Publications
Publications from USGS science centers throughout the Southeast Region.
Filter Total Items: 9968
Wave runup and total water level observations from time series imagery at several sites with varying nearshore morphologies
Coastal imaging systems have been developed to measure wave runup and total water level (TWL) at the shoreline, which is a key metric for assessing coastal flooding and erosion. However, extracting quantitative measurements from coastal images has typically been done through the laborious task of hand-digitization of wave runup timestacks. Timestacks are images created by sampling a cross-shore ar
Authors
Mark L. Buckley, Daniel Buscombe, Justin J. Birchler, Margaret Louise Palmsten, Eric Swanson, Jenna A. Brown, Michael Christopher Itzkin, Curt Storlazzi, Shawn R. Harrison
Ecological function maintained despite mesomammal declines
Mid-sized mammals (i.e., mesomammals) fulfill important ecological roles, serving as essential scavengers, predators, pollinators, and seed dispersers in the ecosystems they inhabit. Consequently, declines in mesomammal populations have the potential to alter ecological processes and fundamentally change ecosystems. However, ecosystems characterized by high functional redundancy, where multiple sp
Authors
Rebecca K. McKee, Paul J. Taillie, Kristen Hart, Christopher L. Lopez, Adam Sanjar, Robert A. McCleery
Vulnerability of endemic insular mole skinks to sea-level rise
Although coastal islands are home to many endemic species, they are also at risk of inundation from storm surge and sea level rise. Three subspecies of mole skink (Plestiodon egregius egregius, P. e. insularis, and the Egmont Key Mole Skink known from a single occurrence) occur on a small number of islands off the Gulf Coast of Florida, USA. We used the most recent sea level rise projections and t
Authors
Erin L. Koen, William Barichivich, Susan Walls
Community for Data Integration 2020 project report
The U.S. Geological Survey Community for Data Integration annually funds small projects focusing on data integration for interdisciplinary research, innovative data management, and demonstration of new technologies. This report provides a summary of the 12 projects funded in fiscal year 2020, outlining their goals, activities, and accomplishments.
Authors
Leslie Hsu, Emily G. Chapin, Theodore B. Barnhart, Amanda E. Cravens, Richard A. Erickson, Jason Ferrante, Aaron Fox, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Margaret Hunter, Katharine Kolb, Jared R. Peacock, Matthew D. Petkewich, Sasha C. Reed, Terry L. Sohl, Tanja N. Williamson
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Community for Data Integration (CDI), Fort Collins Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
DNA-based studies and genetic diversity indicator assessments are complementary approaches to conserving evolutionary potential
Genetic diversity is essential for maintaining healthy populations and ecosystems. Several approaches have recently been developed to evaluate population genetic trends without necessarily collecting new genetic data. Such “genetic diversity indicators” enable rapid, large-scale evaluation across dozens to thousands of species. Empirical genetic studies, when available, provide detailed informatio
Authors
Sean M. Hoban, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Robyn E. Shaw, Luis Castillo-Reina, Jessica M. da Silva, J. Andrew DeWoody, Robert Ekblom, Ancuta Fedorca, Brenna R. Forester, W. Chris Funk, Julia C. Geue, Myriam Heuertz, Peter M. Hollingsworth, Alice C. Hughes, Margaret Hunter, Christina Hvilsom, Fumiko Ishihama, Rebecca Jordan, Belma Kalamujić Stroil, Francine Kershaw, Colin K. Khoury, Viktoria Köppä, Linda Laikre, Anna J. MacDonald, Alicia Mastretta-Yanes, Mariah H. Meek, Joachim Mergeay, Katie L. Millette, David O'Brien, Victor J. Rincón-Parra, M. Alejandra Rodriguez-Morales, Meredith C. Schuman, Gernot Segelbacher, Paul Sunnucks, Rebecca S. Taylor, Henrik Thurfjell, Cristiano Vernesi, Catherine E. Grueber
Projected changes in mangrove distribution and vegetation structure under climate change in the southeastern United States
AimThe climate change-induced transition from grass-dominated marshes to woody-plant-dominated mangrove forests has the potential to impact the ecosystem goods and services provided by coastal wetlands. To better anticipate and prepare for these impacts, there is a need to advance understanding of future changes in mangrove distribution and coastal wetland vegetation structural properties due to w
Authors
Remi Bardou, Michael Osland, Jahson B. Alemu I, Laura Colleen Feher, David P. Harlan, Steven B. Scyphers, Christine C. Shepard, Savannah H. Swinea, Kalaina Thorne, Jill E. Andrew, A. Randall Hughes
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) impairs lipid homeostasis in zebrafish larvae through activation of PPARα
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), an emerging short-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance, has been frequently detected in aquatic environments. Adverse outcome pathway studies have shown that perfluorinated compounds impair lipid homeostasis through peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs). However, many of these studies were performed at high concentrations and may thus be a re
Authors
Ying-Jie He, Haolin Liao, Ge Yang, Wenhui Qui, Rongrong Xuan, Guomao Zheng, Bentuo Xu, Xin Yang, Jason Tyler Magnuson, Daniel Schlenk, Chunmiao Zheng
Dopaminergic and anti-estrogenic responses in juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed to bifenthrin
The frequency of detection and concentrations of bifenthrin, a pyrethroid insecticide, in the waterways inhabited by the endangered species, steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), has become a significant concern for regulatory agencies. Endocrine disruption has been observed with estrogenic and anti-estrogenic responses in fish species at different life stages. Since several studies have indicate
Authors
Jason Tyler Magnuson, Nathan D. Sy, Philip Tanabe, Chenyang Ji, Jay Gan, Daniel Schlenk
Projected sea-level rise and high tide flooding at Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida
IntroductionNational parks and preserves in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region contain valuable coastal habitats such as tidal wetlands and mangrove forests, as well as irreplaceable historic buildings and archeological sites located in low-lying areas. These natural and cultural resources are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise and escalating high tide flooding events. Through a Natural Resource
Authors
Hana R. Thurman, Nicholas M. Enwright, Michael J. Osland, Davina L. Passeri, Richard H. Day, Bethanie M. Simons, Jeffrey J. Danielson, William M. Cushing
Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Project, North Carolina
IntroductionRivers and surface-water reservoirs supply drinking water to most residents throughout the Triangle area in North Carolina. These drinking-water supplies may be at risk because of rapid and continued land use change throughout the region. In partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, several Triangle-area municipalities established a long-term water-quality and streamflow monitoring
Authors
R. Fanelli, D. Hardesty, J. Diaz
Asynchronous movement patterns between breeding and stopover locations in a long-distance migratory songbird
The species-specific migratory patterns and strategies of many songbirds remain unknown or understudied, as research in animal ecology is biased toward the breeding period, with the fewest studies on the migratory period across taxa. Identifying large-scale spatiotemporal migratory patterns is challenging, as individuals within a species may vary in their migratory behavior and strategies. The Yel
Authors
Theodore J. Zenzal, Andrea Contina, Hannah B. Vander Zanden, Leanne K. Kuwahara, Daniel C. Allen, Kristen M. Covino
Low-flow period seasonality, trends, and climate linkages across the United States
Low-flow period properties, including timing, magnitude, and duration, influence many key processes for water resource managers and ecosystems. We computed annual low-flow period duration and timing metrics from 1951 to 2020 for 1032 conterminous United States (CONUS) streamgages and analyzed spatial patterns, trends through time, and relationships to climate. Results show northwestern and eastern
Authors
Caelan Simeone, Gregory J. McCabe, Jory Seth Hecht, John C. Hammond, Glenn A. Hodgkins, Carolyn G. Olson, Michael Wieczorek, David M. Wolock