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Publications

The U.S. Geological Survey Publications Warehouse is a citation clearinghouse that provides access to over 160,000 publications written by USGS scientists over the century-plus history of the bureau. Below is a list of select scientific publications and information products from the Gulf of Mexico region. 

Filter Total Items: 365

Chandeleur Islands to Breton Island bathymetric and topographic datasets and operational sediment budget development: Methodology and analysis report

This study is part of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) program. The goal of the BICM program is to provide long-term data on the barrier islands of Louisiana for monitoring change and assisting in coastal management. The BICM program uses historical data and acquires new data to map and monitor shoreline position, sedi
Authors
James G. Flocks, Arnell S. Forde, Julie Bernier

Chenier Plain region bathymetric and topographic datasets: Methodology report

The goal of the Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) program is to provide long-term data on coastal Louisiana for monitoring change and assisting in coastal management. This study (carried out under Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority contract number 2000339324, BICM2—Chenier TopoBathy DEM) builds upon the previous BICM physical assessment of the Chenier Plain region
Authors
James G. Flocks, Arnell S. Forde, Julie Bernier

Combining tangential flow filtration and size fractionation of mesocosm water as a method for the investigation of waterborne coral diseases

The causative agents of most coral diseases today remain unknown, complicating disease response and restoration efforts. Pathogen identifications can be hampered by complex microbial communities naturally associated with corals and seawater, which create complicating “background noise” that can potentially obscure a pathogen’s signal. Here, we outline an approach to investigate waterborne coral di
Authors
James S. Evans, Valerie J. Paul, Blake Ushijima, Christina A. Kellogg

The impacts of mangrove range expansion on wetland ecosystem services in the southeastern United States: Current understanding, knowledge gaps, and emerging research needs

Climate change is transforming ecosystems and affecting ecosystem goods and services. Along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts of the southeastern United States, the frequency and intensity of extreme freeze events greatly influences whether coastal wetlands are dominated by freeze-sensitive woody plants (mangrove forests) or freeze-tolerant grass-like plants (salt marshes). In response to war
Authors
Michael Osland, A. Randall Hughes, Anna R. Armitage, Steven B. Scyphers, Just Cebrian, Savannah H. Swinea, Christine C. Shepard, Michael S. Allen, Laura Feher, James A. Nelson, Cherie L. O'Brien, Colt R. Sanspree, Delbert L. Smee, Caitlin M. Snyder, Andrew P. Stetter, Philip W. Stevens, Kathleen M. Swanson, Lauren H. Williams, Janell M. Brush, Joseph Marchionno, Remi Bardou

The potential of wave energy conversion to mitigate coastal erosion from hurricanes

Wave energy conversion technologies have recently attracted more attention as part of global efforts to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy resources. While ocean waves can provide renewable energy, they can also be destructive to coastal areas that are often densely populated and vulnerable to coastal erosion. There have been a variety of efforts to mitigate the impacts of wave- and storm-
Authors
Cigdem Ozkan, Talea Mayo, Davina Passeri

Inter-nesting movements, migratory pathways, and resident foraging areas of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) satellite-tagged in Southwest Florida

Globally, sea turtle research and conservation efforts are underway to identify important high-use areas where these imperiled individuals may be resident for weeks to months to years. In the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, recent telemetry studies highlighted post-nesting foraging sites for federally endangered green turtles (Chelonia mydas) around the Florida Keys. In order to delineate additional
Authors
Kelly A Sloan, David S. Addison, Andrew T. Glinsky, Allison Benscoter, Kristen Hart

Workshops report for mesophotic and deep benthic community fish, mobile invertebrates, sessile invertebrates and infauna

Two workshops with subject matter experts in the appropriate fields, were held in November and December 2021 to elicit guidance and feedback from the broader mesophotic and deep benthic scientific community. These workshops focused on best practices/approaches and identifying data gaps relative to habitat assessment and evaluation goals of the Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Community (MDBC) restorati
Authors
Rachel Bassett, Stacey L. Harter, Randy Clark, Ian Zink, Katherine Hornick, Jennifer Hartman, Hanna Bliska, Melissa Carle, Tracey Sutton, Amanda Demopoulos, Andy David, Kristopher Benson, Jill Bourque, Martha S. Nizinski, Nancy G. Prouty, Stephanie M. Sharuga, Alicia Caporaso, Jennifer Le, Jennifer Herting, Cheryl Morrison, Matthew Poti

Caretta caretta (Loggerhead Sea Turtle) nesting exchange

The Northwest Atlantic population of Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) is one of the largest C. caretta populations in the world and is listed as threatened. This population was divided into five genetically distinct subpopulations, including the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGoM) subpopulation (Shamblin et al. 2017 Mar. Bio. 164:138). Across the NGoM, the majority of C. caretta nesting occurs
Authors
Margaret Lamont, Jennifer S. Walker, Donna J. Shaver

Capture vulnerability of sea turtles on recreational fishing piers

Capture vulnerability of commercial and recreational fishes has been associated with behavioral, morphological, and life-history traits; however, relationships with non-target species, such as sea turtles, have not been adequately studied. We examined species composition, timing of captures, morphological variables including body size and head width, and body condition of sea turtles captured from
Authors
Margaret Lamont, Robert Michael Mollenhauer, Allen M. Foley

Loggerhead marine turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting at smaller sizes than expected in the Gulf of Mexico: Implications for turtle behavior, population dynamics, and conservation

Estimates of parameters that affect population dynamics, including the size at which individuals reproduce, are crucial for efforts aimed at understanding how imperiled species may recover from the numerous threats they face. In this study, we observed loggerhead marine turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting at three sites in the Gulf of Mexico at sizes assumed nonreproductive in this region (≤87 cm cu

Authors
Allison Benscoter, Brian J. Smith, Kristen Hart

Defining aquatic habitat zones across northern Gulf of Mexico estuarine gradients through submerged aquatic vegetation species assemblage and biomass data

Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) creates highly productive habitats in coastal areas, providing support for many important species of fish and wildlife. Despite the importance and documented loss of SAV across fresh to marine habitats globally, we lack consistent baseline data on estuarine SAV resources, particularly in the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) estuaries. To understand SAV distribution
Authors
K. E. DeMarco, E. R. Hillmann, J. A. Nyman, Brady Couvillion, Megan K. La Peyre

Genetic analysis of red lionfish Pterois volitans from Florida, USA, leads to alternative North Atlantic introduction scenarios

The red lionfish Pterois volitans is a successful invasive predator across the western North Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. The southeast coast of Florida (USA) has been identified as the original introduction location, but genetic analyses including Florida lionfish have yet to investigate introduction scenarios. Here, we assessed the potential lionfish invasion pathways using 1795 sequ
Authors
Margaret Hunter, Caitlin Beaver, Nathan A. Johnson, Eleanor K. Bors, Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni, Brian R. Silliman, Dayne Buddo, Linda Searle, Edgardo Díaz-Ferguson