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These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.

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Trends in methyl tert-butyl ether concentrations in private wells in southeast New Hampshire: 2005 to 2015 Trends in methyl tert-butyl ether concentrations in private wells in southeast New Hampshire: 2005 to 2015

In southeast New Hampshire, where reformulated gasoline was used from the 1990s to 2007, methyl tert-butyl ether (MtBE) concentrations ≥0.2 μg/L were found in water from 26.7% of 195 domestic wells sampled in 2005. Ten years later in 2015, and eight years after MtBE was banned, 10.3% continue to have MtBE. Most wells (140 of 195) had no MtBE detections (concentrations
Authors
Sarah Flanagan, Joseph P. Levitt, Joseph D. Ayotte

Geology along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia Geology along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia

Detailed geologic mapping and new SHRIMP (sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe) U-Pb zircon, Ar/Ar, Lu-Hf, 14C, luminescence (optically stimulated), thermochronology (fission-track), and palynology reveal the complex Mesoproterozoic to Quaternary geology along the ~350 km length of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. Traversing the boundary of the central and southern Appalachians...
Authors
Mark W. Carter, C. Scott Southworth, Richard P. Tollo, Arthur J. Merschat, Sara Wagner, Ava Lazor, John N. Aleinikoff

Time within reproductive season, but not age or inbreeding coefficient, influences seminal and sperm quality in the whooping crane (Grus americana) Time within reproductive season, but not age or inbreeding coefficient, influences seminal and sperm quality in the whooping crane (Grus americana)

All living whooping cranes (Grus americana) are descended from 16 or fewer birds that remained alive in the early 1940s, a bottleneck that puts the species at potential risk for inbreeding depression. Although AI is commonly used in the management of the captive population of this species, little is known about seminal traits or factors affecting sperm quality in the whooping crane. In...
Authors
M.E. Brown, Sarah J. Converse, Jane N. Chandler, A. L. Crosier, W. Lynch, D.E. Wildt, C. L. Keefer, Nucharin Songsasen

Biological response to climate change in the Arctic Ocean: The view from the past Biological response to climate change in the Arctic Ocean: The view from the past

The Arctic Ocean is undergoing rapid climatic changes including higher ocean temperatures, reduced sea ice, glacier and Greenland Ice Sheet melting, greater marine productivity, and altered carbon cycling. Until recently, the relationship between climate and Arctic biological systems was poorly known, but this has changed substantially as advances in paleoclimatology, micropaleontology...
Authors
Thomas M. Cronin, Matthew A. Cronin

Hydrogeology, groundwater flow, and groundwater quality of an abandoned underground coal-mine aquifer, Elkhorn Area, West Virginia Hydrogeology, groundwater flow, and groundwater quality of an abandoned underground coal-mine aquifer, Elkhorn Area, West Virginia

The Pocahontas No. 3 coal seam in southern West Virginia has been extensively mined by underground methods since the 1880’s. An extensive network of abandoned mine entries in the Pocahontas No. 3 has since filled with good-quality water, which is pumped from wells or springs discharging from mine portals (adits), and used as a source of water for public supplies. This report presents...
Authors
Mark D. Kozar, Kurt J. McCoy, James Q. Britton, B.M. Blake

Geology and biostratigraphy of the Potomac River cliffs at Stratford Hall, Westmoreland County, Virginia Geology and biostratigraphy of the Potomac River cliffs at Stratford Hall, Westmoreland County, Virginia

The cliffs along the Potomac River at Stratford Hall display extensive exposures of Miocene marine strata that belong successively to the Calvert, Choptank, St. Marys, and Eastover Formations. Within the lower part of this sequence, in the Calvert and Choptank Formations, there is well-developed cyclic stratigraphy. Above the Miocene units lies the marginal marine to deltaic Pleistocene...
Authors
Robert E. Weems, Lucy E. Edwards, Bryan D. Landacre

Post-rift magmatic evolution of the eastern North American “passive-aggressive” margin Post-rift magmatic evolution of the eastern North American “passive-aggressive” margin

Understanding the evolution of passive margins requires knowledge of temporal and chemical constraints on magmatism following the transition from supercontinent to rifting, to post-rifting evolution. The Eastern North American Margin (ENAM) is an ideal study location as several magmatic pulses occurred in the 200 My following rifting. In particular, the Virginia-West Virginia region of...
Authors
Sarah E. Mazza, Esteban Gazel, Elizabeth A. Johnson, Michael Bizmis, Ryan J. McAleer, C. Berk Biryol

Thiamine and lipid utilization in fasting Chinook salmon Thiamine and lipid utilization in fasting Chinook salmon

A laboratory study was conducted to estimate utilization rates of thiamine (vitamin B1) and lipid in whole fish, muscle, and liver tissues of fasting Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). The experiment was conducted with Chinook salmon held at 5ºC over a period of 150 days to simulate fasting during migration or overwintering. Chinook salmon body length and wet weight did not...
Authors
Dale C. Honeyfield, A. K. Peters, Michael L. Jones

Life history and status of Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum LeSueur, 1818) Life history and status of Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum LeSueur, 1818)

Shortnose Sturgeon = SNS (Acipenser brevirostrum) is a small diadromous species with most populations living in large Atlantic coast rivers and estuaries of North America from New Brunswick, Canada, to GA, USA. There are no naturally landlocked populations, so all populations require access to fresh water and salt water to complete a natural life cycle. The species is amphidromous with...
Authors
Boyd Kynard, Stephania Bolden, Micah Kieffer, Mark Collins, Hal Brundage, Eric Hilton, Mark Litvak, Michael T. Kinnison, Tim L. King, Douglas C. Peterson

A simple rubric for Stratigraphic Fidelity (β) of paleoenvironmental time series A simple rubric for Stratigraphic Fidelity (β) of paleoenvironmental time series

The Pliocene, specifically the late Pliocene, has been a focus of paleoclimate research formore than 25 years. Synoptic regional and global reconstructions along with high-resolution time-series have produced nuanced conceptual models of paleoenvironmental conditions and enhanced our understanding of climate variability and climate sensitivity from the Late Pliocene, the most recent...
Authors
Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Kevin M. Foley

Regional geologic and petrologic framework for iron oxide ± apatite ± rare earth element and iron oxide copper-gold deposits of the Mesoproterozoic St. Francois Mountains terrane, southeast Missouri, USA Regional geologic and petrologic framework for iron oxide ± apatite ± rare earth element and iron oxide copper-gold deposits of the Mesoproterozoic St. Francois Mountains terrane, southeast Missouri, USA

This paper provides an overview on the genesis of Mesoproterozoic igneous rocks and associated iron oxide ± apatite (IOA) ± rare earth element, iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG), and iron-rich sedimentary deposits in the St. Francois Mountains terrane of southeast Missouri, USA. The St. Francois Mountains terrane lies along the southeastern margin of Laurentia as part of the eastern granite...
Authors
Warren C. Day, John F. Slack, Robert A. Ayuso, Cheryl M. Seeger
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