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Book Chapters

Browse more than 5,500 book chapters authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS and refine search by topic, location, year, and advanced search.

Filter Total Items: 6197

Geochemistry of the Amazon Estuary Geochemistry of the Amazon Estuary

The Amazon River supplies more freshwater to the ocean than any other river in the world. This enormous volume of freshwater forces the estuarine mixing out of the river channel and onto the continental shelf. On the continental shelf, the estuarine mixing occurs in a very dynamic environment unlike that of a typical estuary. The tides, the wind, and the boundary current that sweeps the
Authors
Joseph M. Smoak, James M. Krest, Peter W Swarzenski

Head-bobbing behavior in foraging Whooping Cranes Head-bobbing behavior in foraging Whooping Cranes

Many species of cursorial birds 'head-bob', that is, they alternately thrust the head forward, then hold it stiII as they walk. Such a motion stabilizes visual fields intermittently and could be critical for visual search; yet the time available for stabilization vs. forward thrust varies with walking speed. Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) are extremely tall birds that visually search...
Authors
T. Cronin, M. Kinloch, Glenn H. Olsen

High tides and rising seas: potential effects on estuarine waterbirds High tides and rising seas: potential effects on estuarine waterbirds

Coastal waterbirds are vulnerable to water-level changes especially under predictions of accelerating sea-level rise and increased storm frequency in the next century. Tidal and wind-driven fluctuations in water levels affecting marshes, their invertebrate communities, and their dependent waterbirds are manifested in daily, monthly, seasonal, annual, and supra-annual (e.g., decadal or 18...
Authors
R.M. Erwin, G.M. Sanders, D.J. Prosser, Donald R. Cahoon

Impacts of marsh management on coastal-marsh bird habitats Impacts of marsh management on coastal-marsh bird habitats

The effects of habitat-management practices in coastal marshes have been poorly evaluated. We summarize the extant literature concerning whether these manipulations achieve their goals and the effects of these manipulations on target (i.e., waterfowl and waterfowl food plants) and non-target organisms (particularly coastal-marsh endemics). Although we focus on the effects of marsh...
Authors
L.R. Mitchell, S. Gabrey, P.P. Marra, R.M. Erwin

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR)

Geodesists are, for the most part, a patient and hardworking lot. A day spent hiking to a distant peak, hours spent waiting for clouds to clear a line-of-sight between observation points, weeks spent moving methodically along a level line — such is the normal pulse of the geodetic profession. The fruits of such labors are all the more precious because they are so scarce. A good day spent...
Authors
D. Dzurisin, Z. Lu

Introduction Introduction

No abstract available at this time
Authors
M.L. Brooks

Migratory connectivity of a widely distributed songbird, the American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) Migratory connectivity of a widely distributed songbird, the American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)

Determining the degree of connectivity between breeding and wintering populations is critical for understanding the ecology and evolution of migratory systems. We analyzed stable hydrogen isotopic compositions in tail feathers ($Dw) collected from 26 sites in 11 countries throughout the wintering range of the American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), a Nearctic- Neotropical migratory...
Authors
D.R. Norris, P.P. Marra, G.J. Bowen, L.M. Ratcliffe, J. Andrew Royle, T.K. Kyser

Modeling brook trout presence and absence from landscape variables using four different analytical methods Modeling brook trout presence and absence from landscape variables using four different analytical methods

As a part of the Great Lakes Regional Aquatic Gap Analysis Project, we evaluated methodologies for modeling associations between fish species and habitat characteristics at a landscape scale. To do this, we created brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis presence and absence models based on four different techniques: multiple linear regression, logistic regression, neural networks, and...
Authors
Paul J. Steen, Dora R. Passino-Reader, Michael J. Wiley

Modeling the invasion and spread of contagious disease in heterogeneous populations Modeling the invasion and spread of contagious disease in heterogeneous populations

No abstract available.
Authors
W.M. Getz, James O. Lloyd-Smith, Paul C. Cross, S. Bar-David, P.L.F. Johnson, T.C. Porco, M.S. Sanchez

Parasitic Cowbirds have increased immunity to West Nile and other mosquitoborne encephalitis viruses Parasitic Cowbirds have increased immunity to West Nile and other mosquitoborne encephalitis viruses

The rapid geographic spread of West Nile Virus [WNV, Flaviviridae, Flavivirus] across the United States has stimulated interest in comparative host infection studies of avian species to delineate competent reservoir hosts critical for viral amplification. Striking taxonomic differences in avian susceptibility have been noted, offering the opportunity to strategically select species on...
Authors
W.K. Reisen, D.C. Hahn

Predicting the persistence of coastal wetlands to global change stressors Predicting the persistence of coastal wetlands to global change stressors

Despite progress toward understanding the response of coastal wetlands to increases in relative sea-level rise and an improved understanding of the effect of elevated CO2 on plant species allocation patterns, we are limited in our ability to predict the response of coastal wetlands to the effects associated with global change. Static simulations of the response of coastal wetlands to sea...
Authors
G. Guntenspergen, Karen McKee, D. Cahoon, J. Grace, P. Megonigal
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