Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Publications from USGS science centers throughout the Southeast Region.

Filter Total Items: 10382

Council monitoring and assessment program (CMAP): A framework for using the monitoring program inventory to conduct gap assessments for the Gulf of Mexico Region Council monitoring and assessment program (CMAP): A framework for using the monitoring program inventory to conduct gap assessments for the Gulf of Mexico Region

Executive Summary Under the Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act), the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council or Council) is required to report on the progress of funded projects and programs. Systematic monitoring of restoration at the project-specific and programmatic...
Authors
Julie Bosch, Heidi B Burkart, Bogdan Chivoiu, Randy Clark, Chris Clement, Nicholas Enwright, Steve Giordano, Chris Jeffrey, Ed Johnson, Rheannon Hart, Sarah D Hile, Jacob S Howell, Claudia Laurenzano, Michael Lee, Terrance McCloskey, Terry McTigue, Michelle B Meyers, Katie E Miller, Scott Mize, Mark E. Monaco, Kevin Owen, Richard Rebich, Samuel H. Rendon, Ali Robertson, Thomas Sample, Kelly Marie Sanks, Gregory Steyer, Kevin Suir, Christopher M. Swarzenski, Hana Rose Thurman

Assessment of burrowing behavior of freshwater juvenile mussels in sediment Assessment of burrowing behavior of freshwater juvenile mussels in sediment

Standard laboratory sediment toxicity methods have been adapted for conducting toxicity tests with juvenile freshwater mussels. However, studies looking at juvenile mussel burrowing behavior at the water-sediment interface are limited. Juvenile mussels burrow in sediment for the first 0 to 4 yr of life but also may inhabit the sediment-water interface. The objective of this study was to...
Authors
Nile E. Kemble, John M. Besser, Jeffery A. Steevens, Jamie P. Hughes

Carrying capacity of spatially distributed metapopulations Carrying capacity of spatially distributed metapopulations

Carrying capacity is a key concept in ecology. A body of theory, based on the logistic equation, has extended predictions of carrying capacity to spatially distributed, dispersing populations. However, this theory has only recently been tested empirically. The experimental results disagree with some theoretical predictions of when they are extended to a population dispersing randomly in...
Authors
Bo Zhang, Don DeAngelis, Wei-Ming Ni

Topographic, soil, and climate drivers of drought sensitivity in forests and shrublands of the Pacific Northwest, USA Topographic, soil, and climate drivers of drought sensitivity in forests and shrublands of the Pacific Northwest, USA

Climate change is anticipated to increase the frequency and intensity of droughts, with major impacts to ecosystems globally. Broad-scale assessments of vegetation responses to drought are needed to anticipate, manage, and potentially mitigate climate-change effects on ecosystems. We quantified the drought sensitivity of vegetation in the Pacific Northwest, USA, as the percent reduction...
Authors
Jennifer M. Cartwright, Caitlin E. Littlefield, Julia Michalak, Joshua J. Lawler, Solomon Dobrowski

Detecting cover crop end-of-season using VENµS and sentinel-2 satellite imagery Detecting cover crop end-of-season using VENµS and sentinel-2 satellite imagery

Cover crops are planted during the off-season to protect the soil and improve watershed management. The ability to map cover crop termination dates over agricultural landscapes is essential for quantifying conservation practice implementation, and enabling estimation of biomass accumulation during the active cover period. Remote sensing detection of end-of-season (termination) for cover...
Authors
Feng Gao, Martha Anderson, W. Dean Hively

Surface elevation change evaluation in mangrove forests using a low‐cost, rapid‐scan terrestrial laser scanner Surface elevation change evaluation in mangrove forests using a low‐cost, rapid‐scan terrestrial laser scanner

Mangrove forests have adapted to sea level rise (SLR) increases by maintaining their forest floor elevation via belowground root growth and surface sediment deposits. Researchers use surface elevation tables (SETs) to monitor surface elevation change (SEC) in mangrove forests, after which this information is used to assess SLR resiliency or to dictate active forest management for...
Authors
Ali Rouzbeh Kargar, Richard A. MacKenzie, Alexander Fafard, Ken Krauss, Jan van Aardt

Evaluation of the U.S. Geological Survey streamgage network in South Carolina, 2017 Evaluation of the U.S. Geological Survey streamgage network in South Carolina, 2017

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been monitoring streamflow in South Carolina since the late 1800s. From the beginning, the USGS streamgage network in South Carolina has been dynamic, with streamgages being added or removed depending on their purpose and the availability of funding from Federal, State, and local partners. Streamflow monitoring is important for acquiring real-time...
Authors
Toby D. Feaster, Katharine Kolb

Common insecticide disrupts aquatic communities: A mesocosm-to-field ecological risk assessment of fipronil and its degradates in U.S. streams Common insecticide disrupts aquatic communities: A mesocosm-to-field ecological risk assessment of fipronil and its degradates in U.S. streams

Insecticides in streams are increasingly a global concern, yet information on safe concentrations for aquatic ecosystems is sparse. In a 30-day mesocosm experiment exposing native benthic aquatic invertebrates to the common insecticide fipronil and four degradates, fipronil compounds caused altered emergence and trophic cascades. Effect concentrations eliciting a 50% response (EC50) were...
Authors
Janet L. Miller, Travis S. Schmidt, Peter C. Van Metre, Barbara Mahler, Mark W. Sandstrom, Lisa H. Nowell, Daren M. Carlisle, Patrick W. Moran

Double exposure and dynamic vulnerability: Assessing economic well-being, ecological change and the development of the oil and gas industry in coastal Louisiana Double exposure and dynamic vulnerability: Assessing economic well-being, ecological change and the development of the oil and gas industry in coastal Louisiana

The oil and gas industry has been a powerful driver of economic change in coastal Louisiana for the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st. Yet, the overall impact of the industry on the economic well-being of host communities is varied, both spatially and temporally. While the majority of Louisiana’s oil and gas production now occurs offshore, processing the extracted product...
Authors
Scott Hemmerling, Tim J. B. Carruthers, Ann Hijuelos, Harris C. Bienn

Estimating flood magnitude and frequency on gaged and ungaged streams in Maine Estimating flood magnitude and frequency on gaged and ungaged streams in Maine

Accurate estimates of flood frequency and magnitude on rivers and streams in Maine are a key component of effective flood risk management, flood mitigation, and flood recovery programs for the State. Flood-frequency estimates are published here for 148 streamgages in and adjacent to Maine. Equations are provided for users to compute flood-frequency estimates at any location on a stream...
Authors
Pamela J. Lombard, Glenn A. Hodgkins

Predicting multi-species foraging hotspots for marine turtles in the Gulf of Mexico Predicting multi-species foraging hotspots for marine turtles in the Gulf of Mexico

Quantifying the distribution of animals and identifying underlying characteristics that define suitable habitat are essential for effective conservation of free-ranging species. Prioritizing areas for conservation is important in managing a geographic extent that has a high level of disturbance and limited conservation resources. We examined the potential use of a species distribution...
Authors
Ikuko Fujisaki, Kristen Hart, David N. Bucklin, Autumn R. Iverson, Cynthia Rubio, Margaret M. Lamont, Raul de Jesus G.D. Miron, Patrick M. Burchfield, Jaime Pena, Donna J. Shaver
Was this page helpful?