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Publications

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

Filter Total Items: 16905

Stream piracy in the Black Hills: A geomorphology lab exercise Stream piracy in the Black Hills: A geomorphology lab exercise

The Black Hills of South Dakota exhibits many fine examples of stream piracy that are very suitable for teaching geomorphology lab exercises. This lab goes beyond standard topographic map interpretation by using geologic maps, well logs, gravel provenance and other types of data to teach students about stream piracy. Using a step-by-step method in which the lab exercises ramp up in...
Authors
Brent J. Zaprowski, Edward B. Evenson, Jack B. Epstein

Estimation of shoreline position and change using airborne topographic lidar data Estimation of shoreline position and change using airborne topographic lidar data

A method has been developed for estimating shoreline position from airborne scanning laser data. This technique allows rapid estimation of objective, GPS-based shoreline positions over hundreds of kilometers of coast, essential for the assessment of large-scale coastal behavior. Shoreline position, defined as the cross-shore position of a vertical shoreline datum, is found by fitting a...
Authors
H.F. Stockdon, A. H. Sallenger, J. H. List, R.A. Holman

Wood Thrush movements and habitat use: Effects of forest management for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers Wood Thrush movements and habitat use: Effects of forest management for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers

We monitored adult and juvenile breeding-season movements and habitat use of radio-tagged Wood Thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) at the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, central Georgia, USA. We investigated the effects that management for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Picoides borealis), thinning and burning >30 year old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) habitat, had on Wood Thrushes, a ground...
Authors
J. D. Lang, L.A. Powell, D.G. Krementz, M.J. Conroy

Demography of a population collapse: The Northern Idaho ground squirrel (Spermophilus brunneus brunneus) Demography of a population collapse: The Northern Idaho ground squirrel (Spermophilus brunneus brunneus)

We studied the demography of a population of Northern Idaho ground squirrels (Spermophilus brunneus brunneus) in Adams Co., Idaho. The population was completely censused yearly from 1987 to 1999, during which time it declined from 272 to 10 animals. The finite population growth rate, based on a Leslie matrix model of average life-history parameters, was only 0.72 (i.e., significantly
Authors
P. W. Sherman, M.C. Runge

Feasibility of Acoustic Doppler Velocity Meters for the Production of Discharge Records from U.S. Geological Survey Streamflow-Gaging Stations Feasibility of Acoustic Doppler Velocity Meters for the Production of Discharge Records from U.S. Geological Survey Streamflow-Gaging Stations

It is feasible to use acoustic Doppler velocity meters (ADVM's) installed at U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamflow-gaging stations to compute records of river discharge. ADVM's are small acoustic current meters that use the Doppler principle to measure water velocities in a two-dimensional plane. Records of river discharge can be computed from stage and ADVM velocity data using the...
Authors
Scott E. Morlock, Hieu T. Nguyen, Jerry H. Ross

Use of isotopes to identify sources of ground water, estimate ground-water-flow rates, and assess aquifer vulnerability in the Calumet region of northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois Use of isotopes to identify sources of ground water, estimate ground-water-flow rates, and assess aquifer vulnerability in the Calumet region of northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois

Isotope data collected in the Calumet Region of northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois, one of the most heavily industrialized regions of the United States, indicated that water in the surficial Calumet aquifer is well mixed. The Calumet aquifer is recharged areally by precipitation and locally may be recharged by surface water. The residence time of ground water in the Calumet...
Authors
Robert T. Kay, E. Randall Bayless, Robert A. Solak

Gemstones Gemstones

Part of a special section on industrial minerals. Gemstone production, consumption and uses, prices, imports and exports are discussed, and the future of the gemstone industry is considered.
Authors
D.W. Olson

Fluorspar Fluorspar

In 2001, one mine in Utah produced a small quantity of fluorspar. The majority of fluorspar consumed in the United States continued to come from imports or material purchased from the US National Defense Stockpile (NDS). In addition, a small amount of synthetic fluorspar (CaF2) was produced from industrial waste streams.
Authors
M. Miller

A new species of small-eared shrew from Colombia and Venezuela (Mammalia: Soricomorpha: Soricidae: Genus Cryptotis) A new species of small-eared shrew from Colombia and Venezuela (Mammalia: Soricomorpha: Soricidae: Genus Cryptotis)

Populations of small-eared shrews inhabiting the northern Cordillera Oriental of Colombia and adjoining Venezuelan highlands in the vicinity of Paramo de Tama have been referred alternatively to Cryptotis thomssi or Cryptotis meridensis. Morphological and morphometrical study of this population indicates that it belongs to neither taxon, but represents a distinct, previously unrecognized...
Authors
N. Woodman

Inferring the absence of a species: A case study of snakes Inferring the absence of a species: A case study of snakes

Though the presence of a species can be unequivocally confirmed, its absence can only be inferred with a degree of probability. I used a model to calculate the minimum number of unsuccessful visits to a site that are necessary to assume that a species is absent. The model requires the probability of detection of the species per visit to be known. This probability may vary depending on...
Authors
M. Kery
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