Unified Interior Regions
Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
Regions L2 Landing Page Tabs
Lower Mississippi River National Rivers and Streams Assessment
Short Title: Mississippi River NRSA
Project Chief: Billy Justus
Cooperator: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Project Time Frame: 2008 - 2009
The USGS Arkansas and Missouri Water Science Centers (WSC) are conducting a study for the U.S. Environmental...
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment of Fivemile Creek at Tarrant, AL
The Black Warrior - Cahaba Rivers Land Trust and City of Tarrant (as part of the Fivemile Creek Greenway Partnership) are among the new USGS cooperators for 2003 -04. These organizations are spearheading an effort to restore Fivemile Creek in Jefferson County to its place as an important asset in daily lives for those who live and work along the creek in northern Jefferson County. The Greenway...
Water Use in Alabama, by Watershed, 2005
Water is one of the most important of Alabama's natural resources. Water is not only a vital component of human existence, it is critical to the overall quality of life. In order to protect and preserve this resource for future generations, we must have a baseline of information to make decisions. Decision and policy makers must know the answers to three fundamental questions: where is the...
Water use, by category of use, in Alabama, 2005
More surface water than ground water was withdrawn for all categories except aquaculture, mining, and self-supplied residential. During 2005, estimated withdrawals by category and in descending order were: thermoelectric power, 8,274 Mgal/d; public supply, 802 Mgal/d; self-supplied industrial, 550 Mgal/d; irrigation, 161 Mgal/d; aquaculture, 75 Mgal/d; self-supplied residential, 39 Mgal/d;...
Water Use in Alabama, 2005
Water is one of the most important of Alabama's natural resources. Water is not only a vital component of human existence, it is critical to the overall quality of life. In order to protect and preserve this resource for future generations, we must have a baseline of information to make decisions. Decision and policy makers must know the answers to three fundamental questions: where is the...
Water use, by county, in Alabama, 2005
Water is one of the most important of Alabama's natural resources. Water is not only a vital component of human existence, it is critical to the overall quality of life. In order to protect and preserve this resource for future generations, we must have a baseline of information to make decisions. Decision and policy makers must know the answers to three fundamental questions: where is the...
Alabama Statewide Flood Frequency
The magnitude and frequency of floods are important factors in the design of bridges, culverts, highway embankments, dams, and other hydraulic structures near streams. Information on flood magnitude and frequency is also used in flood plain management and development, and in establishing flood insurance rates. The objective of this project is to develop improved methods and equations for...
A federal-state partnership for mapping Florida's coast and seafloor
The Florida Coastal Mapping Program, a partnership of state and federal agencies, has a goal of having modern, consistent, high- resolution sea-floor data for all of Florida’s coastal zone in the next decade to support a myriad of coastal zone science and management applications. One of the early steps in the implementation process is to...
Hapke, Cheryl J.; Druyor, Ryan; Baumstark, Rene D.; Kramer, Philip; Fitos, Ekaterina; Fredericks, Xan; Fetherston-Resch, Elizabeth H. Improving estimates of coral reef construction and erosion with in-situ measurements
The decline in living coral since the 1970s has conspicuously slowed reef construction on a global scale, but the related process of reef erosion is less visible and not often quantified. Here we present new data on the constructional and deconstructional side of the carbonate-budget equation in the Florida Keys, U.S.A. We documented Orbicella spp...
Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Toth, Lauren T.; Hudson, J. Harold; Goodwin, William B.; Stathakopoulos, Anastasios; Bartlett, Lucy; Whitcher, Elizabeth M. Factors affecting prey availability and habitat usage of nonbreeding piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) in coastal Louisiana
The Gulf of Mexico is home to a large proportion of the wintering population of the threatened piping plover (Charadrius melodus), but little is known about the bird's ecology in this region. In Louisiana, the majority of nonbreeding piping plovers are found on the state's rapidly eroding barrier islands. Between August 2013 and May 2014, surveys...
Schulz, Jessica L.; Leberg, Paul Modeling barrier island habitats using landscape position information
Barrier islands are dynamic environments because of their position along the marine–estuarine interface. Geomorphology influences habitat distribution on barrier islands by regulating exposure to harsh abiotic conditions. Researchers have identified linkages between habitat and landscape position, such as elevation and distance from shore, yet...
Enwright, Nicholas; Lei Wang; Wang, Hongqing; Osland, Michael; Feher, Laura; Borchert, Sinéad M.; Day, Richard Drivers and impacts of water level fluctuations in the Mississippi River delta: Implications for delta restoration
This review synthesizes the knowledge regarding the environmental forces affecting water level variability in the coastal waters of the Mississippi River delta and relates these fluctuations to planned river diversions. Water level fluctuations vary significantly across temporal and spatial scales, and are subject to influences from river flow,...
Hiatt, Matthew R.; Snedden, Gregg; Day, John W.; Rohli, Robert V.; Nyman, John A.; Lane, Robert R.; Sharp, Leigh A. Efficacy of eDNA as an early detection indicator for Burmese pythons in the ARM Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem
Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection of invasive species can be used to delimited occupied ranges and estimate probabilities to inform management decisions. Environmental DNA is shed into the environment through skin cells and bodily fluids and can be detected in water samples collected from lakes, rivers, and swamps. In south Florida, invasive...
Hunter, Margaret; Meigs-Friend, Gaia; Ferrante, Jason; Smith, Brian; Hart, Kristen A review of machine learning applications to coastal sediment transport and morphodynamics
A range of computer science methods under the heading of machine learning (ML) enables the extraction of insight and quantitative relationships from multidimensional datasets. Here, we review some common ML methods and their application to studies of coastal morphodynamics and sediment transport. We examine aspects of ‘what’ and ‘why’ ML methods...
Goldstein, Evan ; Coco, Giovanni ; Plant, Nathaniel G. Quantifying risk of whale–vessel collisions across space, time, and management policies
Transportation industries can negatively impact wildlife populations, including through increased risk of mortality. To mitigate this risk successfully, managers and conservationists must estimate risk across space, time, and alternative management policies. Evaluating this risk at fine spatial and temporal scales can be challenging, especially in...
Crum, Nathan J.; Gowan, Timothy A.; Krzystan, Andrea; Martin, Julien Examination of Bathymodiolus childressi nutritional sources, isotopic niches, and food-web linkages at two seeps in the US Atlantic margin using stable isotope analysis and mixing models
Chemosynthetic environments support distinct benthic communities capable of utilizing reduced chemical compounds for nutrition. Hundreds of methane seeps have been documented along the U.S. Atlantic margin (USAM), and detailed investigations at a few seeps have revealed distinct environments containing mussels, ...
Demopoulos, Amanda; McClain Counts, Jennifer; Bourque, Jill; Prouty, Nancy; Smith, Brian; Brooke, Sandra; Ross, Steve W.; Ruppel, Carolyn
Monitoring storm tide and flooding from Hurricane Irma along the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Southeastern United States, September 2017
Hurricane Irma skirted the northern coasts of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour (mi/h) on September 6, 2017. The hurricane first made landfall in Florida near Cudjoe Key, in the lower Florida Keys, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mi/h on September 10, 2017. The hurricane made a second...
Byrne, Michael J.; Dickman, Mark R. The effects of geography, habitat, and humans on the ecology and demography of the Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) in the southern Lake Wales Ridge region of Florida
A 35-year (1967–2002) demographic study was conducted on the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) from two different habitats on Archbold Biological Station located on the southern end of the Lake Wales Ridge in south-central Florida. We found geographic, habitat, and human-mediated effects on several aspects of its biology. Our findings...
Meshaka, Walter E.; Layne, James N.; Rice, Kenneth G. The circumtropical swarm population of the longspined porcupinefish (Diodon holocanthus Linnaeus)
Evidence is presented that Diodon holocanthus is a circumtropical swarm (not a hybrid swarm because the individuals are not hybrids). Some individuals are so differentfrom one another in both color and morphology that they appear to be different species. Thirty undersea and aquarium photographs from different global localities are...
Randall, John E; Rogers, Caroline; Ogden, John C
A Diversity of Corals Growing in the Mangroves Within Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument
This photo shows a mangrove ecosystem that may be unique in the Caribbean in terms of the abundance and diversity of corals.
USGS scientists are collaborating with scientists at the University of the Virgin Islands to learn more about why these corals are thriving while coral cover on USVI reefs has declined by 60% from bleaching and disease. With climate change,
...
Mycetophyllia sp. Coral Abundance in the Virgin Islands
This coral (Mycetophyllia sp.) is not abundant in coral reefs of the Virgin Islands. It most commonly grows in water deeper than 40 ft., and it is surprising to find it growing in the shade of the mangroves in 3 ft of water.
Red Mangroves in Hurricane Hole, US Virgin Islands
In Hurricane Hole, Red Mangrove trees extend from land into the water, anchoring the trees along the shoreline and creating a rich marine ecosystem.
Kristen Hart releasing a satellite-tagged hawksbill sea turtle
Kristen Hart releasing a satellite-tagged hawksbill sea turtle, August 2008, Dry Tortugas National Park.
A Queen Angelfish Swims in Front of Coral Colonies of Several Species Growing in Mangroves Within Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument
This photo shows a mangrove ecosystem that may be unique in the Caribbean in terms of the abundance and diversity of corals.
USGS scientists are collaborating with scientists at the University of the Virgin Islands to learn more about why these corals are thriving while coral cover on USVI reefs has declined by 60% from bleaching and disease. With climate change,
...
Fall Foliage in North Carolina Mountains
Evening sunset over the mountains in Waynesville.
Fall Foliage in North Carolina Mountains
Evening sunset over the mountains in Waynesville.
Bucolic Country Lane in Florida
This bucolic country lane in east central Florida is lined with cabbage palms and oaks, a scene that is made increasingly rare with ongoing pressures of urbanization.
Alligator Resting in Afternoon Sun
Alligators are very abundant in the freshwater wetlands of Everglades National Park and can usually be seen along the Anhinga trail in the park, especially when water levels are low. This ~5-foot gator is resting on exposed limestone bedrock alongside the trail.
An Endangered Red Hawksbill Sea Turtle Swims Over a Threatened Elkhorn Coral in Virgin Islands National Park
This photo shows an endangered hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) swimming over a colony of elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata).
USGS scientists are doing research on sea turtles and corals in Florida and the US Virgin Islands.
USGS scientists, managers and experts from a diverse spectrum of scientific disciplines are on high alert Friday as Hurricane Dennis seems poised to make landfall along the southeastern coast of the United States sometime this weekend.
The mysterious brain disease responsible for the deaths of bald eagles and American coots in Arkansas has now been found in two species of ducks discovered dead at Woodlake, North Carolina, and in bald eagles and coots from three other southeastern states.
From the large, open-air pens where they have spent the past two weeks, eight young whooping cranes survey their surroundings. The rural, central Florida landscape of open prairie, brush, and marshlands stretches away as far as the birds can see, though only a few tens of miles separate the Kissimmee release site from the metropolitan sprawl of Orlando.
Elvis and Beale Street are not the only things around Memphis that have been known to rock and roll. The strongest and most widely felt earthquakes in the conterminous United States occurred in 1811-1812 in the Mississippi River Valley.
A century of alterations by humans to the Everglades ecosystem has lowered water levels and changed Everglades plant communities more than what would be expected from natural climatic changes alone over the last 2,000 years, according to scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey.
Heavy rainfall and flooding prompted an emergency response from USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) engineers and field technicians to keep stream gages operational during and after Hurricane Georges. Personnel from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida are working to secure gages threatened by rising rivers and streams or damaged by the storm. Some gaging stations monitored by the USGS are used
Hurricane Georges approached Puerto Rico on September 21, 1998 as a Category 3 hurricane. According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Georges had sustained winds between 110 to 130 mph and gusts that probably exceeded 150 mph in the mountains of central Puerto Rico.
...Initial concerns about severe flooding give way to thoughts of coasts and ecosystems.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is once again faced with the ominous task of preparing to monitor the effects of a potentially damaging hurricane, Georges, to the southeast coast of the United States
Electricity may be out and communication lines cut off by the tremendous winds and torrential rains of Hurricane Georges, but thanks to good foresight in "hardening" monitoring systems by the U.S. Geological Survey, real-time streamflow data in Puerto Rico continued to flow to reservoir operators, emergency officials, and others who need streamflow information and need it fast.
As the Labor Day weekend approaches, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey are heading for the beach. They are not packing the usual lounge chairs, cooler, and snorkel masks; their beach gear will include sidescan sonar equipment, a data acquisition system, sampler, and a navigation system.
During the week of July 13-17, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) examined the coral reefs around Culebra, Puerto Rico.
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
