Publications
These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.
Filter Total Items: 16904
Dynamic resource allocation in conservation planning Dynamic resource allocation in conservation planning
Consider the problem of protecting endangered species by selecting patches of land to be used for conservation purposes. Typically, the availability of patches changes over time, and recommendations must be made dynamically. This is a challenging prototypical example of a sequential optimization problem under uncertainty in computational sustainability. Existing techniques do not scale...
Authors
D. Golovin, A. Krause, B. Gardner, Sarah J. Converse, S. Morey
Environmental endocrinology of salmon smoltification Environmental endocrinology of salmon smoltification
Smolting is a hormone-driven developmental process that is adaptive for downstream migration and ocean survival and growth in anadromous salmonids. Smolting includes increased salinity tolerance, increased metabolism, downstream migratory and schooling behavior, silvering and darkened fin margins, and olfactory imprinting. These changes are promoted by growth hormone, insulin-like growth...
Authors
Bjorn Thrandur Bjornsson, S.O. Stefansson, S. D. McCormick
Glacial influence on the geochemistry of riverine iron fluxes to the Gulf of Alaska and effects of deglaciation Glacial influence on the geochemistry of riverine iron fluxes to the Gulf of Alaska and effects of deglaciation
Riverine iron (Fe) derived from glacial weathering is a critical micronutrient source to ecosystems of the Gulf of Alaska (GoA). Here we demonstrate that the source and chemical nature of riverine Fe input to the GoA could change dramatically due to the widespread watershed deglaciation that is underway. We examine Fe size partitioning, speciation, and isotopic composition in tributaries...
Authors
A.W. Schroth, John Crusius, F. Chever, B.C. Bostick, O.J. Rouxel
Rayleigh-based, multi-element coral thermometry: A biomineralization approach to developing climate proxies Rayleigh-based, multi-element coral thermometry: A biomineralization approach to developing climate proxies
This study presents a new approach to coral thermometry that deconvolves the influence of water temperature on skeleton composition from that of “vital effects”, and has the potential to provide estimates of growth temperatures that are accurate to within a few tenths of a degree Celsius from both tropical and cold-water corals. Our results provide support for a physico-chemical model of...
Authors
G.A. Gaetani, A.L. Cohen, Z. Wang, John Crusius
Midcontinent microcosm: Geology of the Atkins lake - Marengo falls area (Field trip 2) Midcontinent microcosm: Geology of the Atkins lake - Marengo falls area (Field trip 2)
Archean and Proterozoic rocks exposed over about 16km2 between Atkins Lake and Coffee Lake in southeastern Bayfield County (Fig. 1) chronicle almost all of the major Precambrian geologic events in the history of the southern Superior Craton. The oldest rocks are part of a locally gneissic quartz monzonite complex, the Puritan Batholith, with an igneous Rb-Sr age of 2710+140 Ma (Sims et...
Authors
Marcia Bjornerud, William F. Cannon
Improving occupancy estimation when two types of observational error occur: Non-detection and species misidentification Improving occupancy estimation when two types of observational error occur: Non-detection and species misidentification
Efforts to draw inferences about species occurrence frequently account for false negatives, the common situation when individuals of a species are not detected even when a site is occupied. However, recent studies suggest the need to also deal with false positives, which occur when species are misidentified so that a species is recorded as detected when a site is unoccupied. Bias in...
Authors
David Miller, James D. Nichols, B.T. McClintock, Evan H. Campbell Grant, L.L. Bailey, L.A. Weir
Introduction Introduction
Ecotoxicology is the study of the movement of environmental contaminants through ecosystems and their effects on plants and animals. Examining tissue residues of these contaminants in biota is basic to ecotoxicology, both for understanding the movement of contaminants within organisms and through food chains, and for understanding and quantifying injuries to organisms and their...
Authors
W. Nelson Beyer, James P. Meador
Science, conservation, and camera traps Science, conservation, and camera traps
Biologists commonly perceive camera traps as a new tool that enables them to enter the hitherto secret world of wild animals. Camera traps are being used in a wide range of studies dealing with animal ecology, behavior, and conservation. Our intention in this volume is not to simply present the various uses of camera traps, but to focus on their use in the conduct of science and...
Authors
James D. Nichols, K. Ullas Karanth, Allan F. O’Connel
Comparative performance of CO2 measuring methods: marine aquaculture recirculation system application Comparative performance of CO2 measuring methods: marine aquaculture recirculation system application
Many methods are available for the measurement of dissolved carbon dioxide in an aqueous environment. Standard titration is the typical field method for measuring dissolved CO2 in aquaculture systems. However, titrimetric determination of dissolved CO2 in marine water aquaculture systems is unsuitable because of the high dissolved solids, silicates, and other dissolved minerals that...
Authors
T.J. Pfeiffer, S.T. Summerfelt, B.J. Watten
Distribution and seasonal dynamics of arsenic in a shallow lake in northwestern New Jersey, USA Distribution and seasonal dynamics of arsenic in a shallow lake in northwestern New Jersey, USA
Elevated concentrations of arsenic (As) occurred during warm months in water from the outlet of Lake Mohawk in northwestern New Jersey. The shallow manmade lake is surrounded by residential development and used for recreation. Eutrophic conditions are addressed by alum and copper sulfate applications and aerators operating in the summer. In September 2005, arsenite was dominant in...
Authors
J. L. Barringer, Z. Szabo, T.P. Wilson, J.L. Bonin, T. Kratzer, K. Cenno, T. Romagna, M. Alebus, B. Hirst
Inside the crater, outside the crater: Stratigraphic details of the margin of the Chesapeake Bay impact structure, Virginia, USA Inside the crater, outside the crater: Stratigraphic details of the margin of the Chesapeake Bay impact structure, Virginia, USA
Two cores at the outer margin of the Chesapeake Bay impact structure show significant structural and depositional variations that illuminate its history. Detailed stratigraphy of the Watkins School core reveals that this site is outside the disruption boundary of the crater with respect to its lower part (nonmarine Cretaceous Potomac Formation), but just inside the boundary with respect...
Authors
Lucy E. Edwards, David S. Powars, J. Wright Horton,, Gregory Gohn, Jean Self-Trail, R. J. Litwin
USGS-NPS Servicewide Benthic Mapping Program (SBMP) workshop report USGS-NPS Servicewide Benthic Mapping Program (SBMP) workshop report
Authors
Christopher S. Moses, Amar Nayagandhi, John Brock, Rebecca Beavers