Publications

Coral reefs form complex physical structures that can help to mitigate coastal flooding risk1,2. This function will be reduced by sea-level rise (SLR) and impaired reef growth caused by climate change and local anthropogenic stressors3. Water depths above reef surfaces are projected to increase as a result, but the magnitudes and timescales of this increase are poorly constrained, which...

The Zuni Salt Lake is located in a maar in west-central New Mexico and contains hypersaline water that has long been used by Native Americans for religious purposes and the collection of salt. There have been several investigations suggesting different sources for the water and salt to the lake. Springs, seeps, and ephemeral streamflow have all been observed to contribute freshwater to...

Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida, also called polar cod) are considered the single most important Arctic forage fish due to their high abundance and nutritional quality. Because Arctic cod are strongly ice associated and prefer colder waters, their frequency in coastal waters has declined with warming, decreasing availability to nearshore predators. To consider the nutritional quality of...

Light and temperature are driving forces that shape the evolution and physiology of mesophotic organisms. On the Mississippi-Alabama continental shelf, octocorals dominate the mesophotic seascape and provide habitat for many fish and invertebrate species. Gaps in knowledge regarding the fundamental physiological responses of these species to light and temperature are of particular...

Many ecological processes affect the availability of winter dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in rivers, a key feature of overwintering fish habitat. Sediment oxygen demand (SOD) contributes to DO depletion, particularly during ice-covered periods, and may cause hypoxic conditions in backwater lakes, affecting the availability of suitable overwintering habitat. Understanding the...

Bigheaded carps (i.e., Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Bighead Carp H. nobilis) are non-native species that continue to expand their ranges throughout North American river systems, including the Tennessee and Cumberland river systems in the southeastern United States. These species are known to have deleterious effects on native fishes. Management efforts have focused on...