Meredith B. Nevers
Meredith B. Nevers is a Bureau Approving Official with the U.S. Geological Survey, Office of Science, Quality, and Integrity, stationed in Chesterton, Indiana.
Nevers received her Bachelor’s in Biology and English from Wittenberg University and her Master’s in Marine Biology from University of North Carolina – Wilmington, where she was inspired by the influence and diversity of algal communities. Nevers has been with USGS since 1997 in multiple appointments, recently including research aquatic ecologist. Nevers is an expert in beach water quality and human health, and she served as President of the Great Lakes Beach Association. Nevers interests include aquatic ecology of the Great Lakes including drivers of nuisance and harmful algal blooms, restoring, and improving urban waterways, detecting invasive species, and improving ecosystems assessments using advanced technology and genomics and continues to encourage science application for improving ecosystem function. In her role as Bureau Approving Official, Nevers now guides science integrity and communication throughout USGS to help maintain scientific excellence.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 62
Identifying and eliminating sources of recreational water quality degradation along an urban coast
Restoration of highly degraded urban coastal waters often requires large-scale, complex projects, but in the interim, smaller-scale efforts can provide immediate improvements to water quality conditions for visitor use. We examined short-term efforts to improve recreational water quality near the Grand Calumet River (GC) in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Identified as an Area of Concern (AOC) by the
Authors
Meredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Dawn Shively, Paul M. Buszka, P. Ryan Jackson, Mantha S. Phanikumar
Environmental DNA (eDNA): A tool for quantifying the abundant but elusive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus)
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is revolutionizing biodiversity monitoring, occupancy estimates, and real-time detections of invasive species. In the Great Lakes, the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), an invasive benthic fish from the Black Sea, has spread to encompass all five lakes and many tributaries, outcompeting or consuming native species; however, estimates of round goby abundance are confound
Authors
Meredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Charles C. Morris, Dawn Shively, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley M. Spoljaric, Joshua Dickey, Edward F. Roseman
Fecal indicator organism modeling and microbial source tracking in environmental waters: Chapter 3.4.6
Mathematical models have been widely applied to surface waters to estimate rates of settling, resuspension, flow, dispersion, and advection in order to calculate movement of particles that influence water quality. Of particular interest are the movement, survival, and persistence of microbial pathogens or their surrogates, which may contaminate recreational water, drinking water, or shellfish. Mos
Authors
Meredith Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Mantha S. Phanikumar, Richard L. Whitman
Freshwater wrack along Great Lakes coasts harbors Escherichia coli: Potential for bacterial transfer between watershed environments
We investigated the occurrence, persistence, and growth potential of Escherichia coli associated with freshwater organic debris (i.e., wrack) frequently deposited along shorelines (shoreline wrack), inputs from rivers (river CPOM), and parking lot runoffs (urban litter). Samples were collected from 9 Great Lakes beaches, 3 creeks, and 4 beach parking lots. Shoreline wrack samples were mainly compo
Authors
Meredith Nevers, Kasia Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley Spoljaric, Dawn A. Shively, Richard L. Whitman, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli
Comparative evaluation of statistical and mechanistic models of Escherichia coli at beaches in southern Lake Michigan
Statistical and mechanistic models are popular tools for predicting the levels of indicator bacteria at recreational beaches. Researchers tend to use one class of model or the other, and it is difficult to generalize statements about their relative performance due to differences in how the models are developed, tested, and used. We describe a cooperative modeling approach for freshwater beaches im
Authors
Ammar Safaie, Aaron Wendzel, Zhongfu Ge, Meredith Nevers, Richard L. Whitman, Steven R. Corsi, Mantha S. Phanikumar
Application of a microfluidic quantitative polymerase chain reaction technique to monitor bacterial pathogens in beach water and complex environmental matrices
Microfluidic quantitative polymerase chain reaction (MFQPCR) and conventional quantitative polymerase chain reaction methods were compared side by side in detecting and quantifying 19 genetic markers associated with Escherichia coli and select bacterial pathogens in algae, beach sand, and water from Lake Michigan. Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Salmonella spp., Cam
Authors
Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Meredith Nevers, Richard L. Whitman, Satoshi Ishii
Prototypic automated continuous recreational water quality monitoring of nine Chicago beaches
Predictive empirical modeling is used in many locations worldwide as a rapid, alternative recreational water quality management tool to eliminate delayed notifications associated with traditional fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) culturing (referred to as the persistence model, PM) and to prevent errors in releasing swimming advisories. The goal of this study was to develop a fully automated water qu
Authors
Dawn Shively, Meredith Nevers, Cathy Breitenbach, Mantha S. Phanikumar, Kasia Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley M. Spoljaric, Richard L. Whitman
Wildlife, urban inputs, and landscape configuration are responsible for degraded swimming water quality at an embayed beach
Jeorse Park Beach, on southern Lake Michigan, experiences frequent closures due to high Escherichia coli (E. coli) levels since regular monitoring was implemented in 2005. During the summer of 2010, contaminant source tracking techniques, such as the conventional microbial and physical surveys and hydrodynamic models, were used to determine the reasons for poor water quality at Jeorse Park. Fecal
Authors
Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli, Meredith Nevers, Richard L. Whitman, Zhongfu Ge, Dawn A. Shively, Ashley Spoljaric, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly
Evidence for free-living Bacteroides in Cladophora along the shores of the Great Lakes
Bacteroides is assumed to be restricted to the alimentary canal of animals and humans and is considered to be non-viable in ambient environments. We hypothesized that Bacteroides could persist and replicate within beach-stranded Cladophora glomerata mats in southern Lake Michigan, USA. Mean Bacteroides concentration (per GenBac3 Taqman quantitative PCR assay) during summer 2012 at Jeorse Park Beac
Authors
Richard L. Whitman, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Ashley Spoljaric, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Dawn A. Shively, Meredith Nevers
Beach science in the Great Lakes
Monitoring beach waters for human health has led to an increase and evolution of science in the Great Lakes, which includes microbiology, limnology, hydrology, meteorology, epidemiology, and metagenomics, among others. In recent years, concerns over the accuracy of water quality standards at protecting human health have led to a significant interest in understanding the risk associated with water
Authors
Meredith B. Nevers, Murulee N. Byappanahalli, Thomas A. Edge, Richard L. Whitman
Routine screening of harmful microorganisms in beach sands: implications to public health
Beaches worldwide provide recreational opportunities to hundreds of millions of people and serve as important components of coastal economies. Beach water is often monitored for microbiological quality to detect the presence of indicators of human sewage contamination so as to prevent public health outbreaks associated with water contact. However, growing evidence suggests that beach sand can harb
Authors
Raquel Sabino, R. Rodrigues, I. Costa, Carlos Carneiro, M. Cunha, A. Duarte, N. Faria, F.C. Ferriera, M.J. Gargate, C. Julio, M.L. Martins, Meredith Nevers, M. Oleastro, H. Solo-Gabriele, C. Verissimo, C. Viegas, Richard L. Whitman, J. Brandao
Developing and implementing the use of predictive models for estimating water quality at Great Lakes beaches
Predictive models have been used at beaches to improve the timeliness and accuracy of recreational water-quality assessments over the most common current approach to water-quality monitoring, which relies on culturing fecal-indicator bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli.). Beach-specific predictive models use environmental and water-quality variables that are easily and quickly measured as s
Authors
Donna S. Francy, Amie M. G. Brady, Rebecca B. Carvin, Steven R. Corsi, Lori M. Fuller, John H. Harrison, Brett A. Hayhurst, Jeremiah Lant, Meredith B. Nevers, Paul J. Terrio, Tammy M. Zimmerman
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- Publications
Filter Total Items: 62
Identifying and eliminating sources of recreational water quality degradation along an urban coast
Restoration of highly degraded urban coastal waters often requires large-scale, complex projects, but in the interim, smaller-scale efforts can provide immediate improvements to water quality conditions for visitor use. We examined short-term efforts to improve recreational water quality near the Grand Calumet River (GC) in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Identified as an Area of Concern (AOC) by theAuthorsMeredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Dawn Shively, Paul M. Buszka, P. Ryan Jackson, Mantha S. PhanikumarEnvironmental DNA (eDNA): A tool for quantifying the abundant but elusive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus)
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is revolutionizing biodiversity monitoring, occupancy estimates, and real-time detections of invasive species. In the Great Lakes, the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), an invasive benthic fish from the Black Sea, has spread to encompass all five lakes and many tributaries, outcompeting or consuming native species; however, estimates of round goby abundance are confoundAuthorsMeredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Charles C. Morris, Dawn Shively, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley M. Spoljaric, Joshua Dickey, Edward F. RosemanFecal indicator organism modeling and microbial source tracking in environmental waters: Chapter 3.4.6
Mathematical models have been widely applied to surface waters to estimate rates of settling, resuspension, flow, dispersion, and advection in order to calculate movement of particles that influence water quality. Of particular interest are the movement, survival, and persistence of microbial pathogens or their surrogates, which may contaminate recreational water, drinking water, or shellfish. MosAuthorsMeredith Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Mantha S. Phanikumar, Richard L. WhitmanFreshwater wrack along Great Lakes coasts harbors Escherichia coli: Potential for bacterial transfer between watershed environments
We investigated the occurrence, persistence, and growth potential of Escherichia coli associated with freshwater organic debris (i.e., wrack) frequently deposited along shorelines (shoreline wrack), inputs from rivers (river CPOM), and parking lot runoffs (urban litter). Samples were collected from 9 Great Lakes beaches, 3 creeks, and 4 beach parking lots. Shoreline wrack samples were mainly compoAuthorsMeredith Nevers, Kasia Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley Spoljaric, Dawn A. Shively, Richard L. Whitman, Muruleedhara ByappanahalliComparative evaluation of statistical and mechanistic models of Escherichia coli at beaches in southern Lake Michigan
Statistical and mechanistic models are popular tools for predicting the levels of indicator bacteria at recreational beaches. Researchers tend to use one class of model or the other, and it is difficult to generalize statements about their relative performance due to differences in how the models are developed, tested, and used. We describe a cooperative modeling approach for freshwater beaches imAuthorsAmmar Safaie, Aaron Wendzel, Zhongfu Ge, Meredith Nevers, Richard L. Whitman, Steven R. Corsi, Mantha S. PhanikumarApplication of a microfluidic quantitative polymerase chain reaction technique to monitor bacterial pathogens in beach water and complex environmental matrices
Microfluidic quantitative polymerase chain reaction (MFQPCR) and conventional quantitative polymerase chain reaction methods were compared side by side in detecting and quantifying 19 genetic markers associated with Escherichia coli and select bacterial pathogens in algae, beach sand, and water from Lake Michigan. Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Salmonella spp., CamAuthorsMuruleedhara Byappanahalli, Meredith Nevers, Richard L. Whitman, Satoshi IshiiPrototypic automated continuous recreational water quality monitoring of nine Chicago beaches
Predictive empirical modeling is used in many locations worldwide as a rapid, alternative recreational water quality management tool to eliminate delayed notifications associated with traditional fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) culturing (referred to as the persistence model, PM) and to prevent errors in releasing swimming advisories. The goal of this study was to develop a fully automated water quAuthorsDawn Shively, Meredith Nevers, Cathy Breitenbach, Mantha S. Phanikumar, Kasia Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley M. Spoljaric, Richard L. WhitmanWildlife, urban inputs, and landscape configuration are responsible for degraded swimming water quality at an embayed beach
Jeorse Park Beach, on southern Lake Michigan, experiences frequent closures due to high Escherichia coli (E. coli) levels since regular monitoring was implemented in 2005. During the summer of 2010, contaminant source tracking techniques, such as the conventional microbial and physical surveys and hydrodynamic models, were used to determine the reasons for poor water quality at Jeorse Park. FecalAuthorsMuruleedhara N. Byappanahalli, Meredith Nevers, Richard L. Whitman, Zhongfu Ge, Dawn A. Shively, Ashley Spoljaric, Katarzyna Przybyla-KellyEvidence for free-living Bacteroides in Cladophora along the shores of the Great Lakes
Bacteroides is assumed to be restricted to the alimentary canal of animals and humans and is considered to be non-viable in ambient environments. We hypothesized that Bacteroides could persist and replicate within beach-stranded Cladophora glomerata mats in southern Lake Michigan, USA. Mean Bacteroides concentration (per GenBac3 Taqman quantitative PCR assay) during summer 2012 at Jeorse Park BeacAuthorsRichard L. Whitman, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Ashley Spoljaric, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Dawn A. Shively, Meredith NeversBeach science in the Great Lakes
Monitoring beach waters for human health has led to an increase and evolution of science in the Great Lakes, which includes microbiology, limnology, hydrology, meteorology, epidemiology, and metagenomics, among others. In recent years, concerns over the accuracy of water quality standards at protecting human health have led to a significant interest in understanding the risk associated with waterAuthorsMeredith B. Nevers, Murulee N. Byappanahalli, Thomas A. Edge, Richard L. WhitmanRoutine screening of harmful microorganisms in beach sands: implications to public health
Beaches worldwide provide recreational opportunities to hundreds of millions of people and serve as important components of coastal economies. Beach water is often monitored for microbiological quality to detect the presence of indicators of human sewage contamination so as to prevent public health outbreaks associated with water contact. However, growing evidence suggests that beach sand can harbAuthorsRaquel Sabino, R. Rodrigues, I. Costa, Carlos Carneiro, M. Cunha, A. Duarte, N. Faria, F.C. Ferriera, M.J. Gargate, C. Julio, M.L. Martins, Meredith Nevers, M. Oleastro, H. Solo-Gabriele, C. Verissimo, C. Viegas, Richard L. Whitman, J. BrandaoDeveloping and implementing the use of predictive models for estimating water quality at Great Lakes beaches
Predictive models have been used at beaches to improve the timeliness and accuracy of recreational water-quality assessments over the most common current approach to water-quality monitoring, which relies on culturing fecal-indicator bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli.). Beach-specific predictive models use environmental and water-quality variables that are easily and quickly measured as s
AuthorsDonna S. Francy, Amie M. G. Brady, Rebecca B. Carvin, Steven R. Corsi, Lori M. Fuller, John H. Harrison, Brett A. Hayhurst, Jeremiah Lant, Meredith B. Nevers, Paul J. Terrio, Tammy M. Zimmerman - News