Publications
These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.
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Decision analysis to support development of the Glen Canyon Dam long-term experimental and management plan Decision analysis to support development of the Glen Canyon Dam long-term experimental and management plan
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, and Argonne National Laboratory, completed a decision analysis to use in the evaluation of alternatives in the Environmental Impact Statement concerning the long-term management of water releases from Glen Canyon Dam and associated management activities. Two primary decision analysis methods
Authors
Michael C. Runge, Kirk E. LaGory, Kendra Russell, Janet R. Balsom, R. Alan Butler, Coggins, Katrina A. Grantz, John Hayse, Ihor Hlohowskyj, Josh Korman, James E. May, Daniel J. O’Rourke, Leslie A. Poch, James R. Prairie, Jack C. VanKuiken, Robert A. Van Lonkhuyzen, David R. Varyu, Bruce T. Verhaaren, Thomas D. Veselka, Nicholas T. Williams, Kelsey K. Wuthrich, Charles B. Yackulic, Robert P. Billerbeck, Glen W. Knowles
Distributional patterns of arsenic concentrations in contaminant plumes offer clues to the source of arsenic in groundwater at landfills Distributional patterns of arsenic concentrations in contaminant plumes offer clues to the source of arsenic in groundwater at landfills
The distributional pattern of dissolved arsenic concentrations from landfill plumes can provide clues to the source of arsenic contamination. Under simple idealized conditions, arsenic concentrations along flow paths in aquifers proximal to a landfill will decrease under anthropogenic sources but potentially increase under in situ sources. This paper presents several conceptual...
Authors
Philip T. Harte
Geologic framework and evidence for neotectonism in the epicentral area of the 2011 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake Geologic framework and evidence for neotectonism in the epicentral area of the 2011 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake
The epicenters of the main shock and associated aftershocks of the 2011 moment magnitude, Mw 5.8 Mineral, Virginia (USA), earthquake, and the updip projection of the possible fault plane that triggered the quakes, are contained in the areas of 2 adjoining 7.5′ quadrangles in the central Virginia Piedmont. These quadrangles have therefore been the focus of concentrated geologic study in...
Authors
William C. Burton, Richard W. Harrison, David B. Spears, Nicholas H. Evans, Shannon A. Mahan
Pollen and spores of terrestrial plants Pollen and spores of terrestrial plants
Pollen and spores are valuable tools in reconstructing past sea level and climate because of their ubiquity, abundance, and durability as well as their reciprocity with source vegetation to environmental change (Cronin, 1999; Traverse, 2007; Willard and Bernhardt, 2011). Pollan is found in many sedimentary environments, from freshwater to saltwater, terrestrial to marine. It can be...
Authors
Christopher E. Bernhardt, Debra A. Willard
REE enrichment in granite-derived regolith deposits of the southeast United States: Prospective source rocks and accumulation processes REE enrichment in granite-derived regolith deposits of the southeast United States: Prospective source rocks and accumulation processes
The Southeastern United States contains numerous anorogenic, or A-type, granites, which constitute promising source rocks for REE-enriched ion adsorption clay deposits due to their inherently high concentrations of REE. These granites have undergone a long history of chemical weathering, resulting in thick granite-derived regoliths, akin to those of South China, which supply virtually...
Authors
Nora K. Foley, Robert A. Ayuso
Geomorphology, active tectonics, and landscape evolution in the Mid-Atlantic region Geomorphology, active tectonics, and landscape evolution in the Mid-Atlantic region
In 2014, the geomorphology community marked the 125th birthday of one of its most influential papers, “The Rivers and Valleys of Pennsylvania” by William Morris Davis. Inspired by Davis’s work, the Appalachian landscape rapidly became fertile ground for the development and testing of several grand landscape evolution paradigms, culminating with John Hack’s dynamic equilibrium in 1960. As...
Authors
Frank J. Pazzaglia, Mark W. Carter, Claudio Berti, Ronald C. Counts, Gregory S. Hancock, David Harbor, Richard W. Harrison, Matthew J. Heller, Shannon A. Mahan, Helen Malenda, Ryan McKeon, Michelle S. Nelson, Phillip Prince, Tammy M. Rittenour, James Spotilla, G. Richard Whittecar
Changes in thyroid parameters of hatchling American kestrels (Falco sparverius) following embryonic exposure to technical short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs; C10-13, 55.5% CL) Changes in thyroid parameters of hatchling American kestrels (Falco sparverius) following embryonic exposure to technical short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs; C10-13, 55.5% CL)
Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are complex mixtures of polychlorinated n-alkanes categorized according to their carbon chain length: short chain (SCCPs, C10 – C13), medium (C14 - C17), and long chain (C>17), chlorinated paraffins. SCCPs are primarily used in metalworking applications, as flame retardants, and in paints, adhesives, sealants, textiles, plastics and rubber (UNEP 2012). In 2012...
Authors
Kimberly J. Fernie, Paula F. P. Henry, Robert J. Letcher, Vince P. Palace, Lisa E. Peters, Barnett A. Rattner, Edward Sverko, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier
Implementation of a framework for multi-species, multi-objective adaptive management in Delaware Bay Implementation of a framework for multi-species, multi-objective adaptive management in Delaware Bay
Decision analytic approaches have been widely recommended as well suited to solving disputed and ecologically complex natural resource management problems with multiple objectives and high uncertainty. However, the difference between theory and practice is substantial, as there are very few actual resource management programs that represent formal applications of decision analysis. We...
Authors
Conor P. McGowan, David R. Smith, James D. Nichols, James E. Lyons, John A. Sweka, Kevin Kalasz, Lawrence J. Niles, Richard Wong, Jeffrey Brust, Michelle C. Davis, Braddock Spear
Copper toxicity and organic matter: Resiliency of watersheds in the Duluth Complex, Minnesota, USA Copper toxicity and organic matter: Resiliency of watersheds in the Duluth Complex, Minnesota, USA
We estimated copper (Cu) toxicity in surface water with high dissolved organic matter (DOM) for unmined mineralized watersheds of the Duluth Complex using the Biotic Ligand Model (BLM), which evaluates the effect of DOM, cation competition for biologic binding sites, and metal speciation. A sediment-based BLM was used to estimate stream-sediment toxicity; this approach factors in the...
Authors
Nadine M. Piatak, Robert R. Seal, Perry M. Jones, Laurel G. Woodruff
Trade-offs in osmoregulation and parallel shifts in molecular function follow ecological transitions to freshwater in the Alewife Trade-offs in osmoregulation and parallel shifts in molecular function follow ecological transitions to freshwater in the Alewife
Adaptation to freshwater may be expected to reduce performance in seawater because these environments represent opposing selective regimes. We tested for such a trade-off in populations of the Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus). Alewives are ancestrally anadromous, and multiple populations have been independently restricted to freshwater (landlocked). We conducted salinity challenge...
Authors
Jonathan P. Velotta, Stephen D. McCormick, Eric T. Schultz
Scale-appropriate adaptation strategies and actions in the Northeast and Midwest United States Scale-appropriate adaptation strategies and actions in the Northeast and Midwest United States
Climate Change Adaptation is a growing field within conservation and natural resource management. Actions taken toward climate change adaptation account for climate impacts and ecological responses, both current and projected into the future. These actions attempt to accomplish a number of goals, including the conservation of wildlife and ecosystems by reducing vulnerability and...
Authors
Michelle D. Staudinger, Laura Hilberg, Maria Janowiak, Chris Caldwell, Anthony W. D’Amato, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Radley M. Horton, Rachel A. Katz, Chris Neiil, Keith H. Nislow, Ken Potter, Erika Rowland, Chris Swanston, Frank Thompson, Kristopher J. Winiarski
The effects of harvest on waterfowl populations The effects of harvest on waterfowl populations
Change in the size of populations over space and time is, arguably, the motivation for much of pure and applied ecological research. The fundamental model for the dynamics of any population is straightforward: the net change in the abundance is the simple difference between the number of individuals entering the population and the number leaving the population, either or both of which...
Authors
Evan G. Cooch, Matthieu Guillemain, G Scott Boomer, Jean-Dominique Lebreton, James D. Nichols