Publications
Explore WARC's science publications.
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Prescribed fire and cutting as tools for reducing woody plant succession in a created salt marsh
This paper reports on efforts to reduce woody successional growth by the native shrub Iva frutescens L. in a created salt marsh by using prescribed fire and cutting. Experimental treatments included a winter burn, cutting plants at ground level, and a combination burn-and-cut treatment, with replicate plots of each. Iva frutescens proved to be extremely hardy, with zero mortality following the cut
Authors
A.B. Owens, C.E. Proffitt, J.B. Grace
Effects of season, rainfall, and hydrogeomorphic setting on mangrove tree growth in Micronesia
Seasonal patterns of tree growth are often related to rainfall, temperature, and relative moisture regimes. We asked whether diameter growth of mangrove trees in Micronesia, where seasonal changes are minimal, is continuous throughout a year or conforms to an annual cycle. We installed dendrometer bands on Sonneratia alba and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza trees growing naturally within mangrove swamps on
Authors
K. W. Krauss, B. D. Keeland, J. A. Allen, K. C. Ewel, Daniel J. Johnson
Prioritizing bottomland hardwood forest sites for protection and augmentation
Bottomland hardwood forest has been greatly diminished by conversion to agriculture. Less than 25% of the pre-Columbian bottomland hardwood forests remain in the southeastern United States. Because of the valuable ecological and hydrological functions performed by these forests, their conservation and restoration has been a high priority. Part of these restoration efforts has focused on developing
Authors
J. Carter, J. Biagas
Anguilliform larvae collected off North Carolina
The distinctive larval stage of eels (leptocephalus) facilitates dispersal through prolonged life in the open ocean. Leptocephali are abundant and diverse off North Carolina, yet data on distributions and biology are lacking. The water column (from surface to 1,293 m) was sampled in or near the Gulf Stream off Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout, and Cape Fear, North Carolina during summer through fall of
Authors
Steve W. Ross, T.L. Casazza, A.M. Quattrini, K. J. Sulak
A tale of two storms: Surges and sediment deposition from Hurricanes Andrew and Wilma in Florida’s southwest coast mangrove forests
Hurricanes can be very different from each other. Here we examine the impacts that two hurricanes, Andrew and Wilma, had in terms of storm surge and sediment deposition on the southwest coast of Florida. Although Wilma was the weaker storm, it had the greater impact. Wilma had the higher storm surge over a larger area and deposited more sediment than did Andrew. This effect was most likely due to
Authors
Thomas J. Smith, Gordon H. Anderson, Ginger Tiling
Cheniere forest as stopover habitat for migrant landbirds: Immediate effects of Hurricane Rita
It is not known whether en route fall migratory birds (August-October) are likely to suffer more from direct or secondary effects of hurricanes. On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita wreaked havoc on Louisiana's coast by toppling trees over vast areas and by stripping away microhabitats that harbor the invertebrates and produce the fruits upon which migrant landbirds depend (e.g., canopy foliage,
Authors
Wylie Barrow, Paul Chadwick, Brady R. Couvillion, Thomas Doyle, Stephen Faulkner, Clint Jeske, Tommy Michot, Lori Randall, Chris Wells, Scott Wilson
Predicting mangrove forest recovery on the southwest coast of Florida following the impact of Hurricane Wilma, October 2005
The damage to mangrove forests on the west coast of Everglades National Park from Hurricane Wilma in 2005 rivaled that of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. We describe patterns and rates of recovery following Andrew and use these estimates to gage recovery based upon site reconnaissance and forest structural damage considerations in the aftermath of Wilma.
Authors
Greg A. Ward, Thomas J. Smith
Wind damage and salinity effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on coastal baldcypress forests of Louisiana
The frequency of hurricane landfall in a given coastal stretch may play a more important role in the ecology of coastal forests than previously thought because of direct and indirect impacts of fallen trees and the introduction of salt water that lingers long after the storm passes. Findings show that surge events can inundate interior freshwater forests many miles from the coast and elevate soil
Authors
Thomas W. Doyle, William H. Conner, Richard H. Day, Ken W. Krauss, Christopher M. Swarzenski
Potential consequences of saltwater intrusion associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita pushed salt water from the Gulf of Mexico well inland into freshwater marsh communities in coastal Louisiana. This paper describes the spatial extent of saltwater intrusion and provides an initial assessment of impacts (salt stress) to coastal marsh vegetation communities.
Authors
Gregory D. Steyer, Brian C. Perez, Sarai C. Piazza, Glenn Suir
Broad-scale response of landbird migration to the immediate effects of Hurricane Katrina
It was the midst of songbird migration season when Hurricane Katrina hit the Louisiana coast in 2005. Typically these birds fatten up in Gulf Coast river bottomland forest for the long flight to Central and South America. After Katrina stripped plants of leaves, fruits, and insects in the fertile bottomlands of the Pearl River, weather radar indicated that migrant birds increased their use of adja
Authors
Wylie Barrow, J. Buler, Brady R. Couvillion, Robb Diehl, Stephen Faulkner, F. Moore, Lori Randall
Impacts of Hurricane Katrina on floodplain forests of the Pearl River
Floodplain forests are an important habitat for Neotropical migratory birds. Hurricane Katrina passed through the Pearl River flood plain shortly after making landfall. Field measurements on historical plots and remotely sensed data were used to assess the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the structure of floodplain forests of the Pearl River.
Authors
Stephen Faulkner, Wylie Barrow, Brady R. Couvillion, William Conner, Lori Randall, Michael Baldwin
Impacts of Hurricane Rita on the beaches of western Louisiana
Hurricane Rita made landfall as a category 3 storm in western Louisiana in late September 2005, 1 month following Hurricane Katrina's devastating landfall in the eastern part of the State. Large waves and storm surge inundated the lowelevation coastline, destroying many communities and causing extensive coastal change including beach, dune, and marsh erosion.
Authors
Hilary F. Stockdon, Laura A. Fauver, Asbury H. Sallenger,, C. Wayne Wright