Publications
Publications from USGS science centers throughout the Southeast Region.
Filter Total Items: 10361
Operational forecasts of wave-driven water levels and coastal hazards for US Gulf and Atlantic coasts Operational forecasts of wave-driven water levels and coastal hazards for US Gulf and Atlantic coasts
Predictions of total water levels, the elevation of combined tides, surge, and wave runup at the shoreline, are necessary to provide guidance on potential coastal erosion and flooding. Despite the importance of early warning systems for these hazards, existing real-time meteorological and oceanographic forecast systems at regional and national scales, until now, have lacked estimates of...
Authors
Hilary F Stockdon, Joseph W. Long, Margaret L. Palmsten, Andre Van der Westhuysen, Kara S. Doran, Richard J. Snell
Remotely sensed short-crested breaking waves in a laboratory directional wave basin Remotely sensed short-crested breaking waves in a laboratory directional wave basin
Short-crested breaking waves that result from directionally spread wave conditions dissipate energy and generate turbulence within the surf zone, altering sediment transport processes, wave runup, and forces on structures. Additionally, vertical vorticity generated near crest ends during breaking, which depends on the gradient in wave height along a crest, may enhance nearshore...
Authors
Christine Baker, Melissa Moulton, Margaret L. Palmsten, Katherine Brodie, Emma Nuss, C. Christopher Chickadel
Salinity and total dissolved solids measurements for natural waters: An overview and a new salinity method based on specific conductance and water type Salinity and total dissolved solids measurements for natural waters: An overview and a new salinity method based on specific conductance and water type
The total concentration of dissolved constituents in water is routinely quantified by measurements of salinity or total dissolved solids (TDS). However, salinity and TDS are operationally defined by their analytical methods and are not equivalent for most waters. Furthermore, multiple methods are available to determine salinity and TDS, and these methods have inherent differences. TDS is...
Authors
R. Blaine McCleskey, Charles A. Cravotta, Matthew P. Miller, Fred D. Tillman, Paul E. Stackelberg, Katherine J. Knierim, Daniel Wise
Bioaccumulation kinetics of model pharmaceuticals in the freshwater unionid pondmussel, Sagittunio subrostratus Bioaccumulation kinetics of model pharmaceuticals in the freshwater unionid pondmussel, Sagittunio subrostratus
Bioaccumulation of ionizable pharmaceuticals has been increasingly studied, with most reported aquatic tissue concentrations in field or laboratory experiments being from fish. However, higher levels of antidepressants have been observed in bivalves compared with fish from effluent-dominated and dependent surface waters. Such observations may be important for biodiversity because...
Authors
S. Rebekah Burket, Jaylen L. Sims, Rebecca A. Dorman, Nile E. Kemble, Eric Brunson, Jeffery A. Steevens, Bryan W. Brooks
Spatial variability in vertical accretion and carbon sequestration in salt marsh soils of an urban estuary Spatial variability in vertical accretion and carbon sequestration in salt marsh soils of an urban estuary
Salt marshes in New York City’s Jamaica Bay have been disappearing and deteriorating since early 1900s, resulting in the loss of long-term accumulated carbon storage. However, the spatial variations and mechanisms in vertical accretion and soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration across this highly urbanized estuary remains unclear. In this study, we collected soil cores to a depth of ~...
Authors
Hongqing Wang, Gregg Snedden, Ellen K. Hartig, Q. Chen
Compensatory mortality explains rodent resilience to an invasive predator Compensatory mortality explains rodent resilience to an invasive predator
Invasive Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) in the Everglades of Florida, United States, have drastically reduced populations of mammals, yet populations of some rodents appear unaffected by the invasion. To understand this pattern, we radio-tagged cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) in areas of high and low python occurrence densities (hereafter occurrence) and quantified the effects of...
Authors
Marina E. McCampbell, Margaret Hunter, John V. Stechly, Kaitlyn N. Leist, Kristen Hart, Robert A. McCleery
Shoreface sediment availability offshore of a rapidly migrating, mixed-energy barrier island Shoreface sediment availability offshore of a rapidly migrating, mixed-energy barrier island
Less is known about sediment exchanges between shorefaces and mixed-energy barrier islands (MEBI) than between shorefaces and wave-dominated barrier islands. We used seismic stratigraphy from Cedar Island, Virginia, USA to understand the interplay between shoreface deposits and MEBI morphodynamics. Interpretations reveal that the shelf and shoreface are extensively dissected by breach...
Authors
Emily A. Wei, Jennifer L. Miselis
Incorporating wave climate complexity into modeling lower shoreface morphology and transport Incorporating wave climate complexity into modeling lower shoreface morphology and transport
The lower shoreface, a transitional subaqueous region extending from the seaward limit of the surf zone to beyond the closure depth, serves as a sediment reservoir and pathway in sandy beach environments over annual to millennial time scales. Despite the important role this region plays in shoreline dynamics, the morphodynamics of the lower shoreface remain poorly quantified and...
Authors
Megan Gillen, Andrew D. Ashton, Jennifer L. Miselis, Daniel J. Ciarletta, Emily A. Wei, Christopher R. Sherwood
Assessing environmental oil spill based on fluorescence images of water samples and deep learning Assessing environmental oil spill based on fluorescence images of water samples and deep learning
Measuring oil concentration in the aquatic environment is essential for determining the potential exposure, risk, or injury for oil spill response and natural resource damage assessment. Conventional analytical chemistry methods require samples to be collected in the field, shipped, and processed in the laboratory, which is also rather time-consuming, laborious, and costly. For rapid...
Authors
D. P. Liu, Ming Liu, Guangyu Sun, Zhiqian Zhou, Duolin Wang, Fei He, Jiaxin Li, Jiacheng Xie, Ryan Gettler, Eric Brunson, Jeffery A. Steevens, Dong Xu
Rapidly changing range limits in a warming world: Critical data limitations and knowledge gaps for advancing understanding of mangrove range dynamics in the southeastern USA Rapidly changing range limits in a warming world: Critical data limitations and knowledge gaps for advancing understanding of mangrove range dynamics in the southeastern USA
Climate change is altering species’ range limits and transforming ecosystems. For example, warming temperatures are leading to the range expansion of tropical, cold-sensitive species at the expense of their cold-tolerant counterparts. In some temperate and subtropical coastal wetlands, warming winters are enabling mangrove forest encroachment into salt marsh, which is a major regime...
Authors
Remi Bardou, Michael Osland, Steven B. Scyphers, Christine C. Shepard, Karen E. Aerni, Jahson B. Alemu, Robert Crimian, Richard Day, Nicholas Enwright, Laura Feher, Sarah L. Gibbs, Kiera O’Donnell, Savannah H. Swinea, Kalaina Thorne, Sarit Truskey, Anna R. Armitage, Ronald J. Baker, Joshua L. Breithaupt, Kyle C. Cavanaugh, Just Cebrian, Karen Cummins, Donna J. Devlin, Jacob Doty, William L. Ellis, Ilka C. Feller, Christopher A. Gabler, Yiyang Kang, David A. Kaplan, John Paul Kennedy, Ken Krauss, Margaret Lamont, Kam-biu Liu, Melinda Martinez, Ashley M. Matheny, Giovanna M. McClenachan, Karen L. McKee, Irving A. Mendelssohn, Thomas C. Michot, Christopher J. Miller, Jena A. Moon, Ryan P. Moyer, James A. Nelson, Richard O’Connor, James W. Pahl, Jonathan L. Pitchford, C. Edward Proffitt, Tracy Quirk, Kara R. Radabaugh, Whitney A. Scheffel, Delbert L. Smee, Caitlin M. Snyder, Eric Sparks, Kathleen M. Swanson, William C. Vervaeke, Carolyn A. Weaver, Jonathan A Willis, Erik S. Yando, Qiang Yao, A. Randall Hughes
Environmental, morphological, and molecular data reveal a new species of freshwater mussel, Strophitus howellsi, endemic to the Edwards Plateau in Texas Environmental, morphological, and molecular data reveal a new species of freshwater mussel, Strophitus howellsi, endemic to the Edwards Plateau in Texas
Freshwater mussels are considered the most imperiled group of organisms in North America and systematics research has played an integral role in the development and implementation of their conservation. Despite the importance of systematics in conservation planning, the evolutionary relationships between many mussel taxa remain poorly explored, clearly illustrated by Strophitus undulatus...
Authors
Chase H. Smith, Alexander H. Kiser, Nathan Johnson, Charles R. Randklev
Monitoring status and trends in genetic diversity for the Convention on Biological Diversity: An ongoing assessment of genetic indicators in nine countries Monitoring status and trends in genetic diversity for the Convention on Biological Diversity: An ongoing assessment of genetic indicators in nine countries
Recent scientific evidence shows that genetic diversity must be maintained, managed, and monitored to protect biodiversity and nature's contributions to people. Three genetic diversity indicators, two of which do not require DNA-based assessment, have been proposed for reporting to the Convention on Biological Diversity and other conservation and policy initiatives. These indicators...
Authors
Sean M. Hoban, Jessica M. da Silva, Alicia Mastretta-Yanes, Catherine E. Grueber, Myriam Heuertz, Margaret Hunter, Joachim Mergeay, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Keiichi Fukaya, Fumiko Ishihama, Rebecca Jordan, Viktoria Koppa, Maria Camila Latorre-Cardenas, Anna J. MacDonald, Victor Rincon-Parra, Per Sjogren-Gulve, Naoki Tani, Henrik Thurfjell, Linda Laikre