Purpose L-band passive microwave radiometry enables reliable soil moisture retrieval from satellites but at spatial resolutions too coarse for precision irrigation. Portable near-ground L-band radiometers offer a high-resolution alternative. This study evaluated a Portable L-band Radiometer (PoLRa) for estimating volumetric water content (VWC), comparing manufacturer-calibrated estimates with data-driven calibration approaches...

The first quantitative mineral resource assessment for undiscovered lithium pegmatite deposits in the southern Appalachian region of the United States was conducted. Permissive tracts for lithium pegmatite deposits were delineated by integrating lithological, tectonic, geochemical, geophysical and mineral occurrence data. Lithium pegmatite prospectivity of the tracts was ranked with simplified mappable criteria, including prox...

Lithium demand is projected to increase more than 48 times by 2040 due to electric vehicle production and other energy storage needs. Most lithium production is outside of the USA, thereby increasing supply chain vulnerability. The combined end use importance and heightened supply risk of lithium make this lightest metallic element a critical commodity to the USA. To mitigate this supply risk, the US Geological Survey is activ...

Rodents, particularly the family Muridae, are exceptionally species-rich, with a global distribution and significant ecological and economic roles. Despite their ubiquity, many murids remain poorly studied, especially members of the subfamily Murinae inhabiting Southeast Asia’s biodiverse island ecosystems. Borneo, a hotspot for arboreal rodent diversity, hosts several endemic murines, including the elusive Emmons’s tree rat (...