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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: 6158

Remigial molt of sea ducks Remigial molt of sea ducks

Molt is a dynamic process occurring throughout much of the year in waterfowl. The molt of flight feathers by waterfowl, especially sea ducks, however, occurs over a compressed period of time and in spcific areas used each year. We provide an overview of the flight feather molt of sea ducks. We focus on the need to molt and why, the timing and duration of flight feather mot, and the...
Authors
Margaret R. Petersen, Jean-Pierre L. Savard

Variation in migration strategies of North American sea ducks Variation in migration strategies of North American sea ducks

Migration exerts strong effects on population dynamics, so consideration of migration as a driver of population change is an important area of inquiry. Sea ducks (Mergini) exemplify the wide range in types of migration strategies, which become more variable with the addition of a third migration to distinct molting areas. We discuss the three migrations, summer, fall, and molt, and...
Authors
Margaret R. Petersen, Jean-Pierre L. Savard

Cryovolcanism in the outer solar system Cryovolcanism in the outer solar system

Cryovolcanism is defined as the extrusion of liquids and vapors of materials that would be frozen solid at the planetary surface temperatures of the icy bodies of the outer solar system. Active cryovolcanism is now known to occur on Saturn's moon Enceladus and on Neptune's moon Triton and is suspected on Jupiter's moon Europa, while evidence for past cryovolcanic activity is widespread...
Authors
Paul E. Geissler

The influence of hydrology on lacustrine sediment contaminant records The influence of hydrology on lacustrine sediment contaminant records

The way water flows to a lake, through streams, as runoff, or as groundwater, can control the distribution and mass of sediment and contaminants deposited. Whether a lake is large or small, deep or shallow, open or closed, the movement of water to a lake and the circulation patterns of water within a lake control how and where sediment and contaminants are deposited. Particle-associated
Authors
Michael R. Rosen

Using natural archives to track sources and long-term trends of pollution: an introduction Using natural archives to track sources and long-term trends of pollution: an introduction

This book explores the myriad ways that environmental archives can be used to study the distribution and long-term trajectories of contaminants. The volume first focuses on reviews that examine the integrity of the historic record, including factors related to hydrology, post-depositional diffusion, and mixing processes. This is followed by a series of chapters dealing with the diverse...
Authors
Jules Blais, Michael R. Rosen, John Smol

Using natural archives to track sources and long-term trends of pollution: some final thoughts and suggestions for future directions Using natural archives to track sources and long-term trends of pollution: some final thoughts and suggestions for future directions

Newly produced, as well as some so-called legacy contaminants, continue to be released into the environment at an accelerated rate. Given the general lack of integrated, direct monitoring programs, the use of natural archival records of contaminants will almost certainly continue to increase. We conclude this volume with a short chapter highlighting some of our final thoughts, with a...
Authors
Jules M. Blais, Michael R. Rosen, John P. Smol

Biological indicators of changes in water quality and habitats of the coastal and estuarine areas of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem; Chapter 11 Biological indicators of changes in water quality and habitats of the coastal and estuarine areas of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem; Chapter 11

This chapter summarizes the application of various biological indicators to studying the anthropogenic and natural changes in water quality and habitats that have occurred in the coastal and estuarine areas of the Greater Everglades ecosystem.
Authors
Anna Wachnicka, G. Lynn Wingard

Evaluating the status of individuals and populations: Advantages of multiple approaches and time scales Evaluating the status of individuals and populations: Advantages of multiple approaches and time scales

The assessment of population status is a central goal of applied wildlife research and essential to the field of wildlife conservation. “Population status” has a number of definitions, the most widely used having to do with the current trajectory of the population (i.e., growing, stable, or declining), or the probability of persistence (i.e., extinction risk), perhaps without any...
Authors
Daniel H. Monson, Lizabeth Bowen

The comparative limnology of Lakes Nyos and Monoun, Cameroon The comparative limnology of Lakes Nyos and Monoun, Cameroon

Lakes Nyos and Monoun are known for the dangerous accumulation of CO2 dissolved in stagnant bottom water, but the shallow waters that conceal this hazard are dilute and undergo seasonal changes similar to other deep crater lakes in the tropics. Here we discuss these changes with reference to climatic and water-column data collected at both lakes during the years following the gas release...
Authors
George Kling, William C Evans, Gregory Tanyileke

Hybridization threatens shoal bass populations in the Upper Chattahoochee River Basin: Chapter 37 Hybridization threatens shoal bass populations in the Upper Chattahoochee River Basin: Chapter 37

Shoal bass are native only to the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, and are vulnerable to extinction as a result of population fragmentation and introduction of non-native species. We assessed the genetic integrity of isolated populations of shoal bass in the upper Chattahoochee River basin (above Lake Lanier, Big Creek, and below Morgan...
Authors
Elizabeth E Dakin, Brady A. Porter, Byron J. Freeman, James M. Long

Delicate balance of magmatic-tectonic interaction at Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i, revealed from slow slip events: Chapter 13 Delicate balance of magmatic-tectonic interaction at Kilauea Volcano, Hawai`i, revealed from slow slip events: Chapter 13

Eleven slow slip events (SSEs) have occurred on the southern flank of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai’i, since 1997 through 2014. We analyze this series of SSEs in the context of Kilauea’s magma system to assess whether or not there are interactions between these tectonic events and eruptive/intrusive activity. Over time, SSEs have increased in magnitude and become more regular, with interevent...
Authors
Emily Montgomery-Brown, Michael P. Poland, Asta Miklius
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