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Filter Total Items: 964
Barrier-island and estuarine-wetland physical-change assessment after Hurricane Sandy Barrier-island and estuarine-wetland physical-change assessment after Hurricane Sandy
Introduction The Nation’s eastern coast is fringed by beaches, dunes, barrier islands, wetlands, and bluffs. These natural coastal barriers provide critical benefits and services, and can mitigate the impact of storms, erosion, and sea-level rise on our coastal communities. Waves and storm surge resulting from Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall along the New Jersey coast on October 29...
Authors
Nathaniel G. Plant, Kathryn E.L. Smith, Davina L. Passeri, Christopher G. Smith, Julie Bernier
A North American Hydroclimate Synthesis (NAHS) of the Common Era A North American Hydroclimate Synthesis (NAHS) of the Common Era
This study presents a synthesis of century-scale hydroclimate variations in North America for the Common Era (last 2000 years) using new age models of previously published multiple proxy-based paleoclimate data. This North American Hydroclimate Synthesis (NAHS) examines regional hydroclimate patterns and related environmental indicators, including vegetation, lake water elevation, stream...
Authors
Jessica R. Rodysill, Lesleigh Anderson, Thomas M. Cronin, Miriam C. Jones, Robert S. Thompson, David B. Wahl, Debra A. Willard, Jason A. Addison, Jay R. Alder, Katherine H. Anderson, Lysanna Anderson, John A. Barron, Christopher E. Bernhardt, Steven W. Hostetler, Natalie M. Kehrwald, Nicole Khan, Julie N. Richey, Scott W. Starratt, Laura E. Strickland, Michael Toomey, Claire C. Treat, G. Lynn Wingard
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Energy Resources Program, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
The sedimentological characteristics and geochronology of the marshes of Dauphin Island, Alabama The sedimentological characteristics and geochronology of the marshes of Dauphin Island, Alabama
In August 2015, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center collected 11 push cores from the marshes of Dauphin Island and Little Dauphin Island, Alabama. Sample site environments included high marshes, low salt marshes, and salt flats, and varied in distance from the shoreline. The sampling efforts were part of a larger study to assess...
Authors
Alisha M. Ellis, Christopher G. Smith, Marci E. Marot
Ground penetrating radar and differential global positioning system data collected in April 2016 from Fire Island, New York Ground penetrating radar and differential global positioning system data collected in April 2016 from Fire Island, New York
Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a long-term coastal morphologic-change study at Fire Island, New York, prior to and after Hurricane Sandy impacted the area in October 2012. The Fire Island Coastal Change project objectives include understanding the morphologic evolution of the barrier island system on a variety of time scales (months to centuries) and...
Authors
Arnell S. Forde, Julie Bernier, Jennifer L. Miselis
Vibrio population dynamics in Mid-Atlantic surface waters during Saharan dust events Vibrio population dynamics in Mid-Atlantic surface waters during Saharan dust events
Vibrio is a cosmopolitan genus of marine bacteria, highly investigated in coastal and estuarine environments. Vibrio have also been isolated from pelagic waters, yet very little is known about the ecology of these oligotrophic species. In this study we examined the relative change in bacterial abundance and more specifically the dynamics of Vibrio in the tropical North Atlantic in...
Authors
Jason R. Westrich, Dale W. Griffin, Douglas L. Westphal, Erin K. Lipp
Pronounced centennial-scale Atlantic Ocean climate variability correlated with Western Hemisphere hydroclimate Pronounced centennial-scale Atlantic Ocean climate variability correlated with Western Hemisphere hydroclimate
Surface-ocean circulation in the northern Atlantic Ocean influences Northern Hemisphere climate. Century-scale circulation variability in the Atlantic Ocean, however, is poorly constrained due to insufficiently-resolved paleoceanographic records. Here we present a replicated reconstruction of sea-surface temperature and salinity from a site sensitive to North Atlantic circulation in the...
Authors
Kaustubh Thirumalai, Terrence M. Quinn, Yuko Okumura, Julie N. Richey, Judson W. Partin, Richard Z. Poore, Eduardo Moreno-Chamarro
Assessing intrinsic and specific vulnerability models ability to indicate groundwater vulnerability to groups of similar pesticides: A comparative study Assessing intrinsic and specific vulnerability models ability to indicate groundwater vulnerability to groups of similar pesticides: A comparative study
With continued population growth and increasing use of fresh groundwater resources, protection of this valuable resource is critical. A cost effective means to assess risk of groundwater contamination potential will provide a useful tool to protect these resources. Integrating geospatial methods offers a means to quantify the risk of contaminant potential in cost effective and spatially...
Authors
Steven H. Douglas, Barnali Dixon, Dale W. Griffin
How could a freshwater swamp produce a chemical signature characteristic of a saltmarsh? How could a freshwater swamp produce a chemical signature characteristic of a saltmarsh?
Reduction–oxidation (redox) reaction conditions, which are of great importance for the soil chemistry of coastal marshes, can be temporally dynamic. We present a transect of cores from northwest Florida wherein radical postdepositional changes in the redox regime has created atypical geochemical profiles at the bottom of the sedimentary column. The stratigraphy is consistent along the...
Authors
Terrence A. McCloskey, Christopher G. Smith, Kam-biu Liu, Marci E. Marot, Christian Haller
Chirp subbottom profile data collected in 2015 from the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana Chirp subbottom profile data collected in 2015 from the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
As part of the Barrier Island Evolution Research project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a nearshore geophysical survey around the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, in September 2015. The objective of the project is to improve the understanding of barrier island geomorphic evolution, particularly storm...
Authors
Arnell S. Forde, Nancy T. DeWitt, Jake J. Fredericks, Jennifer L. Miselis
Regional acidification trends in Florida shellfish estuaries: A 20+ year look at pH, oxygen, temperature, and salinity Regional acidification trends in Florida shellfish estuaries: A 20+ year look at pH, oxygen, temperature, and salinity
Increasing global CO2 and local land use changes coupled with increased nutrient pollution are threatening estuaries worldwide. Local changes of estuarine chemistry have been documented, but regional associations and trends comparing multiple estuaries latitudinally have not been evaluated. Rapid climate change has impacted the annual and decadal chemical trends in estuaries, with local...
Authors
Lisa L. Robbins, John T. Lisle
How do upwelling and El Niño impact coral reef growth? A guided, inquiry-based lesson How do upwelling and El Niño impact coral reef growth? A guided, inquiry-based lesson
This lesson uses real-world data to guide students toward understanding how climate and ocean variables impact coral reef growth. To begin this activity, students hypothesize how changes in environmental conditions could affect coral reef growth. They then compare metrics for reef growth (linear growth and percent coral cover) between two reefs in Pacific Panamá that are located in
Authors
Philip M. Gravinese, Lauren T. Toth, Carly J. Randall, Richard B. Aronson
Natural and human-induced variability in barrier-island response to sea level rise Natural and human-induced variability in barrier-island response to sea level rise
Storm-driven sediment fluxes onto and behind barrier islands help coastal barrier systems keep pace with sea level rise (SLR). Understanding what controls cross-shore sediment flux magnitudes is critical for making accurate forecasts of barrier response to increased SLR rates. Here, using an existing morphodynamic model for barrier island evolution, observations are used to constrain...
Authors
Jennifer L. Miselis, Jorge Lorenzo-Trueba