Unified Interior Regions
Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
Regions L2 Landing Page Tabs
Baseline Aquatic Contamination and Endocrine Status in Resident Fish Populations of Biscayne National Park and in the Adjacent Coastal Environment
As part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, water managers are planning to use treated wastewater from the South District Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) to supplement the canal waters that will be used to rehydrate wetlands adjacent to the Biscayne National Park (Park).
Population Demography and Food Web Analysis of Large Aquatic Salamanders (Siren and Amphiuma) in North Florida
Understanding amphibian's life-histories can help predict how they may persist in aquatic habitats in the face of droughts and other climate change-associated events.
Socio-Ecological Conservation Targets for the Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative
Peninsular Florida has a high density of species and ecosystems of conservation concern, as well as many threats to the persistence of native species and their habitats. USGS worked closely with the Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative to define conservation targets to help meet conservation goals.
Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative (PFLCC) Climate Scenarios and Species Vulnerability Assessment
Peninsular Florida is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change in the United States. With complex socioeconomic and ecology dynamics and a large number of governing agencies involved in conservation planning, USGS worked to created an appropriate framework for landscape conservation cooperative-scale decision-making across current conservation planning agencies and jurisdictions...
Winter Manatee Foraging Behavior and the Decline of Seagrass Beds in the Northern Indian River Lagoon
With high numbers of manatees using the Florida Power and Light power plant warm water refuge during winter, their impact on the seagrass beds in the Indian River Lagoon is considered an important indicator of the long-term capacity of the area to support the manatees. USGS is working with partners to investigate the spatial extent and intensity of manatee use of seagrass beds in the area. ...
Coral Bleaching and Disease: Effects on Threatened Corals and Reefs
Severe coral bleaching in 2005, followed by a disease outbreak, resulted in severe reef degradation in the US Virgin Islands; the amount of living coral cover at long-term monitoring sites decreased an average of 60%. With climate change, high seawater temperatures are expected to lead to more frequent bleaching episodes and possibly more disease outbreaks.
Mangrove Migration Network
At the poleward marsh-mangrove ecotone, mangrove abundance and coverage is winter temperature-sensitive in that it oscillates in response to the frequency, duration, and/or intensity of extreme winter temperatures. Future winter climate change is expected to facilitate poleward mangrove range expansion at the expense of salt marshes in Texas, Louisiana, and parts of Florida.
Watershed Controls of Freshwater Wetland Nutrient Stoichiometry and Sensitivity to Eutrophication
When it comes to freshwater wetlands, hydrology plays a large role in nutrient stoichiometry and sensitivity to nutrient inputs. Although wetland biogeochemists intuitively understand these important relationships between landscape position, hydrology, and sensitivity to nutrient inputs, these relationships have never been quantified using geospatial data. The objective of this project will be...
Incorporating Future Change into Current Conservation Planning: Evaluating Wetland Migration along the Gulf of Mexico under Alternative Sea-Level Rise and Urbanization Scenarios
More than half of contiguous U.S. coastal wetlands are located along the Gulf of Mexico coast. These highly-productive wetlands support many ecosystem goods and services and fish and wildlife habitat. Historically, coastal wetlands have adapted to sea-level changes via lateral and vertical movement on the landscape. As sea levels rise in the future, coastal wetlands will adapt and migrate...
Macroclimatic Controls of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem Structure and Function
At the global-scale, macroclimatic drivers govern ecosystem structure and function in tidal saline wetlands (e.g., salt marshes, mangrove forests, salt flats). However, global reviews and models for these ecosystems typically do not directly include climatic drivers. The objective of this research is to examine and forecast the effects of macroclimatic drivers on wetland ecosystem structure...
Life History Characterization and Host Fish Identification for Federally Listed and Imperiled Freshwater Mussel Species in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia and Florida
Freshwater mussels are considered the most imperiled group of animals in the United States. These animals provide valuable ecological services by filtering water, sequestering nutrients, and providing forage for migratory birds, small mammals, and turtles. They also have a unique and complex life cycle that makes them especially vulnerable to human disturbances. It includes a parasitic larval...
Evaluation of Stream Reaches for Mussel Reintroduction in the Upper Coosa Watershed, NW Georgia
The Conasauga River in northwest Georgia and southeast Tennessee harbors the majority of mussel diversity still found in the Georgia portion of the Upper Coosa Basin. While the Conasauga historically supported at least 44 mussel species, only about 20 species remain.
Monitoring plans for Louisiana’s system-wide assessment and monitoring program (SWAMP). Version IV
The System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP) has been envisioned as a long-term monitoring program to ensure a comprehensive network of coastal data collection activities is in place to support the development, implementation, and adaptive management of the coastal protection and restoration program within coastal Louisiana. The...
Hemmerling, Scott; Baustian, Melissa M.; Bienn, Harris; Dausman, Alyssa; Grace, Alaina; Grimley, Lauren; McInnis, Adrian; Vingiello, Michael; Vu, Huy; Sable, Shaye; Gentile, Britt; Lafargue, Phillip; Hijuelos, Ann; Piazza, Sarai; Stagg, Camille; Raynie, Richard C; Haywood, Edward; Khalid, Syed Relations of dissolved-oxygen variability, selected field constituents, and metabolism estimates to land use and nutrients in high-gradient Boston Mountain streams, Arkansas
Continuous monitoring data can be extremely useful for assessing water quality conditions particularly for variables that exhibit dynamic diel swings such as dissolved oxygen. As a means of evaluating dissolved oxygen criteria used by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) for assessing this stream class, we compared continuous...
Justus, Billy; Driver, Lucas; Green, J.J.; Wentz, Nathan A multi-indicator spatial similarity approach for evaluating ecological restoration scenarios
ContextThe greater Everglades region in Florida (USA) is an area of wetlands that has been altered and reduced to 50% of its original area and faces multiple threats. Spatial landscape analysis can help guide a large and complex ecosystem restoration process, involving billions of dollars and multiple groups of stakeholders.ObjectivesTo guide...
Wiederholt, Ruscena; Paudel, Rajendara; Khare, Yogesh; Davis, Stephen E.; Naja, G.M.; Romanach, Stephanie; Pearlstine, L.; Van Lent, Thomas Putative mitochondrial sex determination in the Bivalvia: Insights from a hybrid transcriptome assembly in freshwater mussels
Bivalves exhibit an astonishing diversity of sexual systems, with genetic and environmental determinants of sex, and possibly the only example of mitochondrial genes influencing sex determination pathways in animals. In contrast to all other animal species in which strict maternal inheritance (SMI) of mitochondria is the rule, bivalves possess a...
Capt, Charlotte; Renaut, Sebastien; Stewart, Donald; Johnson, Nathan; Breton, Sophie Temperature thresholds for black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) freeze damage, mortality, and recovery in North America: Refining tipping points for range expansion in a warming climate
Near the tropical‐temperate transition zone, warming winter temperatures are expected to facilitate the poleward range expansion of freeze‐sensitive tropical organisms. In coastal wetlands of eastern and central North America, freeze‐sensitive woody plants (mangroves) are expected to expand northward into regions currently dominated by freeze‐...
Osland, Michael; Day, Richard; Hall, Courtney T.; Feher, Laura; Armitage, Anna R.; Cebrian, Just; Dunton, Kenneth H.; Hughes, Randall; Kaplan, David; Langston, Amy K.; Macy, Aaron; Weaver, Carolyn A.; Anderson, Gordon H.; Cummins, Karen; Feller, Ilka C.; Snyder, Caitlin M. Informing sea turtle outreach efforts to maximize effectiveness
Most sea turtle (Cheloniidae) species worldwide are endangered or threatened, with threats causing harm to sea turtles predominantly human‐induced. Thus, prevention of further declines to these imperiled species will require alteration of human behaviors. Regulations, incentives, and environmental education are 3 strategies that could be used to...
Swindall, Jessica E.; Ober, Holly K.; Lamont, Margaret; Carthy, Raymond
Potentiometric surface of the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer, spring 2016
A potentiometric surface map for spring 2016 was created for the Mississippi River Valley alluvial (MRVA) aquifer using selected available groundwater-altitude data from wells and surface-water-altitude data from streamgages. Most of the wells were measured annually or one time after installation, but some wells were measured more than one time or...
McGuire, Virginia L.; Seanor, Ronald C.; Asquith, William H.; Kress, Wade; Strauch, Kellan R. Photosynthetic and respiratory responses of two bog shrub species to whole ecosystem warming and elevated CO2 at the boreal-temperate ecotone
Peatlands within the boreal-temperate ecotone contain the majority of terrestrial carbon in this region, and there is concern over the fate of such carbon stores in the face of global environmental changes. The Spruce and Peatland Response Under Changing Environments (SPRUCE) facility aims to advance the understanding of how such peatlands may...
Ward, Eric; Warren, Jeffrey M .; McLennan, David A; Dusenge, Mirindi E; Way, Danielle A.; Wullschleger, Stan D.; Hanson, Paul J Comparison of methods for modeling fractional cover using simulated satellite hyperspectral imager spectra
Remotely sensed data can be used to model the fractional cover of green vegetation (GV), non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV), and soil in natural and agricultural ecosystems. NPV and soil cover are difficult to estimate accurately since absorption by lignin, cellulose, and other organic molecules cannot be resolved by broadband multispectral data...
Dennison, Philip E.; Qi, Yi; Meerdink, Susan K.; Kokaly, Raymond; Thompson, David R.; Daughtry, Craig S.T.; Quemada, Miguel; Roberts, Dar A.; Gader, Paul; Wetherley, Erin; Numata, Izaya; Roth, Keely L. Back to the future: Rebuilding the Everglades
Society values landscapes that are engrained in cultural tradition and have a rich connection with human history. As such, there has been a concerted effort to look at the pristine past and develop plans to move the past into the future. However, bringing the past back is constrained by hysteretic changes, irrevocable damages, and anthropogenic...
Sklar, Fred H.; Beerens, James M.; Brandt, Laura A.; Coronado-Molina, Carlos A.; Davis, Steven M; Frankovich, Tom; Madden, Christopher; McLean, Agnes; Trexler, Joel C.; Wilcox, Walter Non-native marine fishes in Florida: Updated checklist, population status and early detection/rapid response
It has been ten years since the last comprehensive assessment of non-native marine fishes in Florida. Herein, we report sightings of 41 species from Florida coastal waters since the earliest reported sighting in 1984. Information is provided on the population status of each species (e.g., established, eradicated, unknown), and our early detection/...
Schofield, Pamela J.; Akins, Lad Acoustic tag retention rate varies between juvenile green and hawksbill sea turtles
Background Biotelemetry has become a key tool for studying marine animals in the last decade, and a wide range of electronic tags are now available for answering a range of research questions. However, comparatively, less attention has been given to attachment methods for these tags and the implications of tag retention on study design, especially...
Selby, Thomas; Smith, Brian; Cherkiss, Michael; Crowder, Andrew; Hillis-Starr, Zandy; Pollock, Clayton; Hart, Kristen
Bleaching colony of great star coral, Montastraea cavernosa
Bleaching colony of great star coral, Montastraea cavernosa, with polyps extended, Florida Keys. When corals are stressed, the symbiosis between the coral animal and its photosynthetic algal symbionts (zooxanthellae) breaks down and the zooxanthellae are expelled from the coral tissue. The zooxanthellae’s photosynthetic pigments contribute much of the color we see
...
Bleaching colonies of mountainous star coral, Montastraea faveolata
Bleaching colonies of mountainous star coral, Montastraea faveolata, Florida Keys. When corals are stressed, the symbiosis between the coral animal and its photosynthetic algal symbionts (zooxanthellae) breaks down and the zooxanthellae are expelled from the coral tissue. The zooxanthellae’s photosynthetic pigments contribute much of the color we see in corals, so
...
Bleaching colonies of mustard hill coral, Porites astreoides
Bleaching colonies of mustard hill coral, Porites astreoides, both green and brown color morphs, Florida Keys. When corals are stressed, the symbiosis between the coral animal and its photosynthetic algal symbionts (zooxanthellae) breaks down and the zooxanthellae are expelled from the coral tissue. The zooxanthellae’s photosynthetic pigments contribute much of
...
Bleaching colony of mustard hill coral, Porites astreoides
Bleaching colony of mustard hill coral, Porites astreoides, Florida Keys. When corals are stressed, the symbiosis between the coral animal and its photosynthetic algal symbionts (zooxanthellae) breaks down and the zooxanthellae are expelled from the coral tissue. The zooxanthellae’s photosynthetic pigments contribute much of the color we see in corals, so when the
...
Bleaching colony of massive starlet coral, Siderastrea siderea
Bleaching colony of massive starlet coral, Siderastrea siderea, Florida Keys. When corals are stressed, the symbiosis between the coral animal and its photosynthetic algal symbionts (zooxanthellae) breaks down and the zooxanthellae are expelled from the coral tissue. The zooxanthellae’s photosynthetic pigments contribute much of the color we see in corals, so when
...
Bleaching colony of massive starlet coral, Siderastrea siderea
Bleaching colony of massive starlet coral, Siderastrea siderea, Florida Keys. When corals are stressed, the symbiosis between the coral animal and its photosynthetic algal symbionts (zooxanthellae) breaks down and the zooxanthellae are expelled from the coral tissue. The zooxanthellae’s photosynthetic pigments contribute much of the color we see in corals, so when
...
Bleaching colony of blushing star coral, Stephanocoenia intersepta
Bleaching colony of blushing star coral, Stephanocoenia intersepta/michelinii. When corals are stressed, the symbiosis between the coral animal and its photosynthetic algal symbionts (zooxanthellae) breaks down and the zooxanthellae are expelled from the coral tissue. The zooxanthellae’s photosynthetic pigments contribute much of the color we see in corals, so
...
Bleaching colony of blushing star coral
Bleaching colony of blushing star coral, Stephanocoenia intersepta/michelinii.
Brain coral with black-band disease
A colony of symmetrical brain coral, Diploria strigosa, affected by black-band disease (BBD), Florida Keys.
Star coral, Montastraea faveolata, affected by black-band disease
A colony of mountainous star coral, Montastraea faveolata, affected by black-band disease (BBD), Florida Keys.
Star coral, Dichocoenia stokesii, affected by black-band disease
A colony of elliptical star coral, Dichocoenia stokesii, affected by black-band disease (BBD), Florida Keys.
Colony brain coral, Diploria clivosa, affected by black-band disease
A colony of knobby brain coral, Diploria clivosa, affected by black-band disease (BBD), Florida Keys.
The American Ground Water Trust’s program "Ground Water Institute for Teachers TM", educates teachers about ground water and hydrology.
Workshop overview and discussion with scientists
A team of scientists has determined that a coral reef discovered in 1999 is the deepest reef ever found off the continental U.S., the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced today. The reef lies in approximately 250 feet of water off the coast of southwest Florida on a submerged barrier-island named Pulley Ridge.
A team of scientists has determined that a coral reef discovered in 1999 is the deepest reef ever found off the continental U.S., the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced today.
USGS Director Chip Groat is available for interviews on Dec. 6-7. Please call the contact, above. Groat will present Science for Ecosystem Restoration on Mon, Dec. 6 from 2:20-2:50pm.
Hydrologists, biologists, geologists and geographers from the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) will discuss their science at the First National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration (NCER) Dec. 6-10 at the Wyndham Palace in Orlando, Fla.
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey have surveyed the barrier islands battered by Hurricane Ivan and have prepared unique pre- and post-storm photo pairs showing extreme coastal change. The photos will be posted by 5:00 pm today.
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey have surveyed the barrier islands battered by Hurricane Ivan and have prepared unique pre- and post-storm photo pairs showing extreme coastal change. The photos will be posted by 5:00 pm today.
The U.S. Geological Survey alerted state and federal agencies today to the increased potential for landslides in the mountainous regions of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland due to anticipated heavy rainfall from Hurricane Ivan.
Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are closely watching the Gulf of Mexico shoreline to understand the impact of Hurricane Ivan. The shoreline in the Gulf is particularly vulnerable to storm surge and coastal change during hurricanes because of the low elevation, shoreline retreat and subsidence in the Mississippi Delta regions.
The U.S. Geological Survey alerted state and federal agencies today to the increased potential for landslides in the mountainous regions of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland due to anticipated heavy rainfall from Hurricane Ivan.
Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are closely watching the Gulf of Mexico shoreline to understand the impact of Hurricane Ivan. The shoreline in the Gulf is particularly vulnerable to storm surge and coastal change during hurricanes because of the low elevation, shoreline retreat and subsidence in the Mississippi Delta regions.
Follow Region 2 activities on social media, get contact information for Region 2 USGS centers, and meet Region 2's staff and center directors.
Contacts
Locations
Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center - Gainesville, FL
Phone: 352-378-8181
Fax: 352-378-4956
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Nashville, TN Office
GS-W-TNnsh Webmaster@usgs.gov
Phone: (615) 837-4700
Fax: (615) 837-4799
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Montgomery, AL Office
Phone: (334) 395-4131
Fax: (334) 395-4168
Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center - Puerto Rico Office
Phone: (787) 749-7400
Fax: (787) 749-7401
South Atlantic Water Science Center - Raleigh, NC Office
Phone: (919) 571-4000
Fax: (919) 571-4041
South Atlantic Water Science Center - Columbia, SC Office
Phone: (803) 750-6100
Fax: (803) 750-6181
South Atlantic Water Science Center - Norcross, GA Office
Phone: (678) 924-6700
Fax: (678) 924-6710
Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center - Florida Office
Phone: (813) 498-5000
Fax: (813) 498-5002
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Phone: (727) 502-8000
Fax: (727) 502-8181
Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center
USGS-St. Petersburg Carbon Analytical Laboratory
South Atlantic Water Science Center - North Carolina: Charlotte Field Office
Phone: (704) 344-6272
South Atlantic Water Science Center - Tifton, GA Field Office
webmaster-ga@usgs.gov
Phone: 229-382-6353
South Atlantic Water Science Center - Charleston, SC Field Office
Phone: 843-460-9724
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Memphis, TN Office
Phone: 901-678-7287
Fax: 901-678-7300
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Knoxville, TN Office
rbrendli@usgs.gov
Phone: 865-862-2029
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Tuscaloosa, AL Office
Phone: 205-348-0950
Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center - Fort Myers office
Phone: (239) 275-8448
Fax: (239) 275-6820
Caribbean Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee Field office
Phone: (850) 553-3640
Fax: (805) 553-3641
Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center - Orlando Office
Phone: (407) 803-5500
Fax: (407) 803-5501
Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center Davie office
Phone: (954) 377-5900
Fax: (954) 377-5901
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center - St. John, USVI
USGS Everglades Research Offices
Phone: 305-242-7834
South Atlantic Water Science Center - North Carolina: Asheville Field Office
Phone: (828) 684-5905
South Atlantic Water Science Center - Georgia: Savannah Field Office
Phone: (843) 784-5005
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK) Southern Appalachian Duty Station
Phone: 865-974-4790
Fax: 865-974-3555
