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At least 829 records · Page 46Linked to original sources
USGS2010

Gas transport in unsaturated porous media: The adequacy of Fick's law

The increasing use of natural unsaturated zones as repositories for landfills and disposal sites for hazardous wastes (chemical and radioactive) requires a greater understanding of transport processes in the unsaturated zone. For volatile constituents an important potential transport mechanism is gaseous diffusion. Diffusion, however, cannot be treated as an independent isolated transport mechanism. A complete understanding of multicomponent gas transport in porous media (unsaturated zones) requires a knowledge of Knudsen transport, the molecular and nonequimolar components of diffusive flux, and viscous (pressure driven) flux. The constitutive equations relating these flux components are available from the “dusty gas” model of Mason et al. (1967). This review presents a brief discussion of the underlying principles and interrelationships among each of the above flux mechanisms. Some aspects of these transport mechanisms are, to our knowledge, generally unrecognized in the Earth science literature. The principles underlying the transport mechanisms are illustrated with binary systems; the constitutive equations are then cast in forms thought to be most useful for the study of natural unsaturated zones. The viscous and diffusive fluxes are coupled in the constitutive equations through the Knudsen diffusivities; a knowledge of Knudsen diffusivities is necessary to calculate the viscous component of flux and pressure gradients. The Knudsen diffusivities can be calculated from measurements of the Klinkenberg effect. Two examples are presented showing that in natural systems, very small pressure gradients (1 Pa/m or less) can produce viscous fluxes greater than or equal to diffusive fluxes and that, conversely, pressure gradients of this magnitude can be generated by diffusive processes. The example calculations show that major concentration gradients can be developed for stagnant (zero flux, nonreactive) gases. A method is presented for approximating the viscous and diffusive flux components of gases in a multicomponent system from a knowledge of the concentration profiles of stagnant gases. In subsoil environments, argon and nitrogen are considered to be stagnant gases. Fick's laws are essentially, by definition, inadequate to deal with stagnant gases. In the examples presented, the error associated with estimating the total fluxes of nonstagnant gases by Fick's law, relative to stationary coordinates, ranges from a few percent to orders of magnitude.

Reviews of Geophysics↗
USGS2014

The relation of geology to dry‐weather stream flow in Ohio

The regime of dry‐weather flow of several streams in Ohio is presented by flow‐duration curves. For comparison, the index of ground‐water flow for each basin is the discharge in cubic feet per second per square mile which is exceeded 90 per cent of the time. These indices are shown on a map of Ohio, and are discussed with respect to known geological conditions. It is concluded that stream‐flow records provide useful inferences to ground‐water geology, but the converse is not true.

Ohio↗
USGS2014

Discussion of “the efficiency of depth‐integrating suspended‐sediment sampling”

The author has developed equations and approximate curves to express the percentage of the total sediment discharge that is carried in suspension above the lowest point reached by the nozzle of a depth‐integrating sediment sampler. He assumes that bed load and suspended load are defined by the equations in a paper by H. A. Einstein [The bed‐load function for sediment transportation in open‐channel flows, U.S. Dept. Agric., Tech. Bull. 1026, 1950]. The percentage is termed the efficiency of sampling. In a vertical strip of unit width, the suspended‐sediment discharge discussed by the author' in effect the product of the mean concentration of the depth‐integrated sample, the water discharge in that portion of the depth above the lowest nozzle position, and a factor for converting the result into desired units, such as tons per day. In contrast, the common operating practice is to compute the suspended‐sediment load as the product of the measured concentration, the total water discharge, and the conversion factor. The difference in computed suspended‐sediment discharge by the two methods is sometimes appreciable as, for example, in the wide, shallow streams that drain the sandhills of Nebraska.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Numerical analysis of regional water levels to define aquifer hydrology

Two fundamental methods for studying aquifer hydrology are now in use. The first, applied many years ago, consists of detailed observation of aquifer inflow, outflow, and storage changes, and their variations in time. By analysis of these observations, estimates of the perennial recharge to the aquifer and other pertinent hydrologic data are obtained, all as gross characteristics of the aquifer. The need for greater detail gave rise to a second fundamental method: special field tests, such as pumping tests, by which the hydrologic coefficients could be measured in a comparatively short time. In order to evaluate properly the ability of an aquifer to serve as a source of perennial water supply, the geology and hydrology of the aquifer must be known in some detail over its entire area. The first method cannot supply the necessary detail in most cases, and the second method cannot ordinarily provide the needed areal coverage because of the lack of appropriate testing facilities. Thus an auxiliary third approach was sought which would combine the features of a simple data‐collection program with a final analysis yielding both adequate detail and areal coverage. A method designed to satisfy these requirements is described. Water‐level altitudes, usually observed in the course of more general ground‐water studies, are analyzed by numerical methods, using finite‐difference approximations of the basic differential equations which describe ground‐water flow. Analytical methods are given for nonsteady flow through homogeneous and nonhomogeneous aquifers. Both direct and statistical solutions are shown. The hydrologic factors are computed as functions of transmissibility, and for the nonhomogeneous aquifer the variations of transmissibility in space are computed also from the water‐level data. Knowledge of the absolute value of any one of the hydrologic factors at some location in the aquifer permits conversion of the computed functions to absolute terms for all the aquifer flow field studied.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2010

Bank stability and channel width adjustment, East Fork River, Wyoming

Frequent surveys of eight cross sections located in self-formed reaches of the East Fork River, Wyoming, during the 1974 snowmelt flood showed a close relation between channel morphology and scour and fill. Those cross sections narrower than the mean reach width filled at discharges less than bankfull and scoured at discharges greater than bankfull. Those cross sections wider than the mean reach width scoured at discharges less than bankfull and filled at discharges greater than bankfull. The accumulation and depletion of sand-sized bed material in a cross section was concentrated in the near-bank parts of the stream channel and thus significantly influenced bank stability and retreat. In those cross sections that scour at discharges greater than bankfull, the basal bank material is eroded and the banks become undercut and unstable. Conversely, in those cross sections that fill at discharges greater than bankfull, the basal bank material is covered by the accumulated sand-size material and is not eroded. Streambanks in these cross sections are moderately inclined and stable. A resurvey in the summer of 1980 of the cross sections located in straight reaches showed that those cross sections which scoured at discharges greater than bankfull had become 2–4 feet wider, whereas those cross sections which filled at discharges greater than bankfull were unchanged. Thus bank stability and to some extent the adjustment of stream channel width in the East Fork River study reach appears to be controlled by the processes of scour and fill.

Wyoming↗
USGS2004

Evidence That GABA Mediates Dopaminergic and Serotonergic Pathways Associated with Locomotor Activity in Juvenile Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

The authors examined the control of locomotor activity in juvenile salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) by manipulating 3 neurotransmitter systems-gamma-amino-n-butyric acid (GABA), dopamine, and serotonin-as well as the neuropeptide corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH). Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections of CRH and the GABAAagonist muscimol stimulated locomotor activity. The effect of muscimol was attenuated by administration of a dopamine receptor antagonist, haloperidol. Conversely, the administration of a dopamine uptake inhibitor (4???,4??? -difluoro-3-alpha-[diphenylmethoxy] tropane hydrochloride [DUI]) potentiated the effect of muscimol. They found no evidence that CRH-induced hyperactivity is mediated by dopaminergic systems following concurrent injections of haloperidol or DUI with CRH. Administration of muscimol either had no effect or attenuated the locomotor response to concurrent injections of CRH and fluoxetine, whereas the GABAA antagonist bicuculline methiodide potentiated the effect of CRH and fluoxetine.

Behavioral Neuroscience↗
USGS1992

Changes in static stress on southern California faults after the 1992 Landers earthquake

The magnitude 7.5 Landers earthquake of 28 June 1992 was the largest earthquake to strike California in 40 years. The slip that occurs in such an earthquake would be expected to induce large changes in the static stress on neighbouring faults; these changes in stress should in turn affect the likelihood of future earthquakes. Stress changes that load faults towards failure have been cited as the cause of small 1–5 , moderate 6 and large 7 earthquakes; conversely, those that relax neighbouring faults have been related to a decrease in seismicity 5 . Here we use an elastic half-space model 8 to estimate the stress changes produced by the Landers earthquake on selected southern California faults, including the San Andreas. We find that the estimated stress changes are consistent with the triggering of four out of the five aftershocks with magnitude greater than 4.5, and that the largest changes (1–10 bar), occurring on part of the San Bernardino segment of the San Andreas fault, may have decreased the time to the next magnitude 8 earthquake by about 14 years.

California↗
USGS2003

Wetlands: Crop freezes and land-use change in Florida

South Florida experienced a significant change in land usage during the twentieth century, including the conversion of natural wetlands into agricultural land for the cultivation of winter vegetable, sugar cane and citrus crops. This movement of agriculture from more northerly areas was intended partly to escape the risk of damaging winter freezes. Here we present evidence from a case study using a coupled atmosphere and land-surface computer-modelling system that suggests that the draining of wetlands may have inadvertently increased the frequency and severity of agriculturally damaging freezes in the south of Florida.

Nature↗
USGS2005

Rain, winds and haze during the Huygens probe's descent to Titan's surface

The irreversible conversion of methane into higher hydrocarbons in Titan's stratosphere implies a surface or subsurface methane reservoir. Recent measurements from the cameras aboard the Cassini orbiter fail to see a global reservoir, but the methane and smog in Titan's atmosphere impedes the search for hydrocarbons on the surface. Here we report spectra and high-resolution images obtained by the Huygens Probe Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer instrument in Titan's atmosphere. Although these images do not show liquid hydrocarbon pools on the surface, they do reveal the traces of once flowing liquid. Surprisingly like Earth, the brighter highland regions show complex systems draining into flat, dark lowlands. Images taken after landing are of a dry riverbed. The infrared reflectance spectrum measured for the surface is unlike any other in the Solar System; there is a red slope in the optical range that is consistent with an organic material such as tholins, and absorption from water ice is seen. However, a blue slope in the near-infrared suggests another, unknown constituent. The number density of haze particles increases by a factor of just a few from an altitude of 150 km to the surface, with no clear space below the tropopause. The methane relative humidity near the surface is 50 per cent.

Nature↗
USGS2017

Macroclimatic change expected to transform coastal wetland ecosystems this century

Coastal wetlands, existing at the interface between land and sea, are highly vulnerable to climate change. Macroclimate (for example, temperature and precipitation regimes) greatly influences coastal wetland ecosystem structure and function. However, research on climate change impacts in coastal wetlands has concentrated primarily on sea-level rise and largely ignored macroclimatic drivers, despite their power to transform plant community structure and modify ecosystem goods and services. Here, we model wetland plant community structure based on macroclimate using field data collected across broad temperature and precipitation gradients along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast. Our analyses quantify strongly nonlinear temperature thresholds regulating the potential for marsh-to-mangrove conversion. We also identify precipitation thresholds for dominance by various functional groups, including succulent plants and unvegetated mudflats. Macroclimate-driven shifts in foundation plant species abundance will have large effects on certain ecosystem goods and services. Based on current and projected climatic conditions, we project that transformative ecological changes are probable throughout the region this century, even under conservative climate scenarios. Coastal wetland ecosystems are functionally similar worldwide, so changes in this region are indicative of potential future changes in climatically similar regions globally.

Nature Climate Change↗
USGS2017

Spatially integrative metrics reveal hidden vulnerability of microtidal salt marshes

Salt marshes are valued for their ecosystem services, and their vulnerability is typically assessed through biotic and abiotic measurements at individual points on the landscape. However, lateral erosion can lead to rapid marsh loss as marshes build vertically. Marsh sediment budgets represent a spatially integrated measure of competing constructive and destructive forces: a sediment surplus may result in vertical growth and/or lateral expansion, while a sediment deficit may result in drowning and/or lateral contraction. Here we show that sediment budgets of eight microtidal marsh complexes consistently scale with areal unvegetated/vegetated marsh ratios (UVVR) suggesting these metrics are broadly applicable indicators of microtidal marsh vulnerability. All sites are exhibiting a sediment deficit, with half the sites having projected lifespans of less than 350 years at current rates of sea-level rise and sediment availability. These results demonstrate that open-water conversion and sediment deficits are holistic and sensitive indicators of salt marsh vulnerability.

Nature Communications↗
USGS2023

Mangrove reforestation provides greater blue carbon benefit than afforestation for mitigating global climate change

Significant efforts have been invested to restore mangrove forests worldwide through reforestation and afforestation. However, blue carbon benefit has not been compared between these two silvicultural pathways at the global scale. Here, we integrated results from direct field measurements of over 370 restoration sites around the world to show that mangrove reforestation (reestablishing mangroves where they previously colonized) had a greater carbon storage potential per hectare than afforestation (establishing mangroves where not previously mangrove). Greater carbon accumulation was mainly attributed to favorable intertidal positioning, higher nitrogen availability, and lower salinity at most reforestation sites. Reforestation of all physically feasible areas in the deforested mangrove regions of the world could promote the uptake of 671.5–688.8 Tg CO 2 -eq globally over a 40-year period, 60% more than afforesting the same global area on tidal flats (more marginal sites). Along with avoiding conflicts of habitat conversion, mangrove reforestation should be given priority when designing nature-based solutions for mitigating global climate change.

Nature Communications↗
USGS2024

Biodiversity loss reduces global terrestrial carbon storage

Natural ecosystems store large amounts of carbon globally, as organisms absorb carbon from the atmosphere to build large, long-lasting, or slow-decaying structures such as tree bark or root systems. An ecosystem’s carbon sequestration potential is tightly linked to its biological diversity. Yet when considering future projections, many carbon sequestration models fail to account for the role biodiversity plays in carbon storage. Here, we assess the consequences of plant biodiversity loss for carbon storage under multiple climate and land-use change scenarios. We link a macroecological model projecting changes in vascular plant richness under different scenarios with empirical data on relationships between biodiversity and biomass. We find that biodiversity declines from climate and land use change could lead to a global loss of between 7.44-103.14 PgC (global sustainability scenario) and 10.87-145.95 PgC (fossil-fueled development scenario). This indicates a self-reinforcing feedback loop, where higher levels of climate change lead to greater biodiversity loss, which in turn leads to greater carbon emissions and ultimately more climate change. Conversely, biodiversity conservation and restoration can help achieve climate change mitigation goals.

Nature Communications↗
USGS2026

Functional restructuring of the global soil microbiome under multiple stressors

Microbes, as the planet’s most abundant and diverse organisms, drive soil functions globally and are vulnerable to environmental stressors triggered by global change. Yet, knowledge regarding the impacts of multiple environmental stressors on their functional profiles as well as the consequences for soil functionality largely remains unknown. Here, we analyze two global-scale datasets including information on soil metagenomics and multiple environmental stressors. We find that across terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, up to 60% of all functional genes significantly shift when soil microbes experience the high-level of concurrent stressors. In this regard, the relative abundances of genes involved in microbial growth are negatively linked to the increasing number of stressors. Conversely, those genes linked to stress resistance and energy production exhibit positive responses. Taken together, our findings highlight a significant restructuring of global soil functional microbiomes in response to multiple environmental stressors. Consequently, such restructuring drives community-level shifts in matter and energy reallocations, thereby impacting the maintenance of soil functionality under the projected global change.

Nature Communications↗
USGS2025

Fungal impacts on Earth’s ecosystems

Over the past billion years, the fungal kingdom has diversified to more than two million species, with over 95% still undescribed. Beyond the well-known macroscopic mushrooms and microscopic yeast, fungi are heterotrophs that feed on almost any organic carbon, recycling nutrients through the decay of dead plants and animals and sequestering carbon into Earth’s ecosystems. Human-directed applications of fungi extend from leavened bread, alcoholic beverages and biofuels to pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics and psychoactive compounds. Conversely, fungal infections pose risks to ecosystems ranging from crops to wildlife to humans; these risks are driven, in part, by human and animal movement, and might be accelerating with climate change. Genomic surveys are expanding our knowledge of the true biodiversity of the fungal kingdom, and genome-editing tools make it possible to imagine harnessing these organisms to fuel the bioeconomy. Here, we examine the fungal threats facing civilization and investigate opportunities to use fungi to combat these threats.

Nature↗
USGS2023

Global dataset of soil organic carbon in tidal marshes

Tidal marshes store large amounts of organic carbon in their soils. Field data quantifying soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks provide an important resource for researchers, natural resource managers, and policy-makers working towards the protection, restoration, and valuation of these ecosystems. We collated a global dataset of tidal marsh soil organic carbon (MarSOC) from 99 studies that includes location, soil depth, site name, dry bulk density, SOC, and/or soil organic matter (SOM). The MarSOC dataset includes 17,454 data points from 2,329 unique locations, and 29 countries. We generated a general transfer function for the conversion of SOM to SOC. Using this data we estimated a median (± median absolute deviation) value of 79.2 ± 38.1 Mg SOC ha −1 in the top 30 cm and 231 ± 134 Mg SOC ha −1 in the top 1 m of tidal marsh soils globally. This data can serve as a basis for future work, and may contribute to incorporation of tidal marsh ecosystems into climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and policies.

Scientific Data↗
USGS2018

Acquisition and dissemination of cephalosporin-resistant E. coli in migratory birds sampled at an Alaska landfill as inferred through genomic analysis

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacterial pathogens threatens global health, though the spread of AMR bacteria and AMR genes between humans, animals, and the environment is still largely unknown. Here, we investigated the role of wild birds in the epidemiology of AMR Escherichia coli. Using next-generation sequencing, we characterized cephalosporin-resistant E. coli cultured from sympatric gulls and bald eagles inhabiting a landfill habitat in Alaska to identify genetic determinants conferring AMR, explore potential transmission pathways of AMR bacteria and genes at this site, and investigate how their genetic diversity compares to isolates reported in other taxa. We found genetically diverse E. coli isolates with sequence types previously associated with human infections and resistance genes of clinical importance, including blaCTX-M and blaCMY. Identical resistance profiles were observed in genetically unrelated E. coli isolates from both gulls and bald eagles. Conversely, isolates with indistinguishable core-genomes were found to have different resistance profiles. Our findings support complex epidemiological interactions including bacterial strain sharing between gulls and bald eagles and horizontal gene transfer among E. coli harboured by birds. Results suggest that landfills may serve as a source for AMR acquisition and/or maintenance, including bacterial sequence types and AMR genes relevant to human health.

Alaska↗
USGS2023

Ticks harbor and excrete chronic wasting disease prions

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by infectious prions (PrP CWD ) affecting cervids. Circulating PrP CWD in blood may pose a risk for indirect transmission by way of hematophagous ectoparasites acting as mechanical vectors. Cervids can carry high tick infestations and exhibit allogrooming, a common tick defense strategy between conspecifics. Ingestion of ticks during allogrooming may expose naïve animals to CWD, if ticks harbor PrP CWD . This study investigates whether ticks can harbor transmission-relevant quantities of PrP CWD by combining experimental tick feeding trials and evaluation of ticks from free-ranging white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ). Using the real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay, we show that black-legged ticks ( Ixodes scapularis ) fed PrP CWD -spiked blood using artificial membranes ingest and excrete PrP CWD . Combining results of RT-QuIC and protein misfolding cyclic amplification, we detected seeding activity from 6 of 15 (40%) pooled tick samples collected from wild CWD-infected white-tailed deer. Seeding activities in ticks were analogous to 10–1000 ng of CWD-positive retropharyngeal lymph node collected from deer upon which they were feeding. Estimates revealed a median infectious dose range of 0.3–42.4 per tick, suggesting that ticks can take up transmission-relevant amounts of PrP CWD and may pose a CWD risk to cervids.

Wisconsin↗