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Publications

Publications from USGS science centers throughout the Southeast Region.

Filter Total Items: 10386

Observed and modeled mercury and dissolved organic carbon concentrations and loads at control structure S-12D, Florida Everglades, 2013–17 Observed and modeled mercury and dissolved organic carbon concentrations and loads at control structure S-12D, Florida Everglades, 2013–17

Mercury (Hg) has been a contaminant of concern for several decades in South Florida, particularly in the Florida Everglades. The transport and bioavailability of Hg in aquatic systems is intimately linked to dissolved organic carbon (DOC). In aquatic systems, Hg can be converted to methylmercury (MeHg), which is the form of Hg that bioaccumulates in food webs. The bioaccumulation of MeHg...
Authors
Amanda Booth, Brett A. Poulin, David P. Krabbenhoft

Phytoremediation of slightly brackish, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon‐contaminated groundwater from 250 ft below land surface: A pilot‐scale study using salt‐tolerant, endophyte‐enhanced hybrid poplar trees at a Superfund site in the Central Valley of Ca Phytoremediation of slightly brackish, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon‐contaminated groundwater from 250 ft below land surface: A pilot‐scale study using salt‐tolerant, endophyte‐enhanced hybrid poplar trees at a Superfund site in the Central Valley of Ca

Slightly brackish groundwater contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at a Superfund site in the Central Valley of California was pumped from 250 feet below land surface to a water storage tank using solar power and then gravity‐fed into 18, 330‐gallon intermediate bulk containers (totes) as follows: (1) Five totes contained planting medium with three salt‐tolerant hybrid...
Authors
James E. Landmeyer, Steven Rock, John Freeman, Greg Nagle, Mark Samolis, Herb Levine, Anna-Marie Cook, Harry O’Neill

Occurrence and spatiotemporal dynamics of pharmaceuticals in a temperate-region wastewater effluent-dominated stream: Variable inputs and differential attenuation yield evolving complex exposure mixtures Occurrence and spatiotemporal dynamics of pharmaceuticals in a temperate-region wastewater effluent-dominated stream: Variable inputs and differential attenuation yield evolving complex exposure mixtures

Effluent-dominated streams are becoming increasingly common in temperate regions and generate complex pharmaceutical mixture exposure conditions that may impact aquatic organisms via drug–drug interactions. Here, we quantified spatiotemporal pharmaceutical exposure concentrations and composition mixture dynamics during baseflow conditions at four sites in a temperate-region effluent...
Authors
Hui Zhi, Dana W. Kolpin, R. D. Klaper, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Shannon M. Meppelink, Gregory H. LeFevre

Compounds of emerging concern detected in water samples from potable water and wastewater treatment plants and detected in water and bed-sediment samples from sites on the Trinity River, Dallas, Texas, 2009–13 Compounds of emerging concern detected in water samples from potable water and wastewater treatment plants and detected in water and bed-sediment samples from sites on the Trinity River, Dallas, Texas, 2009–13

The population in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area in northern Texas is rapidly growing, resulting in a rapid increase in the demand for potable water and an increase in the discharge of wastewater treatment plant effluent. An assessment of compounds of emerging concern (CECs) in samples collected at potable water and wastewater treatment plants in Dallas and downstream from...
Authors
Christopher J. Churchill, Stanley Baldys, Cathina L. Gunn, Craig A. Mobley, Daniel P. Quigley

Methods for estimating selected low-flow frequency statistics and mean annual flow for ungaged locations on streams in Alabama Methods for estimating selected low-flow frequency statistics and mean annual flow for ungaged locations on streams in Alabama

Streamflow data and statistics are vitally important for proper protection and management of the water quality and water quantity of Alabama streams. Such data and statistics are generally available at U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations, also referred to as streamgages or stations, but are often needed at ungaged stream locations. To address this need, the U.S. Geological...
Authors
Toby D. Feaster, Katharine Kolb, Jaime A. Painter, Jimmy M. Clark

Stressor identification framework of biological impairment in Mississippi streams to support watershed restoration and TMDL development Stressor identification framework of biological impairment in Mississippi streams to support watershed restoration and TMDL development

The Clean Water Act (CWA) requires States to identify waters that are impaired for designated uses. These waters are published through a State’s §303(d) list. The CWA also requires that a total maximum daily load (TMDL) be completed for each water body to calculate the maximum amount of contaminants that can be present in that water body and still meet water-quality standards. The...
Authors
Matthew B. Hicks, Jennifer M. Cartwright

Neonicotinoid insecticide concentrations in agricultural wetlands and associations with aquatic invertebrate communities Neonicotinoid insecticide concentrations in agricultural wetlands and associations with aquatic invertebrate communities

Neonicotinoids are considered a superior insecticide for agricultural pest management, although their impacts on non-target insects is a rising concern. Aside from laboratory and mesocosm studies, limited research has been directed towards the role neonicotinoids may have in structuring aquatic invertebrate communities in field settings. Therefore, we simultaneously collected aquatic...
Authors
T.J. Schepker, Elisabeth B. Webb, Donald E. Tillitt, T. LaGrange

Unfamiliar territory: Emerging themes for ecological drought research and management Unfamiliar territory: Emerging themes for ecological drought research and management

Novel forms of drought are emerging globally, due to climate change, shifting teleconnection patterns, expanding human water use, and a history of human influence on the environment that increases the probability of transformational ecological impacts. These costly ecological impacts cascade to human communities, and understanding this changing drought landscape is one of today’s grand...
Authors
Shelley D. Crausbay, Julio L. Betancourt, John B. Bradford, Jennifer M. Cartwright, William C. Dennison, Jason B. Dunham, Carolyn Armstrong Enquist, Abby G. Frazier, Kimberly R. Hall, Jeremy S. Littell, Charlie H. Luce, Richard Palmer, Aaron R. Ramirez, Imtiaz Rangwala, Laura Thompson, Brianne M. Walsh, Shawn Carter

Bisphenol A and 17α-ethinylestradiol-induced transgenerational gene expression differences in the brain–pituitary–testis axis of medaka, Oryzias latipes Bisphenol A and 17α-ethinylestradiol-induced transgenerational gene expression differences in the brain–pituitary–testis axis of medaka, Oryzias latipes

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), such as bisphenol A (BPA) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), can have far reaching health effects, including transgenerational abnormalities in offspring that never directly contacted either chemical. We previously reported reduced fertilization rates and embryo survival at F2 and F3 generations caused by 7-day embryonic exposure (F0) to 100 μg/L BPA...
Authors
Albert J. Thayil, Xuegeng Wang, Pooja Bhandari, Frederick S. vom Saal, Donald E. Tillitt, Ramji K. Bhandari

How plants influence resilience of salt marsh and mangrove wetlands to sea-level rise How plants influence resilience of salt marsh and mangrove wetlands to sea-level rise

This review evaluates the importance of plants and associated biological processes in determining the vulnerability of coastal wetlands to sea-level rise. Coastal wetlands occur across a broad sedimentary continuum from minerogenic to biogenic, providing an opportunity to examine the relative importance of biological processes in wetland resilience to sea-level rise. We explore how...
Authors
Donald R. Cahoon, Karen L. McKee, James Morris

Using boosted regression tree models to predict salinity in Mississippi embayment aquifers, central United States Using boosted regression tree models to predict salinity in Mississippi embayment aquifers, central United States

High salinity limits groundwater use in parts of the Mississippi embayment. Machine learning was used to create spatially continuous and three‐dimensional predictions of salinity across drinking‐water aquifers in the embayment. Boosted regression tree (BRT) models, a type of machine learning, were used to predict specific conductance (SC) and chloride (Cl), and total dissolved solids...
Authors
Katherine J. Knierim, James A. Kingsbury, Connor J. Haugh, Katherine Marie Ransom

The roles of storminess and sea level rise in decadal barrier island evolution The roles of storminess and sea level rise in decadal barrier island evolution

Models of alongshore sediment transport during quiescent conditions, storm‐driven barrier island morphology, and poststorm dune recovery are integrated to assess decadal barrier island evolution under scenarios of increased sea levels and variability in storminess (intensity and frequency). Model results indicate barrier island response regimes of keeping pace, narrowing, flattening...
Authors
Davina Passeri, P. Soupy Dalyander, Joseph W. Long, Rangley C. Mickey, Robert L. Jenkins, David M. Thompson, Nathaniel G. Plant, Elizabeth Godsey, Victor Gonzalez
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