Publications
These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.
Filter Total Items: 16759
User guide for the Connecticut Streamflow and Sustainable Water Use Estimator (CT SSWUE—version 1.0) computer program User guide for the Connecticut Streamflow and Sustainable Water Use Estimator (CT SSWUE—version 1.0) computer program
This report is a user guide for the Connecticut Streamflow and Sustainable Water Use Estimator (CT SSWUE) computer program (version 1.0). The CT SSWUE was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to provide a planning-level decision-support tool designed to help decision makers estimate daily mean...
Authors
Gregory E. Granato, Sara B. Levin
Hydrologic controls of methane dynamics in karst subterranean estuaries Hydrologic controls of methane dynamics in karst subterranean estuaries
Karst subterranean estuaries (KSEs) extend into carbonate platforms along 12% of all coastlines. A recent study has shown that microbial methane (CH4) consumption is an important component of the carbon cycle and food web dynamics within flooded caves that permeate KSEs. In this study, we obtained high‐resolution (~2.5‐day) temporal records of dissolved methane concentrations and its...
Authors
David Brankovits, John W. Pohlman, Neil K. Ganju, T.M. Iliffe, N. Lowell, E. Roth, S.P. Sylva, J.A. Emmert, L. L. Lapham
Optimization of salt marsh management at the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware, through use of structured decision making Optimization of salt marsh management at the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware, through use of structured decision making
Structured decision making is a systematic, transparent process for improving the quality of complex decisions by identifying measurable management objectives and feasible management actions; predicting the potential consequences of management actions relative to the stated objectives; and selecting a course of action that maximizes the total benefit achieved and balances tradeoffs among
Authors
Hilary A. Neckles, James E. Lyons, Jessica L. Nagel, Susan C. Adamowicz, Toni Mikula, Susan T. Guiteras, Laura R. Mitchell
Observer-free experimental evaluation of habitat and distance effects on the detection of anuran and bird vocalizations Observer-free experimental evaluation of habitat and distance effects on the detection of anuran and bird vocalizations
Acoustic surveys of vocalizing animals are conducted to determine density, distribution, and diversity. Acoustic surveys are traditionally performed by human listeners, but automated recording devices (ARD) are becoming increasingly popular. Signal strength decays, or attenuates, with increasing distance between source and receiver and some habitat types may differentially increase...
Authors
Andrew R. MacLaren, Paul S. Crump, J. Andrew Royle, Michael R. J. Forstner
Do life history traits influence patterns of maternal immune elements in New World blackbirds (Icteridae)? Do life history traits influence patterns of maternal immune elements in New World blackbirds (Icteridae)?
Avian immunology developed originally by investigating domesticated poultry species (Galliformes), but in recent decades eco-immunological studies of wild bird species have revealed that avian immune systems are more diverse than initially assumed. This study compares six immunological elements in eggs of six species within the same family, the New World blackbirds (Icteridae),whose...
Authors
Carol Fassbinder-Orth, Lawrence D. Igl, D. Caldwell Hahn, Kelsey M. Watts, Travis Wilcoxon, Katsi Ramos-Alvarez
Sex‐specific responses in neuroanatomy of hatchling American kestrels in response to embryonic exposure to the flame retardants bis(2‐ethylhexyl)‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromophthalate and 2‐ethylhexyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromobenzoate Sex‐specific responses in neuroanatomy of hatchling American kestrels in response to embryonic exposure to the flame retardants bis(2‐ethylhexyl)‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromophthalate and 2‐ethylhexyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromobenzoate
Bis(2‐ethylhexyl)‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromophthalate (BEH‐TEBP) and 2‐ethylhexyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromobenzoate (EH‐TBB), flame retardant components of FireMaster 550® and 600® have been detected in tissues of wild birds. To address the paucity of information regarding potential impacts of flame retardants on the brain, brain volume regions of hatchling American kestrels (Falco sparverius) were...
Authors
Melanie F. Guigueno, Natalie Karouna-Renier, Paula F. P. Henry, Lisa E. Peters, Vince P. Palace, Robert J. Letcher, Kim J. Fernie
Eco‐evolutionary rescue promotes host–pathogen coexistence Eco‐evolutionary rescue promotes host–pathogen coexistence
Emerging infectious pathogens are responsible for some of the most severe host mass mortality events in wild populations. Yet, effective pathogen control strategies are notoriously difficult to identify, in part because quantifying and forecasting pathogen spread and disease dynamics is challenging. Following an outbreak, hosts must cope with the presence of the pathogen, leading to host...
Authors
Graziella V. DiRenzo, Elise F. Zipkin, Evan H. Campbell Grant, J. Andrew Royle, Ana V. Longo, Kelly R. Zamudio, Karen R. Lips
Projected changes in climate and physical processes Projected changes in climate and physical processes
In Chapter 3, we examined how climate has changed in the Mid-Atlantic region during the past century. This chapter examines how climate is expected to change during the 21st century, including changes in extreme weather events and other climaterelated processes. General circulation models, also called global climate models (GCMs), are used to project future change at coarse spatial...
Authors
Patricia R. Butler-Leopold, Louis R. Iverson, Frank R. Thompson III, Leslie A. Brandt, Stephen D. Handler, Maria K. Janowiak, P. Danielle Shannon, Christopher W. Swanston, Scott Bearer, Alexander Bryan, Kenneth L. Clark, Greg Czarnecki, Philip DeSenze, William D. Dijak, Jacob S. Fraser, Paul F. Gugger, Andrea Hille, Justin Hynicka, Claire A. Jantz, Matthew C. Kelly, Katrina M. Krause, Inga P. La Puma, Deborah Landau, Richard G. Lathrop, Laura P. Leites, Evan Madlinger, Stephen N. Matthews, Gulnihal Ozbay, Matthew P. Peters, Anantha Prasad, David A. Schmit, Collin Shephard, Rebecca Shirer, Nicholas S. Skowronski, Al Steele, Susan Stout, Melissa Thomas-Van Gundy, John Thompson, Richard M. Turcotte, David A. Weinstein, Alfonso Yanez
Coastal wetlands: A synthesis Coastal wetlands: A synthesis
This book and this synthesis address the pressing need for better management of coastal wetlands worldwide because these wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate; in some countries the loss is 70%–80% in the last 50 years. Managing requires understanding. Although our understanding of the functioning of coastal wetland ecosystems has grown rapidly over the past decade, still much...
Authors
Charles S. Hopkinson, Eric Wolanski, Donald R. Cahoon, Gerardo M. E. Perillo, Mark M. Brinson
Evaluating restored tidal freshwater wetlands Evaluating restored tidal freshwater wetlands
As restoration of tidal freshwater wetlands has progressed in North America and Eurasia, research findings have continued to emerge on the postrestoration success of these ecosystems. The most common approaches used to restore tidal freshwater wetlands involve excavation or placement of dredged sediment to restore tidal hydrology compatible with vegetation establishment and managed...
Authors
Andrew H. Baldwin, Richard S. Hammerschlag, Donald R. Cahoon
Quantifying effects of deer browsing on vegetation establishment, growth and development in large-extent overwash fans Quantifying effects of deer browsing on vegetation establishment, growth and development in large-extent overwash fans
Hurricane Sandy provided a unique opportunity to better understand the potential effects of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus borealis) on recovering vegetation in areas overwashed by Hurricane Sandy in the Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness Area. White-tailed deer are the dominant herbivore on Fire Island and they are known to decrease plant diversity, limit reproduction...
Authors
Chellby R. Kilheffer, Lindsay Reis, Jordan Raphael, H. Brian Underwood
Waterfowl spring migratory behavior and avian influenza transmission risk in the changing landscape of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Waterfowl spring migratory behavior and avian influenza transmission risk in the changing landscape of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway
Avian influenza has advanced from a regional concern to a global health issue with significant economic, trade, and public health implications. Wild birds, particularly waterfowl (Anseriformes), are known reservoirs for low-pathogenic avian influenza viruses (AIV) and recent studies have shown their potential in the spread of highly pathogenic forms of virus. East Asia remains an...
Authors
Jeffery D. Sullivan, John Y. Takekawa, Kyle A. Spragens, Scott H. Newman, Xiangming Xiao, Paul J. Leader, Bena Smith, Diann J. Prosser