cancelling its planned May 4^th public open house due to to the federal budget sequestration.

USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory has hosted a public open house every few years at its offices on the east side of Vancouver since moving there in 2002, but with major budget cuts this year, cannot support "extracurricular" activities on top of the most critical work of studying, monitoring, and responding to volcanic eruptions in the Cascade Range and around the world.

During past day-long open houses, USGS-CVO staff takes a break from regular research and monitoring duties and provides demonstrations of volcano monitoring equipment such as seismographs, specialized GPS units, and infrared sensors. Staff members discuss results of recent local to global volcano research, eruption response, hazard maps, and ash and rock samples using a variety of visual aids. Volcano learning activities for children are a major attraction, as is the opportunity for the public to bring in rock samples for identification.

CVO open houses are a rare opportunity for the public to meet one-on-one with the approximately 55 people who work at the observatory, and learn about the critical work done monitoring active volcanoes. The most recent public open house was in May, 2010. About 1,200 people attended the event.

The cancellation is being taken at a time when the USGS is making tough choices on how best to implement the mandatory budget cuts. The USGS has implemented a hiring freeze; eliminated or significantly reduced participation in all scientific conferences; cancelled all non-mandatory, non-mission critical training; directed a review of contracts and grants to determine which should be delayed, re-scoped, or terminated; and may have to furlough employees for an undetermined amount of time.

The USGS will re-evaluate the future of USGS-CVO open houses as the budget allows. Please continue to check for updated information about Cascade volcanoes and future observatory events on the CVO website.

Recovering Soil Fertility after Forest Fires

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 3 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EDT

CORVALLIS, Ore.— New scientific findings published in Ecology reveal that interactions of climate, soils, shrubs, and a natural nitrogen fertilization process affect regrowth of forests following wildfire in southern Oregon and northern California. Managers can use this information to consider post-fire management practices, including fertilization and shrub-removal.

Scientists studying forests that burned in 1987 discovered an interesting pattern in a natural fertilization process. The highest levels of natural nitrogen fertilization occurred at cool, dry sites where tree growth is slow and where nitrogen for growth is needed the least. In contrast, the lowest nitrogen additions occurred at warm, moist sites where tree growth and associated nitrogen needs are greatest.

This counterintuitive result occurred because natural nitrogen fertilization by nitrogen-fixing shrubs was suppressed by competition with oaks, maples, and other vegetation where tree growth was greatest, in warm, moist sites.

Nitrogen, an essential nutrient for tree growth, often is lost during a forest fire. An important way to recover forest fertility is an ecological process called biological nitrogen fixation. Some common shrubs, like Ceanothus, form unique relationships with bacteria and convert inert nitrogen gas from the air into forms of nitrogen in the soil that the trees can use for growth. Free-living soil bacteria also fix nitrogen. This natural process is the main source of nitrogen fertility in forests.

The scientists found that the rate at which Ceanothus shrubs added nitrogen to the system could be suppressed as tree biomass increased. Even though warm, wet sites stimulated the growth of nitrogen-fixing shrubs, these conditions stimulated the growth of other plants even more. Eventually, these changes limited the recovery of nitrogen fertility in the most productive sites.

According to Stephanie Yelenik, the lead author of the study, nitrogen additions by Ceanothus shrubs and by free-living soil bacteria provided an average of 7.5 pounds of nitrogen per acre per year. Over the 22 years following the major fire when the forest’s vegetation and nitrogen burned, this added up to about 165 pounds of nitrogen per acre. Although probably insufficient to fully replace wildfire nitrogen losses on the study sites, these contributions were substantial. Yelenik was affiliated with Oregon State University at the time of the study.

"There are important related results. Biological nitrogen fixation involving Ceanothus shrubs was up to 90 times greater than contributions from free-living soil microorganisms," said USGS scientist Steve Perakis, who participated in the study. "The contribution from Ceanothus would be even greater if other plants didn't compete so strongly. So ultimately competition among different plant species governed nitrogen input in the forests studied."

"The loss of nitrogen to wildfire has always been of concern to managers; however, the enormity of this loss only recently has been quantified," said Tom Sensenig, a U.S. Forest Service ecologist. "This study not only informs managers about the importance of shrubs for restoring nitrogen, but identifies the dynamics among species and the specific processes influencing nitrogen fixation and recovery across differing sites. Principally, this new information will help in developing post-fire management options and plans for specific forest types in this region. For example, on drier lower-quality sites, Ceanothus, the most prevalent nitrogen-fixing shrub identified, could be retained to the greatest extent possible by only treating the minimal vegetation necessary to assure seedling survival. On wetter, higher-productivity sites, treating more competitive species at a higher intensity may be more effective for maximizing nitrogen recovery, while benefiting seedling survival as well."

According to Yelenik, without additional fire or other forms of disturbance, Ceanothus largely disappears from productive sites in about 30 years as the tree canopy shades out the understory vegetation. Because Ceanothus is the major player in biological nitrogen fixation, from then on, nitrogen levels may remain consistently low in sites that have the necessary temperature and moisture conditions to promote rapid tree growth. On these sites, there may be opportunities to conduct vegetation management or to allow low-severity fires to burn as a way of encouraging the presence of nitrogen-fixing shrubs in the forest understory.

The study sites were located in forested mountains of the Klamath Region. This region is prone to wildfires, and the frequency and severity of the fires shape vegetation patterns. The study occurred 20 to 22 years after fire in sites that were salvage logged in the first 2 to 3 years after fire and then planted with conifer trees. Perakis believes the results are best applied to this region, but the interactions between climate, soils, shrubs, and natural nitrogen fertilization merit study elsewhere to see if similar constraints to nitrogen fixation occur in other forests recovering from fire.

The publication is Yelenik, S.G., S.S. Perakis, and D.E.Hibbs. 2013. Regional constraints to biological nitrogen fixation in post-fire forest communities. Ecology.

New Software Tool Analyzes Effect of Stream and Lake Levels on Adjacent Lands

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 3 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EDT

PORTLAND, Ore. — The U.S. Geological Survey has developed the "Shoreline Management Tool," a GIS software program designed to test ways of managing land and water resources adjacent to a lake or stream. The new software tool will help water-, land-, and wildlife-resource managers balance competing needs when managing surface-water levels for water quantity, water depth, area of inundation, and area of dry land. These factors relate directly to water supply, water quality, shoreline habitat for plants and animals, and human use of water and land areas.

Assessing the effects of changing surface-water levels historically has been difficult because of the complexity of the analysis. The management tool enables the user to define criteria such as water depth and land-surface slope and aspect to identify areas where conditions meet the needs for certain land or water uses or that provide habitat suitable for specific plants and animals.

The tool comprises an interactive GIS program and spreadsheets that allow users to specify the input data and criteria for analysis, process the data, and create results in the form of maps, data tables, and graphs. The tool is designed for use by natural-resource managers with only limited expertise with GIS.

Although the tool was initially developed to evaluate conditions in the lower Wood River Valley in the upper Klamath Basin, Oregon, it is designed to be transferable to other areas using easily generated or readily available data.

The Shoreline Management Tool was conceived and developed by the USGS with cooperation from the Bureau of Land Management.

The program is documented in the report, "The Shoreline Management Tool—An ArcMap Tool for Analyzing Water Depth, Inundated Area, Volume, and Selected Habitats, with an Example for the Lower Wood River Valley, Oregon," by Daniel T. Snyder, Tana L. Haluska, and Darius Respini-Irwin, is published as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012–1247 and is available online.

Crowd-Sourcing the Nation: Using Volunteers for Enhanced Data Collection

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Mon, 1 Apr 2013 18:41:01 EDT

The USGS is expanding the involvement of volunteers to enhance data collection about structures for The National Map.

This program, known as The National Map Corps, focuses on encouraging citizens to collect data relating to structures by both adding new features and/or correcting existing data within The National Map database. These structures can include schools, hospitals, post offices, police stations and other important public places.

Collaborative pilot projects in Colorado were recently used to test the concept of crowd-sourcing. While the project is on-going, early indications point to positive results and show the success of using TNMC volunteers to enhance data sets.

Over a trial period of ten months, 143 volunteers collected, improved, or deleted data on more than 6,400 structures in Colorado. The volunteers’ actions were accurate and exceeded USGS quality standards. In the Colorado pilot project the volunteer-collected data showed an improvement of approximately 25 percent in both location and attribute accuracy for existing data points. Completeness, or the extent to which all appropriate features were identified and recorded, was nearly perfect.

The significant results of the Colorado pilot have led to a phased, nation-wide expansion of the crowd-sourcing /volunteer project. The states in the first expansion of TNMC are: Arkansas, Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, West Virginia

After an evaluation of the quality and procedures of the first group of states, the second set will be made available. Ultimately, by the end of 2013, the third batch of states will complete the expansion of the program.

"The response by volunteers in Colorado exceeded our expectations both in terms of the number of volunteers and the quality of the data they collected”, said Kari Craun, the Director of the USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center. “The Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) community represents a fantastic, untapped resource to assist USGS in maintaining data that are part of The National Map.”

While some familiarity with the area that a volunteer chooses is helpful, one doesn’t have to live near a particular place to contribute. The tools on TNMC website, along with ancillary information available on the Internet, are generally sufficient to edit a distant area.

There have been several instances of crowd-sourced geographic information making significant contributions to research and databases in government, private sector, and non-profit organizations. The goal of the TNMC is to provide data for the nation’s primary federal mapping agency in its effort to provide accurate and authoritative spatial data via the web-based National Map.

The citizen geographers/cartographers who participate in this program will make a significant addition to the USGS’s ability to provide accurate information to the public. Data collected by volunteers become part of TNM Structures dataset which is available to users free of charge.

Without a network of volunteers, the desired information would not be collected this year and the existing data would not be updated. TNMC volunteers perform important work that otherwise will not be accomplished in the foreseeable future.

Becoming a volunteer for TNMC is easy; go to the National Map Corps website to learn more and to sign up as a volunteer. If you have access to the Internet and are willing to dedicate some time to editing map data, we hope you will consider participating!

Pika Populations Affected by Climate in the Great Basin

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:38:40 EDT

BOZEMAN, Mont. – Climate factors such as snowpack and precipitation are playing an increasingly important role in the abundance of American pikas in the Great Basin, according to a continuing ecological study by the U.S. Geological Survey, University of Montana and Montana State University.

Pikas are diminutive herbivores that resemble hamsters and live exclusively in rocky slopes across many mountain ranges in the American West. This study contributes to a legacy of more than 100 years of pika studies in the Great Basin – the internally draining area between the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. In the Basin, researchers are recording pikas' shrinking distribution, and finding their population sizes increasingly responsive to climate change but difficult to predict.

The size of pika populations did not correlate with the extent of habitat present in either the 1990s or 2000s, according to the researchers, who were revisiting sites where pikas were first recorded in historical surveys going back more than a century. Given how strongly pikas are tied to their rocky habitat, this current finding challenges the assumption that just because physically suitable habitat is present – even in remote, apparently relatively undisturbed locations – that pikas will continue to occupy those habitats.

Researchers also investigated the potential impact of climate stress on pika density. The results suggested that climate change may be adding another filter for suitability of habitats. "Precipitation during June-September and amount of snowpack appeared to be the most powerful predictors of pika density in the 2000s," said USGS research ecologist Erik Beever, lead author of the study. "Precipitation appears to be important because it can influence the amount of food available for pikas in the summer, and an insulating snowpack can minimize exposure of pikas to extreme cold-stress," Beever said. Across the western United States, snow-water equivalents have been declining and temperatures have been rising since the 1930s.

Perhaps the most surprising result was the direct relationship between population size and probability of future extinctions of local pika populations. "When we consider extinction risk, we intuitively think that smaller populations are at the highest risk," Beever said. "We looked at the record of extinctions up to 1999, and calculated the risk of future site-level extinction. We were surprised to find that sites with higher extinction risk in 1999 had larger populations in 2003-2008," he said. The authors suggest that this non-intuitive result may reflect changes in the rules governing abundance between the 1990s and 2000s surveys (perhaps ushered in by recent climate change), lags in response of abundance to extinction risk, or other mechanisms.

Researchers revisited sites of historical (1898-1956) pika records and performed surveys of pika abundance from 1994 to 1999 and from 2003 to 2008 to understand the factors predicting pika population sizes.

The study, "Understanding relationships among abundance, extinction and climate at ecoregional scales," to be published in the journal Ecology, is available online.

Geology + Wells + Pumping = Drops in Water Levels in Columbia Plateau

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Tue, 5 Feb 2013 13:15:00 EDT

[Editors: The new USGS report is on the Web at http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2012/5261/]

TACOMA, Wash. — Geologic barriers, the intermixing of water between aquifers through wells, and groundwater pumping contribute to the pattern of declines of groundwater levels of the Columbia Plateau, according to a report published by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Groundwater from the 44,000-square-mile Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer, a system in decline since the 1970s, is a critical resource for the nearly 1.3 million people in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, as well as providing irrigation water for the region’s estimated $6 billion-per-year agriculture.

"This study is a beautiful example of USGS scientists doing what we do best: making detailed measurements over a broad region, combining those observations with historical information, interpreting the data within a geologic context, including the use of geologic analogues, and working well with local partners," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "Understanding the cause of the groundwater declines is the important first step in solving the problem."

To help resource managers in the region, the USGS Groundwater Resources Program began a study in 2007 of the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System to answer key questions about widespread water-level declines, reductions in groundwater flow into rivers, and the as-yet unknown effects of a changing climate on groundwater resources.

As part of this effort to document changes in the aquifer system, scientists compiled water levels measured in about 60,000 wells over the last 100 years. From a subset of the collected information, scientists developed a groundwater-level trend map for a period of widespread groundwater level changes (1968 to 2009). The average rate of change for all wells was 1.9 feet per year of decline, with 72 percent of all wells declining.

Scientists also analyzed water-level data to define areas of similar groundwater flow conditions. The areas of focus for this analysis included two large areas of continued concern for locals and state agencies: the Umatilla area, Oregon, and the Palouse Slope/eastern Yakima Fold Belt in the Columbia Basin Ground Water Management Area (GWMA) consisting of Adams, Franklin, Grant, and Lincoln Counties, Washington. Scientists found that in these areas groundwater levels have declined hundreds of feet and that geologic barriers to groundwater flow protect some areas from decline while making declines in other areas more severe. Evidence suggests that both groundwater pumping and leakage of groundwater between aquifers through long open intervals in wells may be contributing to the observed groundwater level changes.

Information gathered in the study was used to identify groundwater flow paths and major barriers to groundwater flow. Understanding the features that control the direction of flow will help scientists build a groundwater flow simulation model that water managers can use to test ways of managing the region’s groundwater under different development and climate conditions.

Agencies cooperating in the collection of groundwater data used in the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer study: Columbia Basin Ground Water Management Area, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Oregon Water Resources Department, U.S. Department of Energy, Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council, and Washington State Department of Ecology. More information about the study is available online.

The report, "Groundwater Status and Trends for the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho," by Erick R. Burns, Daniel T. Snyder, Jonathan V. Haynes, and Michael S. Waibel, is published as U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5261 and is available on the Web.

Hydrologic Datasets to Aid Water Management in the Upper Klamath Basin

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Tue, 9 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EDT

PORTLAND, Ore. — The United States Geological Survey, in cooperation with several Klamath Basin stakeholders, has developed hydrologic datasets for the upper Klamath Basin of south-central Oregon that can help water managers identify and prioritize water uses that could be voluntarily set aside and reallocated to yield an additional 30,000 acre feet of water to Upper Klamath Lake.

The datasets can be used by water managers to display the geographical distribution of evapotranspiration, subirrigation, water rights, streamflow statistics, and irrigation return flow in the upper basin, crucial information for understanding potential impacts of any changes in allocation. Used together, the datasets can help managers determine the relative benefits of retiring water uses and/or redirecting specific water rights to address water-resource issues specified in the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement.

The KBRA was developed by a diverse group of stakeholders—federal and state resource management agencies, Tribal representatives, and interest groups. The KBRA has the over-arching goal of providing a comprehensive solution to ecological and water-supply issues in the Klamath Basin. An important element of the KBRA is an Off-Project Water Program (outside of the Bureau of Reclamation’s Klamath Project area, south of Upper Klamath Lake), which was designed to help resolve upper basin water-supply issues. The KBRA has not yet been authorized by Congress; this research was undertaken to help water managers facilitate implementation of KBRA if it is authorized. The datasets, however, will also be of importance to other water-resources research efforts in the upper basin.

The Off-Project Water Program of the KBRA includes a Water-Use Retirement Program, whose purpose is to permanently provide an additional 30,000 acre feet of water per year to Upper Klamath Lake through voluntary retirement of water uses. The USGS products will help managers evaluate current water uses and their potential to meet the KBRA goals. The datasets provide up-to-date information about the Off-Project Water Program’s source area: most of the watersheds upstream of Upper Klamath Lake, including the Sprague, Sycan, Wood, and Williamson Rivers.

The digital data, metadata, and example illustrations for the datasets developed for the study, along with the methods of analysis, are published in USGS Open-File Report 2012–1199, "Hydrological Information Products for the Off-Project Water Program of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement.” The full report is available online.

Jill Rolland is Western Fisheries Research Center�s New Leader

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:30:04 EDT

SEATTLE — The U.S. Geological Survey has named fish pathologist Dr. Jill Rolland the director of its ‪Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC), headquartered in Seattle.

Since 2010, Rolland has been the director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Center for Animal Health Programs. From 2007 to 2010, she was the center’s assistant director for aquaculture, swine, equine and poultry health programs. She joined the USDA in 2002 as a fish biologist in the aquatic animal health program of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and became the program manager in 2005. Rolland began her new job at the WFRC on Sept. 10.

Jill Roland, Director, Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC)

Rolland previously worked part-time at the WFRC and also taught part-time at Shoreline Community College, north of Seattle.

She earned her M.S. and Sc.D. in fish health from the University of Bergen in Norway and her B.S. in Fisheries/Aquaculture from the University of Washington.

“The appointment of Dr. Rolland to head our Western Fisheries Research Center is certain to continue the excellent tradition of cooperation between the USGS and USDA in fisheries health,” said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. “We are so pleased to welcome her back to the USGS in this leadership role to help us find solutions for healthy and abundant fish, healthy ecosystems, and healthy aquatic environments.”

The WFRC is one of 18 USGS science centers engaged in biological research on critical natural resource issues facing the nation. Research in WFRC’s six laboratories -- in Seattle; on Marrowstone Island and in the Columbia River Gorge, Wash., in Klamath Falls and Newport, Ore., and Reno, Nev. -- focuses on the environmental factors responsible for the creation, maintenance, and regulation of fish populations and their interactions in aquatic communities and ecosystems.

Natural resources of particular interest to the center include Pacific salmon; western trout, char, and resident riverine fishes; desert and inland fishes; and aquatic ecosystems including Puget Sound and the Columbia and Klamath River basins. Current research includes studying fish populations and ecosystems and salmon-wildlife interactions within the Elwha River Restoration Project, the largest dam removal project in U.S. history.

Computer Models to Help Groundwater Management in the Klamath Basin

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:14:53 EDT

PORTLAND, Ore.– The U.S. Geological Survey has developed models to help water managers identify strategies to use groundwater for meeting competing water demands in the semi-arid upper Klamath Basin. The models, which simulate the effects of pumping strategies on groundwater levels and other hydrologic features, such as springs and streams, provide new insights into managing groundwater in the basin.

“Now that we have demonstrated the capability of the models to inform decisions about groundwater management in the upper Klamath Basin, a next step in the application of the models will be working with management agencies and stakeholders to refine groundwater management objectives,” said Marshall Gannett, USGS hydrologist and principal investigator for the modeling project.

Pumping-related groundwater level declines have been a problem for some groundwater users in the basin and are a concern for water management agencies. The new models, developed in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Oregon Water Resources Department, consist of a groundwater flow model coupled with a groundwater management model. The coupled models can be used to identify strategies for making optimal use of groundwater while at the same time keeping the impacts of pumping on water levels and groundwater discharge to streams within prescribed limits.

The USGS is working with water-management agencies and stakeholders in applying the models to inform groundwater management on the Reclamation’s Klamath Project. Groundwater has been used on the Reclamation Project for the past decade to supplement surface water during dry years. Water managers have been uncertain, however, of how much water can be pumped without causing unacceptable impacts and jeopardizing the long-term availability of the resource.

“We are pleased to have a flexible modeling tool available to assist us with groundwater management in the Upper Klamath Basin,” said Phil Ward, Oregon Water Resources Department. “Our cooperative studies and work with the USGS significantly increase our understanding of the hydrological characteristics of the basin. A better understanding of basin hydrology improves water management and adds value and certainty for the many water users in the Klamath.”

Preliminary results of the modeling show that a certain amount of supplemental groundwater pumping can occur on a long-term basis without exceeding defined limits on how far groundwater levels can be drawn down and how much groundwater discharge to streams through springs can be reduced. The results will provide a level of certainty with regard to groundwater availability in the future.

"The value of these models is that they provide a scientific basis for predicting future outcomes for water availability under various water management scenarios," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "All stakeholders can examine the results, decide whether or not the results meet predetermined levels of long-term water sustainability, and modify management plans if necessary."

Application of the modeling system will also require incorporation of realistic climate variability, such as historic drought cycles, and accounting for the full set of other groundwater pumping stresses in the basin.

The results of this study can be viewed in USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2012–5062, entitled, “Groundwater Simulation and Management Models for the Upper Klamath Basin, Oregon and California,” which is online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2012/5062/.

USGS Details Effects of Climate Change on Water Availability in 14 Local Basins Nationwide

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 16 May 2012 6:00:00 EDT

Climate change projections indicate a steady increase in temperature progressing through the 21^st century, generally resulting in snowpack reductions, changes to the timing of snowmelt, altered streamflows, and reductions in soil moisture, all of which could affect water management, agriculture, recreation, hazard mitigation, and ecosystems across the nation. Despite some widespread similarities in climate change trends, climate change will affect specific water basins in the U.S. differently, based on the particular hydrologic and geologic conditions in that area.

New USGS modeling studies project changes in water availability due to climate change at the local level. So far, the USGS has applied these models to fourteen basins, including:

"The advantage of these studies is that they demonstrate that there is not just one hydrological response to climate change: the predictions account for essential local factors that will govern the timing, severity, and type of impact, whether it be water shortage, drought, or flood," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "This is exactly the sort of information communities need to know now, because we are unlikely to see a 'water-as-usual' future."

These local projections are based on General Circulation Models (GCM) that predict how climate change will affect temperature, precipitation, and emissions for large regional areas. The USGS’s Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) applies information from the downscaled GCM projections to local watersheds, where impacts of climate change on water availability will depend on local conditions. These local-scale hydrologic projections will allow managers to plan for changes in water resources that are specific to their area.

For example, the USGS models project that changes to snow pack in the Sprague River Basin in Oregon could cause annual peak streamflows to occur earlier in the spring as overall basin storage decreases, which may force managers to modify storage operation and reprioritize water deliveries for environmental and human needs. Reduced snowpack in headwaters of the Colorado River could affect the amount and timing of streamflow to the Colorado River and also impact important recreation areas. Portions of Maine may see higher streamflows which could affect populations of endangered Atlantic salmon. Areas of the already drought-stressed Flint River Basin, one of Atlanta’s primary drinking water supplies, are projected to become even drier.

The results for each basin present a complex story due to uncertainty associated with the future climate projections and their effect on the hydrological response of the different geographical regions of the nation.

Detailed information about watershed responses to climate change can be found online. Additionally, a collection of USGS studies that contributed to these basin-wide analyses was published in the journal Earth Interactions.

The downscaled GCM models are obtained from the World Climate Research Programme's Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 multi-model dataset archive. The USGS PRMS models were developed as part of the USGS National Research Program (NRP) in cooperation with USGS Water Science Centers. The NRP develops new information, theories, and techniques to anticipate, understand, and solve problems facing resources managers and is a national leader in understanding the effects of climate change on water resources.

These USGS models are just one of several tools developed and used by agencies within the Department of the Interior to study potential impacts from climate change and to provide tools to resource managers to adapt to those changes. For example, the Bureau of Reclamation recently unveiled a user-friendly tool for calculating future streamflow and water supplies at 195 sites in the western United States to help increase accessibility of science-based information and ease understanding of how climate variations will impact water availability for local communities.

New Reconnaissance Study Identifies Toxic Compounds in the Columbia River Basin

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Tue, 8 May 2012 11:08:16 EDT

PORTLAND, Ore.–-Human activities, such as industrial production, transportation, and day-to-day living, are sources of many contaminants that flow into the Columbia River. A recently completed reconnaissance study detected hundreds of these contaminants in water samples collected from wastewater-treatment-plant effluent and storm runoff from roads and other urban environments in nine cities that line the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington. The nine cities, in downstream order, are Wenatchee, Richland, Umatilla, The Dalles, Hood River, Portland, Vancouver, St. Helens, and Longview.

"Many of these toxic pollutants are not removed by normal purification processes in municipal waste water treatment plants, and for that reason it is wise to think twice before washing or flushing anything down the drain that can harm the environment," said U.S Geological Survey Director Marcia McNutt. "After all, the fish from the Columbia River find their way to many dinner plates, thus we want to be sure that their home waters are as clean and healthy as possible."

The USGS study, done in cooperation with Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, can help water managers and policy makers in the lower Columbia basin make decisions about how to proceed with toxics-reduction activities.

"Hundreds of fish and wildlife species, including 12 stocks of threatened and endangered salmonids, rely on the Columbia River ecosystem for their food sources and habitat, so toxic contamination is a significant concern in the basin," said Jennifer Morace, a hydrologist with the USGS and principal investigator for the study. "We need to know what’s getting into the river and where it’s coming from. This study was a first step toward finding out."

Among the contaminants found in samples from wastewater-treatment plants were personal care products, plasticizers, industry-related compounds, pharmaceuticals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDEs, which are flame-retardants), organochlorine or legacy compounds, currently used pesticides, mercury, and estrogenic compounds. The wastewater-treatment plant study analyzed for 210 of these compounds, and 112, or 53 percent, were detected.

Analysis of storm runoff yielded 114, or 58 percent, of the 195 compounds tested for, including PCBs, PBDEs, organochlorine compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), currently used pesticides, trace elements, mercury, and oil and grease. Most of the compounds detected in the treatment-plant effluent were found at all of the plants, whereas the compounds in storm runoff varied among locations. This result is expected given the variety of sources for the runoff.

The amounts found in the study would be small when diluted by the Columbia River, but could be significant locally, near the sources.

"Many of the compounds we detected are assimilated by lower organisms and concentrated up the food chain to top predators, including humans," said Morace.

"Our partnership with the USGS has led to key insights that has helped us understand the scope of toxic contamination in the Columbia River, a key step to reducing contaminants and improving water quality," says Debrah Marriott, Executive Director of the Estuary Partnership.

“Toxics are among the largest threats to the Columbia River ecosystem. This report clearly demonstrates what is entering the Columbia River system. Now that we understand how toxics have made their way in to our river system, we must take immediate action to address the sources of contamination and begin clean up,” said Paul Lumley, Executive Director of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. “As tribal members, we have always been taught that healthy ecosystems and healthy communities begin with healthy water.”

The results of the study can be viewed in U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2012–5068, "Reconnaissance of Contaminants in Selected Wastewater-Treatment-Plant Effluent and Stormwater Runoff Entering the Columbia River, Columbia River Basin, Washington and Oregon, 2008–10," which can be accessed online.

A Big Day for Science: Citizens Have Contributed One Million Observations to Top Nature Database

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Thu, 3 May 2012 9:00:00 EDT

RESTON, Va. — Thanks to citizen-scientists around the country, the USA National Phenology Network hit a major milestone this week by reaching its one millionth nature observation.

The millionth observation was done by Lucille Tower, a citizen-scientist in Portland, Ore., who entered a record about seeing maple vines flowering. Her data, like all of the entries, came in through USA-NPN’s online observation program, Nature's Notebook, which engages more than 4,000 volunteers across the country to observe and record phenology – the timing of the recurring life events of plants and animals such as when cherry trees or lilacs blossom, when robins build their nests, when salmon swim upstream to spawn or when leaves turn colors in the fall.

Each record not only represents a single data point — the status of a specific life stage of an individual plant or animal on one day – but also benefits both science and society by helping researchers understand how plants and animals are responding to climate change and, in turn, how those responses are affecting people and ecological systems.

"My dream is that through the wonders of modern technology and the National Phenology Network we could turn the more than six billion people on the planet into components of our scientific observing system," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "We could make giant leaps in science education, improve the spatial and temporal coverage of the planet, lower the cost of scientific data collection, and all while making ordinary citizens feel a part of the scientific process."

Jake Weltzin, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist and the executive director of USA-NPN, concurs. "Hitting the one millionth observation is exciting because researchers and decision-makers need more information to understand and respond to our rapidly changing planet. More information means better-informed decisions that ensure the continued vitality of our natural areas that we all depend on and enjoy."

For example, said Weltzin, the data in Nature's Notebook are already being used to benefit society, including the development of more accurate indicators of spring, forecasting the onset of allergy seasons or the chances of western wildfires, managing wildlife and invasive plants, and setting goals for habitat restoration. Ultimately, such information can be used for better managing water resources, wildlife and ecosystem management, and even help farmers and ranchers across the nation.

Changes in phenology are among the most sensitive biological indicators of global change. Across the world, many springtime events are occurring earlier — and fall events happening later — than in the past. These changes are happening quickly for some species and more slowly, or not at all, for others, altering relationships and processes that have been dynamically stable for thousands of years. Some wildlife —like caribou and butterflies — are becoming mismatched from their plant food resources, which are responding differently. Migrations for some birds are changing too, as they can now overwinter instead of moving south for the winter, or as they fly north more quickly to keep pace with an advancing front of spring flowering.

Because of this, said Weltzin, scientists need more and better information about the pace and pattern of nature — locally to nationally — to answer important scientific and societal questions, and to build the tools and models needed to help people understand and adapt to the changes.

"So much of our improved understanding about global environmental changes is driven by varied and valuable sources of information that include networks of citizen-scientists," said John Wingfield, National Science Foundation’s assistant director for biological sciences. "The public at large has played an important role collecting observations and data for a hundred years and more. Knowledge and data gained from their work will continue to have a lasting effect on how we understand regularly recurring biological phenomena for hundreds of plant and animal species and contribute to the policy arena."

Gwen Lundburg in Seattle is one citizen-scientist who has contributed hundreds of entries into Nature’s Notebook. "Just noticing small changes like tiny purple lilac buds suddenly turning green has taught me to look more closely at my plants," Lundburg said. "I see things in my garden I never saw before."

With the help of citizen-scientist volunteers, working in concert with professionals, the USA-NPN, which was established in 2007, collects, stores and freely shares phenological data on more than 800 species of plants and animals. The Nature’s Notebook observing program has been in operation since 2009. The coordinating office of the organization is located at 1955 E. 6^th St., Tucson, Ariz., 85721. For more information, visit the USA National Phenology Network, or contact Jake Weltzin at 520-626-3821 or jweltzin@usgs.gov.

Earbones Accurately Record a Fish�s Life Travels

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 9:07:33 EDT

Studying the earbones of trout can reveal their lifetime movements in a large river system, according to a study released in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.

Scientists correlated the natural variation in strontium isotopes found in stream waters against those recorded in otoliths (earbones) of westslope cutthroat trout to examine fish movements during their lifetime.

This study was the first to show that the use of isotopes in water and earbones accurately assesses movement of trout wholly within a freshwater system. The research was conducted by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Montana State University, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

"It worked so well! The values in the water matched those in the otoliths, which grow like rings in a tree," said Clint Muhlfeld, USGS scientist and lead author of the study. "As fish grow and move into new environments, the otoliths record that information and we matched that with stream statistics to reconstruct the entire life cycle of a fish."

The study provides a reliable method that compliments traditional fish tracking techniques. This research may allow biologists to investigate non-native species invasions, identify important populations, and quantify life histories of freshwater fishes in river networks.

"All life is literally a product of its chemical environment, and there is no more dramatic demonstration of that fact than the ability to retrace the life history of fish from the variations in the chemicals deposited in their ear bones as they grow and migrate through space and time," explained USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "As this technique has already proven its scientific value in understanding the movement of fish in the marine environment and those which migrate from freshwater streams to the ocean, it is truly an achievement that could inspire 'CSI'."

Westslope cutthroat trout are an important native fish species in western North America where their populations have declined because of factors including habitat destruction, fragmentation and non-native species. These fish make extensive migrations among spawning, growth and refuge habitats, yet conventional tracking techniques have not been able to unravel the extent of their movements. Knowing exactly what habitat the fish use during each life stage is an important component to understanding their ecology and, in turn, more effectively managing this important species.

"This approach could be very useful in understanding life history strategies and conservation needs of freshwater fishes worldwide," said Muhlfeld. "Biologists are typically limited to examining movements of fish at checkpoints throughout their lives or over small periods of time. This approach allows examination of a fish’s entire life with significant accuracy."

The study provides a reliable method that compliments traditional fish tracking techniques and may allow biologists to investigate non-native species invasions, identify important populations, and quantify life histories of freshwater fishes in river networks. The article, "Estimating westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi) movements in a river network using strontium isoscapes," can be viewed online.

More information about this study can be found on the USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center website.