Publications
These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.
Filter Total Items: 16746
Response to L. Land comment on Bricker, Rice, Bricker (2014) From Headwaters to Coast: Influence of human activities on water quality of the Potomac River Estuary. Aquatic Geochemistry 20: 291-324 Response to L. Land comment on Bricker, Rice, Bricker (2014) From Headwaters to Coast: Influence of human activities on water quality of the Potomac River Estuary. Aquatic Geochemistry 20: 291-324
Overabundance of nutrients is considered one of the top challenges to most populated coastal water bodies, including Chesapeake Bay (Executive Order 13508). As scientists, one of our responsibilities is to contribute to the discussion and evaluation of management actions that have the potential to decrease pollution with concomitant improvement of water quality. Results of our science...
Authors
Suzanne B. Bricker, Karen C. Rice, III Owen Bricker
Comparison of mineral weathering and biomass nutrient uptake in two small forested watersheds underlain by quartzite bedrock, Catoctin Mountain, Maryland, USA Comparison of mineral weathering and biomass nutrient uptake in two small forested watersheds underlain by quartzite bedrock, Catoctin Mountain, Maryland, USA
To quantify chemical weathering and biological uptake, mass-balance calculations were performed on two small forested watersheds located in the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province in north-central Maryland, USA. Both watersheds, Bear Branch (BB) and Fishing Creek Tributary (FCT), are underlain by relatively unreactive quartzite bedrock. Such unreactive bedrock and associated low chemical...
Authors
Karen C. Rice, Jason R. Price
USGS geologic Mapping and karst research in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri, USA USGS geologic Mapping and karst research in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri, USA
The Ozark National Scenic Riverways (ONSR) was created in 1964 to protect 134 miles of the Current River and its major tributary, the Jacks Fork, that are located in south-central Missouri (fig. 1). The park includes numerous large karst springs including Big Spring, by flow volume this is the largest spring in the National Park system. The National Park Service (NPS) administers a...
Authors
David J. Weary, Victoria M Grant
Sources and sinks of carbon in boreal ecosystems of interior Alaska: a review Sources and sinks of carbon in boreal ecosystems of interior Alaska: a review
Boreal regions store large quantities of carbon but are increasingly vulnerable to carbon loss due to disturbance and climate warming. The boreal region, underlain by discontinuous permafrost, presents a challenging landscape for itemizing current and potential carbon sources and sinks in the boreal soil and vegetation. The roles of fire, forest succession, and the presence (or absence)...
Authors
Thomas A. Douglas, Miriam C. Jones, Christopher A. Hiemstra
Observations from borehole dilution logging experiments in fractured crystalline rock under variable hydraulic conditions Observations from borehole dilution logging experiments in fractured crystalline rock under variable hydraulic conditions
Identifying hydraulically active fractures in low permeability, crystalline-bedrock aquifers requires a variety of geophysical and hydrogeophysical borehole tools and approaches. One such approach is Single Borehole Dilution Tests (SBDT), which in some low flow cases have been shown to provide greater resolution of borehole flow than other logging procedures, such as vertical...
Authors
Philip T. Harte, J. Alton Anderson, John H. Williams
Mineral resource of the month: Strontium Mineral resource of the month: Strontium
Strontium occurs commonly in nature, ranking as the 15th most abundant chemical element on Earth. Only two minerals contain sufficient strontium, however, to be used commercially to produce strontium compounds: Strontianite (strontium carbonate) has a higher strontium content, but celestite (strontium sulfate) is by far the most abundant strontium mineral.
Authors
Joyce A. Ober
Exchange of nitrogen and phosphorus between a shallow lagoon and coastal waters Exchange of nitrogen and phosphorus between a shallow lagoon and coastal waters
West Falmouth Harbor, a shallow lagoon on Cape Cod, has experienced a threefold increase in nitrogen load since the mid- to late 1990s due to input from a groundwater plume contaminated by a municipal wastewater treatment plant. We measured the exchange of nitrogen and phosphorus between the harbor and the coastal waters of Buzzards Bay over several years when the harbor was experiencing...
Authors
Melanie Hayn, Robert W. Howarth, Neil K. Ganju, Peter Berg, Kenneth H. Foreman, Anne E. Giblin, Karen McGlathery
Gymnophthalmus speciosus (golden spectacled tegu): predation by great egret Gymnophthalmus speciosus (golden spectacled tegu): predation by great egret
No abstract available.
Authors
Robert P. Reynolds, James F. Whatton, Christina A. Gebhard
Molecular signature of organic nitrogen in septic-impacted groundwater Molecular signature of organic nitrogen in septic-impacted groundwater
Dissolved inorganic and organic nitrogen levels are elevated in aquatic systems due to anthropogenic activities. Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) arises from various sources, and its impact could be more clearly constrained if specific sources were identified and if the molecular-level composition of DON were better understood. In this work, the pharmaceutical carbamazepine was used to...
Authors
William A. Arnold, Krista Longnecker, Kevin D. Kroeger, Elizabeth B. Kujawinski
Biological effects-based tools for monitoring impacted surface waters in the Great Lakes: a multiagency program in support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Biological effects-based tools for monitoring impacted surface waters in the Great Lakes: a multiagency program in support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
There is increasing demand for the implementation of effects-based monitoring and surveillance (EBMS) approaches in the Great Lakes Basin to complement traditional chemical monitoring. Herein, we describe an ongoing multiagency effort to develop and implement EBMS tools, particularly with regard to monitoring potentially toxic chemicals and assessing Areas of Concern (AOCs), as...
Authors
Drew R. Ekman, Gerald T. Ankley, Vicki Blazer, Timothy W. Collette, Natàlia Garcia-Reyero, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Zachary G. Jorgensen, Kathy Lee, Pat M. Mazik, David H. Miller, Edward J. Perkins, Edwin T. Smith, Joseph E. Tietge, Daniel L. Villeneuve
Telescoping metamorphic isograds: Evidence from 40Ar/39A dating in the Orange-Milford belt, southern Connecticut Telescoping metamorphic isograds: Evidence from 40Ar/39A dating in the Orange-Milford belt, southern Connecticut
New 40Ar/39Ar ages for hornblende and muscovite from the Orange-Milford belt in southern Connecticut reflect cooling from Acadian amphibolite facies metamorphism between ∼380 to 360 Ma followed by retrograde recrystallization of fabric-forming muscovite and chlorite during lower greenschist facies Alleghanian transpression at ∼280 Ma. Reported field temperature and pressure gradients are
Authors
Michael J. Kunk, Gregory J. Walsh, Martha L. Growdon, Robert P. Wintsch
Surveillance theory applied to virus detection: a case for targeted discovery Surveillance theory applied to virus detection: a case for targeted discovery
Virus detection and mathematical modeling have gone through rapid developments in the past decade. Both offer new insights into the epidemiology of infectious disease and characterization of future risk; however, modeling has not yet been applied to designing the best surveillance strategies for viral and pathogen discovery. We review recent developments and propose methods to integrate...
Authors
Tiffany L. Bogich, Simon J. Anthony, James D. Nichols