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Publications

Browse more than 150,000 publications authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS.  Publications available are: USGS-authored journal articles, series reports, book chapters, other government publications, and more.

Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center Publications

Filter Total Items: 3306

Water residence time and water depth influence on nutrient conditions, eutrophication endpoints and habitat quality in backwater lakes of a large floodplain river Water residence time and water depth influence on nutrient conditions, eutrophication endpoints and habitat quality in backwater lakes of a large floodplain river

Many eutrophication studies focus on the external supply of critical nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, but hydrology and geomorphology can enhance or dampen the effects of excessive nutrient supply. We studied six backwater lakes in the Upper Mississippi River that varied in water residence time and water depth. Eutrophication in these systems is responsible for negative impacts...
Authors
Shawn M. Giblin, James H. Larson, Jeremy D. King

Twenty years (2000-2020) of butterfly monitoring data across the contiguous United States Twenty years (2000-2020) of butterfly monitoring data across the contiguous United States

We present the most comprehensive, integrated, butterfly monitoring dataset ever assembled for the United States. It contains over 1.2 million count records, from 65,000 surveys, representing over 12.6 million individual butterflies. To compile this dataset, we integrated data and harmonized taxonomy across 19 butterfly monitoring programs in the United States – one national, 13...
Authors
Erica H Henry, Collin B. Edwards, Vaughn Shirey, Jeffrey S. Pippen, Dave Waetjen, Matthew L. Forister, Elise A. Larsen, Cheryl B. Schultz, James Michielini, Nathan Brockman, Kevin J. Burls, Ryan G. Drum, Martha Gatch, Jeffrey Glassberg, Nancy Hamlett, Shiran V. Hershcovich, Catherine Le, Steve McGaffin, Jen Meilinger, Lisa Richter, Regina Rochefort, Charles Schelz, Arthur M. Shapiro, Katheryn Sullivan, Douglas J. Taron, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Anna Walker, Anita Westphal, Jerome Wiedmann, Irmgard U. Wilcockson, Jennifer Zaspel, Leslie Ries

Quantifying floodplain forest community change following large-scale flood events in the Upper Mississippi River System Quantifying floodplain forest community change following large-scale flood events in the Upper Mississippi River System

Effects of large-scale flooding on forest composition and structure are a function of flood duration, depth, timing, and frequency. Throughout the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS), floods in 1993 and 2019 were record-setting events followed by high rates of tree mortality. These events generated interest in species adaptations to flood event characteristics and how forest...
Authors
Shelby A. Weiss, Lyle J. Guyon, Nathan R. De Jager, Robert J. Cosgriff, Molly Van Appledorn

Apparent annual survival of adult Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) may not differ by sex or region Apparent annual survival of adult Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) may not differ by sex or region

Understanding range-wide demographic, spatial, and temporal variation in annual survival is essential for managing species of conservation concern. Multi-population models are useful tools for integrating diverse datasets, reducing biases, and deriving survival estimates across differing spatial scales. We conducted a range-wide, multi-population apparent annual survival analysis for a...
Authors
Emily N. Filiberti, Amber M. Roth, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Ethan J. Royal, Kyle R. Aldinger, Ruth E. Bennett, David A. Buehler, Lesley P. Bulluck, Ronald A. Canterbury, Richard Chandler, Sarah J. Clements, Cameron J. Fiss, Keith A. Hobson, John Anthony Jones, David A. King, Gunnar R. Kramer, Jeffery L. Larkin, Darin J. McNeil, Jeffrey D. Ritterson, Anna Buckardt Thomas, Rachel Vallender, Steven L. Van Wilgenburg, Petra B. Wood

GlASS - Global Aggregation of Stream Silica GlASS - Global Aggregation of Stream Silica

Riverine silicon (Si) plays a vital role in governing primary production, water quality, and carbon cycling. Climate and land cover change have altered how dissolved Si (DSi) is processed on land, transported to rivers, and cycled through aquatic ecosystems. The Global Aggregation of Stream Silica (GlASS) database was constructed to assess changes in river Si concentrations and fluxes...
Authors
Kathi Jo Jankowski, Keira Johnson, Nicholas Lyon, Sidney A. Bush, Paul Julian, Lienne R. Sethna, Diane M. McKnight, William H. McDowell, Adam S. Wymore, Pirkko Kortelainen, Hjalmar Laudon, Ruth C. Heindel, Amanda Poste, Arial J. Shogren, Fred Worrall, Luke Mosley, Pamela L. Sullivan, Joanna C. Carey

Re-oligotrophy in the Upper Mississippi River, USA, occurred in just a few years Re-oligotrophy in the Upper Mississippi River, USA, occurred in just a few years

Ecological systems can undergo large changes and regime shifts that are either catastrophic, neutral, or desirable. Rivers worldwide have recently undergone desirable regime shifts related to re-oligotrophy, which is a notable and ongoing reduction in concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS), total N, total P, or phytoplankton. For example, the Upper Mississippi River, USA, has...
Authors
Killian Davis, Wako Bungula, Danelle M. Larson

Tree swallows as indicators of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposure and effects at select Department of Defense sites along the East Coast and at sites with different sources in the Upper Midwest, United States Tree swallows as indicators of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposure and effects at select Department of Defense sites along the East Coast and at sites with different sources in the Upper Midwest, United States

Questions remain about the distribution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment, the sources and movement within and between ecosystems, and whether there are effects from such exposure. Information from the Upper Midwest and the mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, which have different PFAS sources, were investigated. Concentrations of Total40 (sum of 40...
Authors
Christine M. Custer, Paul M. Dummer, Sandra L. Schultz, Natalie Karouna-Renier, Cole W. Matson

Long Term Resource Monitoring procedures—Aquatic vegetation monitoring Long Term Resource Monitoring procedures—Aquatic vegetation monitoring

This standard operating procedure (SOP) manual describes the collection of standardized, long-term data for aquatic vegetation communities in selected study pools of the Upper Mississippi River System in the United States. The primary intent of the data collection is to assess the status and trends that aid in understanding the unique river ecosystem and to guide large-scale ecological...
Authors
Danelle M. Larson, Eric Lund, Alicia M. Carhart, Seth Fopma, Stephanie Szura

Mapping potential sensitivity to hydrogeomorphic change in the UMRS riverscape Mapping potential sensitivity to hydrogeomorphic change in the UMRS riverscape

In 2020 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as part of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) Program, began a new project to characterize potential hydrogeomorphic change associated with hydrogeomorphic units (HGUs) and their catenae (units linked by their association with sediment sources and flow origins). The goal of the project was to develop a geographic information system...
Authors
Angus Vaughan, Faith Fitzpatrick, Jayme M. Strange, Molly Van Appledorn

Future forest conditions under alternative management and hydrological scenarios in the Upper Mississippi River floodplain Future forest conditions under alternative management and hydrological scenarios in the Upper Mississippi River floodplain

Context Floodplain forests are being transformed by multiple pressures, prompting widespread management and restoration efforts. It is uncertain how disturbances, including hydrologic change, and management actions will interact to influence the ecology of these threatened forests.Objectives This study examined the effects of alternative management and hydrologic regimes on forest...
Authors
Matthew L. Trumper, Nathan R. De Jager, Molly Van Appledorn, Andrew R. Meier

Pit tag application in native freshwater mussels: Case studies across small, medium, and large rivers Pit tag application in native freshwater mussels: Case studies across small, medium, and large rivers

Since their first use in the mid-1980s, external passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags have facilitated innovative investigations into multiple biological traits of animals. For native freshwater mussels, PIT tags are frequently used in capture-mark-recapture applications because they allow repeated, noninvasive sampling, are easy to apply, have high retention rates, and have...
Authors
Jeremy S. Tiemann, Matthew J. Ashton, Sarah A. Douglass, Alison P. Stodola, Rachel M. Vinsel, Teresa J. Newton

River-to-lake transitional areas contribute disproportionately to in-lake nutrient loading River-to-lake transitional areas contribute disproportionately to in-lake nutrient loading

River-to-lake transitional areas are biogeochemically active sections of the aquatic continuum that are often understudied compared to their adjoining environments. Internal nutrient loading from river-to-lake transitional areas may be a considerable source of nutrients to lakes and if overlooked disconnect upstream management initiatives from in-lake improvements. To contextualize...
Authors
Nolan J.T. Pearce, James H. Larson, Rebecca M. Kreiling, Mary Anne Evans, Sean Bailey, Kenna J. Gierke, Lynn Bartsch, Marguerite A. Xenopoulos, Paul C. Frost
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