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Publications

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

Filter Total Items: 16904

Standards for documenting and monitoring bird reintroduction projects Standards for documenting and monitoring bird reintroduction projects

It would be much easier to assess the effectiveness of different reintroduction methods, and so improve the success of reintroductions, if there was greater standardization in documentation of the methods and outcomes. We suggest a series of standards for documenting and monitoring the methods and outcomes associated with reintroduction projects for birds. Key suggestions are...
Authors
W.J. Sutherland, D. Armstrong, S.H.M. Butchart, J.M. Earnhardt, J. Ewen, I. Jamieson, C.G. Jones, R. Lee, P. Newbery, J.D. Nichols, K.A. Parker, F. Sarrazin, P.J. Seddon, N. Shah, V. Tatayah

Effect of imperfect detectability on adaptive and conventional sampling: Simulated sampling of freshwater mussels in the upper Mississippi River Effect of imperfect detectability on adaptive and conventional sampling: Simulated sampling of freshwater mussels in the upper Mississippi River

Adaptive sampling designs are recommended where, as is typical with freshwater mussels, the outcome of interest is rare and clustered. However, the performance of adaptive designs has not been investigated when outcomes are not only rare and clustered but also imperfectly detected. We address this combination of challenges using data simulated to mimic properties of freshwater mussels...
Authors
D. R. Smith, B. R. Gray, T.J. Newton, D. Nichols

The tail of the Storegga Slide: Insights from the geochemistry and sedimentology of the Norwegian Basin deposits The tail of the Storegga Slide: Insights from the geochemistry and sedimentology of the Norwegian Basin deposits

Deposits within the floor of the Norwegian Basin were sampled to characterize the deposition from the Storegga Slide, the largest known Holocene-aged continental margin slope failure complex. A 29 to 67 cm thick veneer of variable-coloured, finely layered Holocene sediment caps a homogeneous, extremely well-sorted, poorly consolidated, very fine-grained, grey-coloured sediment section...
Authors
C. K. Paull, W. Ussler, W.S. Holbrook, T.M. Hill, H. Haflidason, W. Winters, T. Lorenson, I. Aiello, J.E. Johnson, E. Lundsten

Landscape indicators and land cover change in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States, 1973-2001 Landscape indicators and land cover change in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States, 1973-2001

Landscape indicators, derived from land use and land cover data as well as other data, were used to calculate the ecological consequences of land cover change in terms of nitrate loading and physical bird habitat. Both were modeled from 1973, 1992, and 2001 land cover data in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Land cover statistics and trends are calculated for three time...
Authors
E. Terrence Slonecker, Lesley Milheim, Peter R. Claggett

Aviation response to a widely dispersed volcanic ash and gas cloud from the August 2008 eruption of Kasatochi, Alaska, USA Aviation response to a widely dispersed volcanic ash and gas cloud from the August 2008 eruption of Kasatochi, Alaska, USA

The extensive volcanic cloud from Kasatochi's 2008 eruption caused widespread disruptions to aviation operations along Pacific oceanic, Canadian, and U.S. air routes. Based on aviation hazard warnings issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Meteorological Service of Canada, air carriers largely...
Authors
Marianne Guffanti, David J. Schneider, Kristi L. Wallace, Tony Hall, Dov R. Bensimon, Leonard J. Salinas

The use of early summer mosquito surveillance to predict late summer West Nile virus activity The use of early summer mosquito surveillance to predict late summer West Nile virus activity

Utility of early-season mosquito surveillance to predict West Nile virus activity in late summer was assessed in Suffolk County, NY. Dry ice-baited CDC miniature light traps paired with gravid traps were set weekly. Maximum-likelihood estimates of WNV positivity, minimum infection rates, and % positive pools were generally well correlated. However, positivity in gravid traps was not...
Authors
Howard S. Ginsberg, Ilia Rochlin, Scott R. Campbell

Systematics of the Platyrrhinus helleri species complex (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), with descriptions of two new species Systematics of the Platyrrhinus helleri species complex (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), with descriptions of two new species

Platyrrhinus is a diverse genus of small to large phyllostomid bats characterized by a comparatively narrow uropatagium thickly fringed with hair, a white dorsal stripe, comparatively large inner upper incisors that are convergent at the tips, and three upper and three lower molars. Eighteen species are currently recognized, the majority occurring in the Andes. Molecular, morphological...
Authors
Paul M. Velazco, Alfred L. Gardner, Bruce D. Patterson

Modeling spatial variation in avian survival and residency probabilities Modeling spatial variation in avian survival and residency probabilities

The importance of understanding spatial variation in processes driving animal population dynamics is widely recognized. Yet little attention has been paid to spatial modeling of vital rates. Here we describe a hierarchical spatial autoregressive model to provide spatially explicit year-specific estimates of apparent survival (phi) and residency (pi) probabilities from capture-recapture...
Authors
James F. Saracco, J. Andrew Royle, David F. DeSante, Beth Gardner

Steroid determination in fish plasma using capillary electrophoresis Steroid determination in fish plasma using capillary electrophoresis

A capillary separation method that incorporates pH-mediated stacking is employed for the simultaneous determination of circulating steroid hormones in plasma from Perca flavescens (yellow perch) collected from natural aquatic environments. The method can be applied to separate eight steroid standards: progesterone, 17α,20β-dihydroxypregn-4-en-3-one, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, testosterone...
Authors
L. Bykova, S. A. Archer-Hartmann, L.A. Holland, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Vicki S. Blazer

The release of dissolved nutrients and metals from coastal sediments due to resuspension The release of dissolved nutrients and metals from coastal sediments due to resuspension

Coastal sediments in many regions are impacted by high levels of contaminants. Due to a combination of shallow water depths, waves, and currents, these sediments are subject to regular episodes of sediment resuspension. However, the influence of such disturbances on sediment chemistry and the release of solutes is poorly understood. The aim of this study is to quantify the release of...
Authors
Linda H. Kalnejais, William R. Martin, Michael H. Bothner

Mineralogical and chemical characteristics of some natural jarosites Mineralogical and chemical characteristics of some natural jarosites

This paper presents a detailed study of the mineralogical, microscopic, thermal, and spectral characteristics of jarosite and natrojarosite minerals. Systematic mineralogic and chemical examination of a suite of 32 natural stoichiometric jarosite and natrojarosite samples from diverse supergene and hydrothermal environments indicates that there is only limited solid solution between Na...
Authors
George A. Desborough, Kathleen S. Smith, Heather A. Lowers, Gregg A. Swayze, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Sharon F. Diehl, Reinhard W. Leinz, Rhonda L. Driscoll

The national assessment of shoreline change: A GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the New England and Mid-Atlantic Coasts The national assessment of shoreline change: A GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the New England and Mid-Atlantic Coasts

Sandy ocean beaches are a popular recreational destination, often surrounded by communities containing valuable real estate. Development is on the rise despite the fact that coastal infrastructure is subjected to flooding and erosion. As a result, there is an increased demand for accurate information regarding past and present shoreline changes. The U.S. Geological Survey's National...
Authors
Emily A. Himmelstoss, Meredith G. Kratzmann, Cheryl Hapke, E. Robert Thieler, Jeffrey List
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