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Habitats of many rivers of the US are perceived to be degraded as a result of human-induced stresses. CERC scientist are focusing physical habitat as measured by depth, velocity, and substrate, in order to establish relevance of physical habitat to biota.

The two mainstem Missouri River segments of the Missouri National Recreational River (MNRR) represent some of the least altered channel form and most complex physical habitat on the Missouri River. The 39-mile segment is located in an inter-reservoir reach between Fort Randall Dam and Lewis and Clark Lake and the 59-mile segment is located below Gavins Point Dam, the downstream-most water control...

The Comprehensive Sturgeon Research Project (CSRP) is a multidisciplinary project conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Missouri River Recovery Program–Integrated Science Program. CERC scientists are working with river scientists and man­agers to develop methods, baseline information, and research approaches that are critical contributions to recovery success of the...

Most states use outdated hardness-based criteria to regulate metals in surface waters. The slow adoption of new criteria based on biotic ligand models (BLMs) reflects uncertainty about whether these models can reliably predict toxic effects of metals on aquatic biota across the wide range of water quality conditions affecting bioavailability.

The Tri-State Mining District (TSMD) is a large (about 500 sq. mi.) historical lead and zinc mining area that includes portions of Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. The TSMD yielded about 460 million tons of ore between 1885 and 1970, resulting in contamination of surface water, groundwater, sediments, and soils in the Spring River and Neosho River basins by lead, zinc, and other heavy metals.

Nearly 70% of the 300 mussel species in North America are endangered, threatened, of special concern, or extinct. Environmental contaminants have been identified as a contributing factor to the decline of mussel populations.

Lying 1000 miles south of Hawaii, Palmyra Atoll is a marine wilderness co-managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy. Beach forests of Pisonia grandis and other vegetation communities provide habitat for thousands of nesting terns, boobies, and other birds. Introduced coconut ( Cocos nucifera ) groves and use of Palmyra as a World War II airfield left a legacy of...

CERC scientists are utilizing remote sensing technologies to facilitate rapid collection of ephemeral field data following disasters, to assess injuries to natural resources and potential threats to human health, and to inform and monitor ecological restoration.

Black Carp ( Mylopharyngodon piceus ) is the largest of the four non-indigenous carp species, reaching sizes well in excess of 100 pounds. CERC scientists, in cooperation with federal and state partners, are studying the biology, ecology, and behavior of black carp and developing tools to monitor, assess, and control this non-indigenous species.

Among sites undergoing restoration activities as part of the Southeast Missouri Mining District (SEMO) Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration settlement, the Little St. Francis River Chat Pile (LSFR) will be one the first in Madison County at which primary ecological restoration will be implemented. CERC scientists are collaborating with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the...

Grass, bighead, black, and silver carps spawn in turbulent rivers and their eggs develop and hatch while drifting downriver. The larvae also have a short period of developing in the drift, and then they must swim from the river and find appropriate low- or no-flow nursery areas. Rivers which are not long enough, turbulent enough, or without nursery areas in the correct locations are not likely to...

Climate and fire are global drivers of plant species distributions in the south central United States. Long-term management of vegetation communities can benefit from information on projected spatial changes in climate and fire frequencies.