Publications
These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.
Filter Total Items: 16904
Geologic effects and coastal vulnerability to sea-level rise, erosion, and storms Geologic effects and coastal vulnerability to sea-level rise, erosion, and storms
A combination of natural and human factors are driving coastal change and making coastal regions and populations increasingly vulnerable. Sea level, a major agent of coastal erosion, has varied greatly from -120 m below present during glacial period low-stands to + 4 to 6 m above present during interglacial warm periods. Geologic and tide gauge data show that global sea level has risen...
Authors
S.J. Williams, B.T. Gutierrez, E.R. Thieler, E. Pendleton
Estimating pore-space gas hydrate saturations from well log acoustic data Estimating pore-space gas hydrate saturations from well log acoustic data
Relating pore-space gas hydrate saturation to sonic velocity data is important for remotely estimating gas hydrate concentration in sediment. In the present study, sonic velocities of gas hydrate–bearing sands are modeled using a three-phase Biot-type theory in which sand, gas hydrate, and pore fluid form three homogeneous, interwoven frameworks. This theory is developed using well log
Authors
Myung W. Lee, William F. Waite
Anatomy of a shoreface sand ridge revisted using foraminifera: False Cape Shoals, Virginia/North Carolina inner shelf Anatomy of a shoreface sand ridge revisted using foraminifera: False Cape Shoals, Virginia/North Carolina inner shelf
Certain details regarding the origin and evolution of shelf sand ridges remain elusive. Knowledge of their internal stratigraphy and microfossil distribution is necessary to define the origin and to determine the processes that modify sand ridges. Fourteen vibracores from False Cape Shoal A, a well-developed shoreface-attached sand ridge on the Virginia/North Carolina inner continental...
Authors
Marci M. Robinson, Randolph A. McBride
Element patterns in feathers of nestling Black-Crowned Night-Herons, Nycticorax nycticorax L., from four colonies in Delaware, Maryland, and Minnesota Element patterns in feathers of nestling Black-Crowned Night-Herons, Nycticorax nycticorax L., from four colonies in Delaware, Maryland, and Minnesota
The pattern of elements in nestling black-crowned night-heron feathers from a rural Minnesota colony differed from colonies in industrialized regions of Maryland and Delaware. Except for chromium, however, the differences did not reflect the elements associated with waters and sediments of the Maryland and Delaware colonies. Therefore, elements in water and sediment do not necessarily
Authors
Thomas W. Custer, Nancy H. Golden, Barnett A. Rattner
Multi-scale occupancy estimation and modelling using multiple detection methods Multi-scale occupancy estimation and modelling using multiple detection methods
Occupancy estimation and modelling based on detection–nondetection data provide an effective way of exploring change in a species’ distribution across time and space in cases where the species is not always detected with certainty. Today, many monitoring programmes target multiple species, or life stages within a species, requiring the use of multiple detection methods. When multiple...
Authors
James D. Nichols, Larissa L. Bailey, Allan F. O’Connell, Neil W. Talancy, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Andrew T. Gilbert, Elizabeth M. Annand, Thomas P. Husband, James E. Hines
Osmotic tolerance of avian spermatozoa: Influence of time, temperature, cryoprotectant and membrane ion pump function on sperm viability Osmotic tolerance of avian spermatozoa: Influence of time, temperature, cryoprotectant and membrane ion pump function on sperm viability
Potential factors influencing sperm survival under hypertonic conditions were evaluated in the Sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) and turkey (Meleagridis gallopavo). Sperm osmotolerance (300-3000 mOsm/kg) was evaluated after: (1) equilibration times of 2, 10, 45 and 60 min at 4 ?C versus 21 ?C; (2) pre-equilibrating with dimethylacetamide (DMA) or dimethylsulfoxide (Me2SO) at either 4 ?C...
Authors
J.M. Blanco, J.A. Long, G. Gee, A.M. Donoghue, D.E. Wildt
Managing visitor impacts in parks: A multi-method study of the effectiveness of alternative management practices Managing visitor impacts in parks: A multi-method study of the effectiveness of alternative management practices
How can recreation use be managed to control associated environmental impacts? What management practices are most effective and why? This study explored these and related questions through a series of experimental ?treatments? and associated ?controls? at the summit of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, a heavily used and environmentally fragile area. The treatments included five
Authors
L.O. Park, J. L. Marion, R.E. Manning, S.R. Lawson, C. Jacobi
Long-term decline and short-term crash of the once abundant Rusty Blackbird Long-term decline and short-term crash of the once abundant Rusty Blackbird
The Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus), a formerly common breeding species of boreal wetlands, has exhibited the most marked decline of any North American landbird. North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) trends in abundance are estimated to be -12.5% / yr over the last 40 years, which is tantamount to a >95% cumulative decline. Trends in abundance calculated from Christmas Bird...
Authors
R. Greenberg, P. Blancher, D. Niven, Sam Droege
North American Bird Banding and quantitative population ecology North American Bird Banding and quantitative population ecology
Early bird-banding programs in North America were developed to provide descriptions of bird migration and movement patterns. This initial interest in description quickly evolved into more quantitative interests in two ways. There was (1) interest in quantifying migration and movement patterns, and (2) rapid recognition that re-observations of marked birds provided information about other
Authors
J.D. Nichols, J. Tautin
Hierarchical modeling and inference in ecology: The analysis of data from populations, metapopulations and communities Hierarchical modeling and inference in ecology: The analysis of data from populations, metapopulations and communities
A guide to data collection, modeling and inference strategies for biological survey data using Bayesian and classical statistical methods. This book describes a general and flexible framework for modeling and inference in ecological systems based on hierarchical models, with a strict focus on the use of probability models and parametric inference. Hierarchical models represent a paradigm...
Authors
J. Andrew Royle, Robert M. Dorazio
A new species of Percina (Perciformes: Percidae) from the Apalachicola River drainage, southeastern United States A new species of Percina (Perciformes: Percidae) from the Apalachicola River drainage, southeastern United States
Percina crypta, the Halloween Darter, is described as a new species endemic to the Chattahoochee and Flint River systems in Georgia and Alabama. Percina crypta differs from sympatric Percina nigrofasciata in having narrowly separated dorsal saddles (inter-saddle spaces typically less than or equal to saddle width, compared to frequently wider than saddle width in P. nigrofasciata), in...
Authors
Mary C. Freeman, B. J. Freeman, N.M. Burkhead, C.A. Straight
History of 'computerization' of bird-banding records History of 'computerization' of bird-banding records
No abstract available.
Authors
C.S. Houston, M. K. Klimkiewicz, C.S. Robbins