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Publications

Explore scientific publications from the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center.

Filter Total Items: 956

Numerical model of geochronological tracers for deposition and reworking applied to the Mississippi subaqueous delta Numerical model of geochronological tracers for deposition and reworking applied to the Mississippi subaqueous delta

Measurements of naturally occurring, short-lived radioisotopes from sediment cores on the Mississippi subaqueous delta have been used to infer event bed characteristics such as depositional thicknesses and accumulation rates. Specifically, the presence of Beryllium-7 (7Be) indicates recent riverine-derived terrestrial sediment deposition; while Thorium-234 (234Th) provides evidence of...
Authors
Justin J. Birchler, Courtney K. Harris, Tara A. Kniskern, Christopher R. Sherwood

Laboratory observations of artificial sand and oil agglomerates Laboratory observations of artificial sand and oil agglomerates

Sand and oil agglomerates (SOAs) form when weathered oil reaches the surf zone and combines with suspended sediments. The presence of large SOAs in the form of thick mats (up to 10 centimeters [cm] in height and up to 10 square meters [m2] in area) and smaller SOAs, sometimes referred to as surface residual balls (SRBs), may lead to the re-oiling of beaches previously affected by an oil...
Authors
Robert L. Jenkins, P. Soupy Dalyander, Allison Penko, Joseph W. Long

A numerical model investigation of the impacts of Hurricane Sandy on water level variability in Great South Bay, New York A numerical model investigation of the impacts of Hurricane Sandy on water level variability in Great South Bay, New York

Hurricane Sandy was a large and intense storm with high winds that caused total water levels from combined tides and storm surge to reach 4.0 m in the Atlantic Ocean and 2.5 m in Great South Bay (GSB), a back-barrier bay between Fire Island and Long Island, New York. In this study the impact of the hurricane winds and waves are examined in order to understand the flow of ocean water into...
Authors
Vanessa C. C. Bennett, Ryan P. Mulligan, Cheryl J. Hapke

Nearshore coastal bathymetry data collected in 2016 from West Ship Island to Horn Island, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mississippi Nearshore coastal bathymetry data collected in 2016 from West Ship Island to Horn Island, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mississippi

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, conducted bathymetric surveys of the nearshore waters surrounding Ship and Horn Islands, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mississippi. The objective of this study was to establish base-level elevation conditions around West Ship, East...
Authors
Nancy T. DeWitt, Chelsea A. Stalk, Jake J. Fredericks, James G. Flocks, Kyle W. Kelso, Andrew S. Farmer, Thomas M. Tuten, Noreen A. Buster

Barrier-island and estuarine-wetland physical-change assessment after Hurricane Sandy Barrier-island and estuarine-wetland physical-change assessment after Hurricane Sandy

Introduction The Nation’s eastern coast is fringed by beaches, dunes, barrier islands, wetlands, and bluffs. These natural coastal barriers provide critical benefits and services, and can mitigate the impact of storms, erosion, and sea-level rise on our coastal communities. Waves and storm surge resulting from Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall along the New Jersey coast on October 29...
Authors
Nathaniel G. Plant, Kathryn Smith, Davina Passeri, Christopher G. Smith, Julie Bernier

A North American Hydroclimate Synthesis (NAHS) of the Common Era A North American Hydroclimate Synthesis (NAHS) of the Common Era

This study presents a synthesis of century-scale hydroclimate variations in North America for the Common Era (last 2000 years) using new age models of previously published multiple proxy-based paleoclimate data. This North American Hydroclimate Synthesis (NAHS) examines regional hydroclimate patterns and related environmental indicators, including vegetation, lake water elevation, stream...
Authors
Jessica R. Rodysill, Lesleigh Anderson, Thomas M. Cronin, Miriam C. Jones, Robert S. Thompson, David B. Wahl, Debra A. Willard, Jason A. Addison, Jay R. Alder, Katherine H. Anderson, Lysanna Anderson, John A. Barron, Christopher E. Bernhardt, Steven W. Hostetler, Natalie M. Kehrwald, Nicole Khan, Julie N. Richey, Scott W. Starratt, Laura E. Strickland, Michael Toomey, Claire C. Treat, G. Lynn Wingard

The sedimentological characteristics and geochronology of the marshes of Dauphin Island, Alabama The sedimentological characteristics and geochronology of the marshes of Dauphin Island, Alabama

In August 2015, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center collected 11 push cores from the marshes of Dauphin Island and Little Dauphin Island, Alabama. Sample site environments included high marshes, low salt marshes, and salt flats, and varied in distance from the shoreline. The sampling efforts were part of a larger study to assess...
Authors
Alisha M. Ellis, Christopher G. Smith, Marci E. Marot

Ground penetrating radar and differential global positioning system data collected in April 2016 from Fire Island, New York Ground penetrating radar and differential global positioning system data collected in April 2016 from Fire Island, New York

Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a long-term coastal morphologic-change study at Fire Island, New York, prior to and after Hurricane Sandy impacted the area in October 2012. The Fire Island Coastal Change project objectives include understanding the morphologic evolution of the barrier island system on a variety of time scales (months to centuries) and...
Authors
Arnell S. Forde, Julie Bernier, Jennifer L. Miselis

Vibrio population dynamics in Mid-Atlantic surface waters during Saharan dust events Vibrio population dynamics in Mid-Atlantic surface waters during Saharan dust events

Vibrio is a cosmopolitan genus of marine bacteria, highly investigated in coastal and estuarine environments. Vibrio have also been isolated from pelagic waters, yet very little is known about the ecology of these oligotrophic species. In this study we examined the relative change in bacterial abundance and more specifically the dynamics of Vibrio in the tropical North Atlantic in...
Authors
Jason R. Westrich, Dale W. Griffin, Douglas L. Westphal, Erin K. Lipp

Pronounced centennial-scale Atlantic Ocean climate variability correlated with Western Hemisphere hydroclimate Pronounced centennial-scale Atlantic Ocean climate variability correlated with Western Hemisphere hydroclimate

Surface-ocean circulation in the northern Atlantic Ocean influences Northern Hemisphere climate. Century-scale circulation variability in the Atlantic Ocean, however, is poorly constrained due to insufficiently-resolved paleoceanographic records. Here we present a replicated reconstruction of sea-surface temperature and salinity from a site sensitive to North Atlantic circulation in the...
Authors
Kaustubh Thirumalai, Terrence M. Quinn, Yuko Okumura, Julie N. Richey, Judson W. Partin, Richard Z. Poore, Eduardo Moreno-Chamarro

Assessing intrinsic and specific vulnerability models ability to indicate groundwater vulnerability to groups of similar pesticides: A comparative study Assessing intrinsic and specific vulnerability models ability to indicate groundwater vulnerability to groups of similar pesticides: A comparative study

With continued population growth and increasing use of fresh groundwater resources, protection of this valuable resource is critical. A cost effective means to assess risk of groundwater contamination potential will provide a useful tool to protect these resources. Integrating geospatial methods offers a means to quantify the risk of contaminant potential in cost effective and spatially...
Authors
Steven H. Douglas, Barnali Dixon, Dale W. Griffin

How could a freshwater swamp produce a chemical signature characteristic of a saltmarsh? How could a freshwater swamp produce a chemical signature characteristic of a saltmarsh?

Reduction–oxidation (redox) reaction conditions, which are of great importance for the soil chemistry of coastal marshes, can be temporally dynamic. We present a transect of cores from northwest Florida wherein radical postdepositional changes in the redox regime has created atypical geochemical profiles at the bottom of the sedimentary column. The stratigraphy is consistent along the...
Authors
Terrence A. McCloskey, Christopher G. Smith, Kam-biu Liu, Marci E. Marot, Christian Haller
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