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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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11 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Efficacy of one-time rotenone application for Westslope Cutthroat Trout restoration in Boulder Creek, Montana

Abstract Objective Although piscicides are an important tool for native fish management, our understanding of native fish population dynamics posttreatment (i.e., in putatively vacant habitat) is limited. Methods Here, we describe long-term trends in size and abundance of Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii in Lower Boulder Lake and Boulder Creek (Montana). Result No significant differences were found before and after treatment with rotenone in mean length and population density in Boulder Creek. Posttreatment genetic samples from Boulder Lake and upper Boulder Creek consisted entirely of the Westslope Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi used to refound the population. Middle and lower Boulder Creek genetic samples contained 99.4% and 98.4% Westslope Cutthroat Trout, indicating that some nonnative (Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri hybrid) fish survived the treatment. Population demographics showed robust recovery posttreatment; however, genetic results revealed the limitations of a one-time treatment—that is, an incomplete fish kill. Conclusion We demonstrate that Cutthroat Trout populations achieve recovery after rotenone treatment in the long term, but one-time rotenone treatments on large drainages often fail to totally eradicate populations. Therefore, managers should plan on multiple treatments and utilize environmental DNA to help achieve total removal of target species.

Lampton, Jared↗
DOE OSTI2026

Bull Trout and Westslope Cutthroat Trout movement in a dam tailrace

Populations of Bull Trout Salvelinus confluentus and Westslope Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi in the Pend Oreille Basin have declined, partly due to fragmentation caused by hydropower dams. This study aimed to analyze the movements and behavior of these species downstream of Albeni Falls Dam over two years to inform fishway design. Radiotracking investigations were conducted to monitor 10 adult Bull Trout and 17 adult Westslope Cutthroat Trout from September 2008 to July 2010. Macro and micro detection zones were delineated to study fine- and large-scale movements in the tailrace. Macro zones included the spillway and powerhouse tailrace areas. Micro zones were nested within macro zones to identify regions close to the dam where fishway structures could be built. Both Bull Trout and Westslope Cutthroat Trout exhibited high mobility in the dam tailrace, transitioning between macro detection zones. Seasonal variations influenced their distribution patterns. During the spring freshet migration season, both species were primarily detected at the left powerhouse micro zone. In sedentary periods (fall/winter and summer), fish actively swam throughout the tailrace, displaying search behavior. These behavior observations suggest that potential fishway entrances located near dam concrete would be effective: the area near the left powerhouse was identified as the optimal construction location. This study highlights the feasibility of designing fish passage structures to mitigate population fragmentation and support species recovery.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Inadvertent Hatchery Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss Discovered in Native Westslope Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi Habitat: A Cautionary Tale

Abstract Fish hatcheries across North America release billions of fish into the wild every year to augment harvest opportunities in sport, commercial, and tribal fisheries, as well as to recover depressed populations. Despite these benefits, wild fish populations may be negatively affected when hatchery fish compete and/or hybridize with native species. Native Westslope Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi have decreased by 90% across their historic range; however, the Flathead River in Montana is a rangewide stronghold for these imperiled fish. The primary threat to Westslope Cutthroat Trout is hybridization with invasive Rainbow Trout O. mykiss, which leads to hybrid swarm formation and genomic extinction. We collected Rainbow Trout in Mill Creek, a tributary of the Flathead River, downstream from a hatchery that produces the species, and used otolith 87Sr/86Sr to determine whether individual fish were inadvertently introduced from the hatchery. Differences in 87Sr/86Sr among water samples from Mill Creek and the marine-derived hatchery food provided high-classification accuracy to determine the natal origins of Mill Creek Rainbow Trout. We found that 83 of the 106 Rainbow Trout collected (78%) were of hatchery origin. Otolith microstructure analysis indicated these fish had been in Mill Creek for ~1–32 weeks prior to capture. Our results illustrate the utility of otolith 87Sr/86Sr to identify hatchery fish in natural habitats and point to a source of invasive Rainbow Trout that pose conservation risks to native fishes in the drainage.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Population assignment of migratory Westslope Cutthroat Trout (WCT) in the Clark Fork–Pend Oreille River basin

Abstract Objective The Clark Fork–Pend Oreille River basin of northeastern Washington and the Idaho Panhandle historically supported a robust metapopulation of the Westslope Cutthroat Trout (WCT) Oncorhynchus lewisi, a western native salmonid of high cultural and economic value. The construction of impassible hydroelectric dams and smaller instream barriers has prevented the return of migratory WCT to spawning tributaries, leading to the fragmentation of this metapopulation over the past 100 years. One such impassible barrier is Albeni Falls Dam (AFD) near Newport, Washington, which was completed without fish passage capabilities in 1955. We sought to examine large-scale genetic patterns in the study area and determine the most likely spawning tributary of origin for migratory WCT captured below AFD. Methods We created a genetic baseline representative of populations within the Clark Fork–Pend Oreille River basin from upstream and downstream of the dam using 191 biallelic single-nucleotide polymorphism genetic markers. Our data set included 124 collections, which allowed for an examination of population structure and hatchery influence across the study area and provided a robust tool for population assignment. Population assignment tests were conducted using the program RUBIAS. Result Population assignment tests were successful for all pure WCT of unknown origin despite potential influence from hatchery lineages across the study area. Of 83 migratory WCT captured below AFD, approximately 80% were assigned to tributaries upstream of AFD with a posterior assignment probability of at least 90%. Only one fish was assigned to a tributary downstream of AFD. Conclusion Our results indicate that AFD disrupts the natural metapopulation dynamics of WCT populations in the basin. Passage for WCT at this barrier would reestablish metapopulation connectivity within the basin by allowing migratory individuals to make genetic contributions to populations upstream of the dam.

Wells, Craig D. (ORCID:0000000258513250)↗
NASA NTRS2020

Colorado & New Mexico Water Resources: Mapping Wetland and Riparian Areas to Support Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Habitat Restoration

Over the last century, the Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki virginalis; RGCT) population has declined significantly due to habitat loss, competition, and hybridization with non-native trout species; the species currently occupies roughly 11% of its historic habitat. Conservation efforts led by governmental and private actors have succeeded in increasing RGCT populations since the early 2000s. Vermejo Park Ranch, a privately owned 560,000-acre property, partnered with US Fish and Wildlife Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to begin the largest native trout restoration initiative in North America. Since 2002, these efforts have included wetland and riparian area restoration and RGCT reintroduction. Current restoration efforts focus on restoring the Costilla Creek Watershed to provide cool water temperatures, improve water quality, and create the necessary habitat requirements for the trout species. To guide these restoration efforts, the Colorado – Fort Collins NASA DEVELOP team produced maps to locate and characterize wetland and riparian areas in the Costilla Creek watershed. The team utilized NASA data from Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), as well as Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI), Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), and additional ancillary data for May 2016 to October 2019. In order to produce probability maps of wetland presence, the team used the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling (SAHM) incorporating predictor variables generated from topographic indices, spectral indices, and radar. The resulting maps allowed Vermejo Ranch and CPW to determine the extent of possible RGCT habitat and identify where habitat restoration efforts may be needed.

Water Resources↗
NASA NTRS2020

Colorado & New Mexico Water Resources: Mapping Wetland and Riparian Areas to Support Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Habitat Restoration

Over the last century, the Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki virginalis; RGCT) population has declined significantly due to habitat loss, competition, and hybridization with non-native trout species; the species currently occupies roughly 11% of its historic habitat. Conservation efforts led by governmental and private actors have succeeded in increasing RGCT populations since the early 2000s. Vermejo Park Ranch, a privately owned 560,000-acre property, partnered with US Fish and Wildlife Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to begin the largest native trout restoration initiative in North America. Since 2002, these efforts have included wetland and riparian area restoration and RGCT reintroduction. Current restoration efforts focus on restoring the Costilla Creek Watershed to provide cool water temperatures, improve water quality, and create the necessary habitat requirements for the trout species. To guide these restoration efforts, the Colorado –Fort Collins NASA DEVELOP team produced maps to locate and characterize wetland and riparian areas in the Costilla Creek watershed. The team utilized NASA data from Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager, and Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper in conjunction with Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument, Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar, and additional ancillary data for May 2016 to October 2019. In order to produce probability maps of wetland presence, the team used the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling (SAHM) incorporating predictor variables generated from topographic indices, spectral indices, and radar. The resulting maps allowed Vermejo Ranch and CPW to determine the extent of possible RGCT habitat and identify where habitat restoration efforts are needed.

Health & Air Quality↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mapping Wetland and Riparian Areas to Support Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Habitat Restoration

The Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki virginalis; RGCT) population has declined significantly over the last century due to habitat loss, competition, and hybridization with non-native trout species. The species currently occupies roughly 11% of its historic habitat. Conservation efforts led by government and private actors have succeeded in increasing RGCT populations since the early 2000s. State, federal, and private partners began the largest native trout restoration initiative in North America. Since 2002, these efforts have included wetland and riparian area restoration and RGCT reintroduction. Current restoration efforts focus on restoring the Costilla Creek Watershed located in Colorado and New Mexico to provide cool water temperatures, improve water quality, and maintain suitable habitat for the trout species. To guide these restoration efforts, the team conducted a rapid assessment to locate and characterize wetland and riparian areas in the Costilla Creek watershed. The team utilized NASA data from the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), as well as the Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI), and the Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for May 2016 to October 2019. To produce probability maps of wetland presence, the team used the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling (SAHM) incorporating predictor variables generated from topographic indices, spectral indices, and radar. The top three models (General Wetland model, Stream and Wetland Connectivity model, and Inclusive Wetland model) showed a strong ability to detect wetlands. They all had AUC values greater than 0.9 and had high overlap with wetland areas during visual assessment over high-resolution imagery. The General Wetland model output was converted into a wetland polygon dataset and polygons were classified by wetland type. The resulting maps and datasets will support partners in determining the extent of possible RGCT habitat and identifying where habitat restoration efforts may be needed.

NASA DEVELOP↗
DOE OSTI2021

Characterizing the movements and habitat use of two fish species of concern in a regulated ecosystem

In freshwater ecosystems in the northwest United States, the distribution and movements of fish between their essential habitats are particularly impacted by the presence of hydroelectric dams. Bull Trout Salvelinus confluentus and Westslope Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii var. lewisi are two fish species of concern inhabiting the Pend Oreille River between Idaho and Washington states. The purpose of this study was to identify the behavior and habitat use of Bull Trout and Westslope Cutthroat Trout in the restricted area of the Pend Oreille River, downstream of Albeni Falls Dam (AFD), using a long-term radiotelemetry dataset. Between 2015 and 2018, 24 Bull Trout and 24 Westslope Cutthroat Trout were captured, tagged, and released downstream AFD. Among the fish tagged, 79% (n = 19 of 24) of Bull Trout and 67% (n = 16 of 24) of Westslope Cutthroat Trout were detected during the study period. Our results revealed movements of fish towards tributary confluences mostly in May, June, and July for both species with Bull Trout traveling longer distances than Westslope Cutthroat Trout. Although the sample size was limited, Bull Trout individual movements towards the dam suggested attempts to re-ascend the river, indicating the importance of restoring upstream connectivity.

Garavelli, Lysel↗
DOE OSTI2026

Web-based Preprocessing and Visualization of 3D FIB Tomography Data for Nuclear Fuel Characterization

Three-dimensional (3D) focused ion beam (FIB) tomography enables reconstruction of internal nuclear fuel features that can't be fully evaluated through surface imaging alone. This capability supports characterization of fuel constituents and defects under thermal and irradiation conditions relevant to microreactor development. However, large tomography datasets can create data-handling, loading, and visualization challenges, especially when image-stack preparation and file conversion must be completed with separate tools. The Computational Ultraspatial Tomography Toolkit for High-Resolution Object Analysis Tools (CUTTRHOAT) is an open-source web application being developed to display FIB tomography datasets available through the Nuclear Research Data System (NRDS). The current alpha version requires prepared HDF5 datasets and has limited integrated data-preparation capabilities. This project improves CUTTHROAT by adding dataset-folder selection, automatic input detection, dataset scanning, missing-slice identification, blank-slice insertion, and image-stack-to-HDF5 conversion. Two applications will be compared: the baseline CUTTHROAT alpha workflow and the updated application containing the integrated data-handling and preprocessing functions. Evaluation will consider dataset detection accuracy, conversion success, loading time, rendering responsiveness, application stability, and user interaction. Preliminary results demonstrate successful loading of existing HDF5 files and converted image stacks, while testing also identified performance reductions caused by excessive blank-slice generation. The updated workflow reduces reliance on external preparation tools and supports more direct movement from image stacks to color-code 3D visualization. Future work includes refining missing-slice handling, integrating additional preprocessing functions, like a denoising feature, parsing TIFF metadata for automatic voxel scaling, and adding manual X, Y, and Z voxel-spacing inputs for PNG and JPEG.

36 - MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Efficient species identification for Pacific salmon genetic monitoring programs

Abstract Genetic monitoring of Pacific salmon in the Columbia River basin provides crucial information to fisheries managers that is otherwise challenging to obtain using traditional methods. Monitoring programs such as genetic stock identification (GSI) and parentage‐based tagging (PBT) involve genotyping tens of thousands of individuals annually. Although rare, these large sample collections inevitably include misidentified species, which exhibit low genotyping success on species‐specific Genotyping‐in‐Thousands by sequencing (GT‐seq) panels. For laboratories involved in large‐scale genotyping efforts, diagnosing non‐target species and reassigning them to the appropriate monitoring program can be costly and time‐consuming. To address this problem, we identified 19 primer pairs that exhibit consistent cross‐species amplification among salmonids and contain 51 species informative variants. These genetic markers reliably discriminate among 11 salmonid species and two subspecies of Cutthroat Trout and have been included in species‐specific GT‐seq panels for Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, and Rainbow Trout commonly used for Pacific salmon genetic monitoring. The majority of species‐informative amplicons (16) were newly identified from the four existing GT‐seq panels, thus demonstrating a low‐cost approach to species identification when using targeted sequencing methods. A species‐calling script was developed that is tailored for routine GT‐seq genotyping pipelines and automates the identification of non‐target species. Following extensive testing with empirical and simulated data, we demonstrated that the genetic markers and accompanying script accurately identified species and are robust to missing genotypic data and low‐frequency, shared polymorphisms among species. Finally, we used these tools to identify Coho Salmon incidentally caught in the Columbia River Chinook Salmon sport fishery and used PBT to determine their hatchery of origin. These molecular and computing resources provide a valuable tool for Pacific salmon conservation in the Columbia River basin and demonstrate a cost‐effective approach to species identification for genetic monitoring programs.

Robinson, Zachary L.↗