Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Environmental DNA picks up traces of the elusive mammals’ saliva, skin, waste, or exhaled breaths.

Florida's second-largest turtle rescue of 21^st century is “exhausting, inspiring,” USGS biologist says

Coral reef expert Caroline Rogers was the only USGS employee in the Virgin Islands when the Category 5 storm hit.

A deadly amphibian disease called severe Perkinsea infections, or SPI, is the cause of many large-scale frog die-offs in the United States, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey. 

Scientists beginning a three-week research cruises to study deep-sea corals, canyons and seeps departed from Norfolk, Virginia on September 12 after a one-day delay due to the effects of Hurricane Irma. USGS research oceanographer Amanda Demopoulos is the lead scientist for this cruise, the first of three planned as part of a four-and-a-half year study.

A non-native insect infestation may not be the only factor involved in the ongoing die-back of a marsh grass in the Mississippi River’s “bird foot delta,” the ecologically and economically important part of coastal Louisiana where the river meets the Gulf of Mexico.

Lack of Major Hurricanes Since 2008 Is Likely the Main Reason

Outreach activities were a critical component of the remotely operated vehicle research cruise during which USGS scientists teamed with collaborators to explore the seafloor at methane seeps on the U.S. Mid-Atlantic margin aboard the R/V Hugh R. Sharp. 

A number of Coastal and Marine Geology researchers have completed the Unmanned Aerial Systems certification classes held by the Department of Interior Office of Aviation Safety and the USGS Unmanned Aerial Systems program, creating a fast and inexpensive way to make accurate three-dimensional maps and take aerial photos.
 

Florida’s iconic manatee population is highly likely to endure for the next 100 years, so long as wildlife managers continue to protect the marine mammals and their habitat, a new study by the US Geological Survey and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute has found.

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