Publications

To aid Federal and State regulatory agencies in the effective management of water resources, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Connecticut Department of Transportation, updated flow statistics for 118 streamgages and developed 47 regression equations to estimate selected flow duration, low flow, and...

Invasive carps, specifically silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), bighead carp (H. nobilis), grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), and black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus), have proliferated in the Mississippi River Basin owing to escapes from aquaculture facilities and intentional releases. In the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) of 2020 Sec. 509, Congress directed the U...

Wind dispersal has the potential to carry seeds long-distances and could inform the management and restoration of natural vegetation along the U.S.-Mexico Border. Plant species with the potential to disperse seeds in arid landscapes fragmented by border barrier infrastructure include foundational native, invasive, and federally endangered plant species. Wind dispersal traps constructed...

Proper development and inflation of the swim bladder is essential for swimming and foraging behavior in fish. To characterize the effects of the Brazilian oil spill that occurred between 2019 and 2020 to early life stage fish, the expression of genes involved in swim bladder development were targeted, with biochemical assays, morphology, and behavior assessed. The swim bladder was...

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants with known bioaccumulative and toxic effects in aquatic ecosystems. This study assessed site-specific differences in PFAS contamination in fish from Ashumet Pond, Sudbury River, and Great Herring Pond (reference site) in Massachusetts. Fish from Ashumet Pond exhibited the highest PFAS concentrations...

Perfluorodecanesulfonate (PFDS), a long-chain polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), is widely detected in aquatic environments and increasingly recognized for its environmental persistence and bioaccumulative potential; however, its immunotoxicity remains poorly understood in aquatic biota. In this study, early life stage zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to environmentally relevant...

Cover crops play a critical role in providing agroecological services such as improving soil health, reducing erosion and nitrogen loss, and suppressing weeds, which are closely tied to their performance such as accumulated biomass. This study evaluated the Active Canopy Sensor (ACS) -214, an active proximal sensing device equipped with its own light-emitting red and near-infrared...

Suspended sediment (SS) continues a century-long decline in the Lower Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers, United States. In this study, we use the WRTDSplus model to estimate concentrations and loads for total, fine (

The development of standardized toxicity tests is critical for assessing pollutants in aquatic ecosystems. The mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer offers advantages as a test species due to its asexual reproduction, short life cycle, and high sensitivity to pollutants. However, we identified variability in response sensitivity to pollutants, which may stem from the nutritional composition and...

Although the aquarium trade is an important pathway for direct and indirect non-native species introductions into freshwater systems, knowledge and attitudes of participants in the trade regarding alien species issues is largely undocumented. Therefore, we administered a survey to investigate attitudes and behaviors of aquarists and non-aquarists regarding the aquarium trade as a pathway...

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistently accumulated in both environmental media and biological systems, leading to significant toxicological effects. Although research on PFAS has expanded in recent years, systematic reviews on its concentration distribution in aquatic environments and biota, as well as its toxicological effects, remain scarce. Moreover, existing...

Lidar and structure from motion-derived digital elevation and surface models have widespread application. Consideration of a topographic model's vertical root mean squared error (RMSEz) and systematic directional bias is important for many of these applications, particularly landscape change detection and measurement. Due to logistic, resource, and time constraints, wide area remotely...