Publications
These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.
Filter Total Items: 16746
Internet-based Modeling, Mapping, and Analysis for the Greater Everglades (IMMAGE; Version 1.0): web-based tools to assess the impact of sea level rise in south Florida Internet-based Modeling, Mapping, and Analysis for the Greater Everglades (IMMAGE; Version 1.0): web-based tools to assess the impact of sea level rise in south Florida
South Florida's Greater Everglades area is particularly vulnerable to sea level rise, due to its rich endowment of animal and plant species and its heavily populated urban areas along the coast. Rising sea levels are expected to have substantial impacts on inland flooding, the depth and extent of surge from coastal storms, the degradation of water supplies by saltwater intrusion, and the...
Authors
Paul Hearn, David Strong, Eric Swain, Jeremy Decker
Massachusetts shoreline change project: a GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the 2013 update Massachusetts shoreline change project: a GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the 2013 update
Identifying the rates and trends associated with the position of the shoreline through time presents vital information on potential impacts these changes may have on coastal populations and infrastructure, and supports informed coastal management decisions. This report publishes the historical shoreline data used to assess the scale and timing of erosion and accretion along the...
Authors
Theresa L. Smith, Emily A. Himmelstoss, E. Robert Thieler
Sea-floor geology in northeastern Block Island Sound, Rhode Island Sea-floor geology in northeastern Block Island Sound, Rhode Island
Multibeam-echosounder and sidescan-sonar data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in northeastern Block Island Sound, combined with sediment samples and bottom photography collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, are used to interpret sea-floor features and sedimentary environments in this 52-square-kilometer-area offshore Rhode Island. Boulders, which are...
Authors
Kate Y. McMullen, Lawrence J. Poppe, Seth D. Ackerman, Dann S. Blackwood, P.G. Lewit, Castle E. Parker
Synthesis and interpretation of surface-water quality and aquatic biota data collected in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, 1979-2009 Synthesis and interpretation of surface-water quality and aquatic biota data collected in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, 1979-2009
Shenandoah National Park in northern and central Virginia protects 777 square kilometers of mountain terrain in the Blue Ridge physiographic province and more than 90 streams containing diverse aquatic biota. Park managers and visitors are interested in the water quality of park streams and its ability to support healthy coldwater communities and species, such as the native brook trout...
Authors
John D. Jastram, Craig D. Snyder, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Karen C. Rice
Morphological distinctiveness of Javan Tupaia hypochrysa (Scandentia, Tupaiidae) Morphological distinctiveness of Javan Tupaia hypochrysa (Scandentia, Tupaiidae)
The common treeshrew, Tupaia glis, represents a species complex with a complicated taxonomic history. It is distributed mostly south of the Isthmus of Kra on the Malay Peninsula and surrounding islands. In our recent revision of a portion of this species complex, we did not fully assess the population from Java (T. “glis” hypochrysa) because of our limited sample. Herein, we revisit this...
Authors
Eric J. Sargis, Neal Woodman, Natalie C. Morningstar, Aspen T. Reese, Link E. Olson
Golden eagle population trends in the western United States: 1968-2010 Golden eagle population trends in the western United States: 1968-2010
In 2009, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service promulgated permit regulations for the unintentional lethal take (anthropogenic mortality) and disturbance of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). Accurate population trend and size information for golden eagles are needed so agency biologists can make informed decisions when eagle take permits are requested. To address this need with...
Authors
Brian A. Millsap, Guthrie S. Zimmerman, John R. Sauer, Ryan M. Nielson, Mark Otto, Emily Bjerre, Robert K. Murphy
The impact of sea-level rise on organic matter decay rates in Chesapeake Bay brackish tidal marshes The impact of sea-level rise on organic matter decay rates in Chesapeake Bay brackish tidal marshes
The balance between organic matter production and decay determines how fast coastal wetlands accumulate soil organic matter. Despite the importance of soil organic matter accumulation rates in influencing marsh elevation and resistance to sea-level rise, relatively little is known about how decomposition rates will respond to sea-level rise. Here, we estimate the sensitivity of...
Authors
M.L. Kirwanm, J.A. Langley, Gleen R. Guntenspergen, J.P. Megonigal
Comparative embryotoxicity of a pentabrominated diphenyl ether mixture to common terns (Sterna hirundo) and American kestrels (Falco sparverius) Comparative embryotoxicity of a pentabrominated diphenyl ether mixture to common terns (Sterna hirundo) and American kestrels (Falco sparverius)
Concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Forster’s tern (Sterna forsteri) eggs from San Francisco Bay have been reported to range up to 63 μg g−1 lipid weight. This value exceeds the lowest-observed-adverse-effect level (1.8 μg g−1 egg wet weight; ∼32 μg−1 lipid weight) reported in an embryotoxicity study with American kestrels (Falco sparverius). As a surrogate for...
Authors
Barnett A. Rattner, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Gary H. Heinz, Natalie K. Karouna-Reiner, Sandra L. Schultz, Robert C. Hale
Social learning of migratory performance Social learning of migratory performance
Successful bird migration can depend on individual learning, social learning, and innate navigation programs. Using 8 years of data on migrating whooping cranes, we were able to partition genetic and socially learned aspects of migration. Specifically, we analyzed data from a reintroduced population wherein all birds were captive bred and artificially trained by ultralight aircraft on...
Authors
Thomas Mueller, Robert B. O’Hara, Sarah J. Converse, Richard P. Urbanek, William F. Fagan
Spatial capture-recapture Spatial capture-recapture
Spatial Capture-Recapture provides a revolutionary extension of traditional capture-recapture methods for studying animal populations using data from live trapping, camera trapping, DNA sampling, acoustic sampling, and related field methods. This book is a conceptual and methodological synthesis of spatial capture-recapture modeling. As a comprehensive how-to manual, this reference...
Authors
J. Andrew Royle, Richard B. Chandler, Rahel Sollmann, Beth Gardner
Mitigating the effects of landscape development on streams in urbanizing watersheds Mitigating the effects of landscape development on streams in urbanizing watersheds
This collaborative study examined urbanization and impacts on area streams while using the best available sediment and erosion control (S&EC) practices in developing watersheds in Maryland, United States. During conversion of the agricultural and forested watersheds to urban land use, land surface topography was graded and vegetation was removed creating a high potential for sediment...
Authors
Dianna M. Hogan, S. Taylor Jarnagin, John V. Loperfido, Keith Van Ness
Untested pesticide mitigation requirements: ecological, agricultural, and legal implications Untested pesticide mitigation requirements: ecological, agricultural, and legal implications
Every pesticide sold in the United States must have a U.S. Environmental Agency approved label on its container. The label provides directions for the pesticide’s use and is legally enforceable under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. For a pesticide with high ecological risks, mitigation statements may be included on the label to reduce the pesticide’s risks and to...
Authors
Nimish B. Vyas