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Publications

Read publications and other informational products to learn more about USGS science occurring in the Mississippi Basin.

Filter Total Items: 5566

Reviews and syntheses: Variable inundation across Earth's terrestrial ecosystems Reviews and syntheses: Variable inundation across Earth's terrestrial ecosystems

The structure, function, and dynamics of Earth's terrestrial ecosystems are profoundly influenced by how often (frequency) and how long (duration) they are inundated with water. A diverse array of natural and human-engineered systems experience temporally variable inundation whereby they fluctuate between inundated and non-inundated states. Variable inundation spans extreme events to...
Authors
James Stegen, Amy J. Burgin, Michelle H. Busch, Joshua B. Fisher, Joshua Ladau, Jenna Abrahamson, Lauren Kinsman-Costello, Li Li, Xingyuan Chen, Thibault Datry, Nate McDowell, Corianne Tatariw, Anna Braswell, Jillian M. Deines, Julia A. Guimond, Peter Regier, Kenton Rod, Edward K.P. Bam, Etienne Fluet-Chouinard, Inke Forbrich, Kristin L. Jaeger, Teri O'Meara, Timothy D. Scheibe, Erin Seybold, Jon N. Sweetman, Jianqiu Zheng, Daniel C. Allen, Elizabeth Herndon, Beth Middleton, Scott Painter, Kevin Roche, Julianne Scamardo, Ross Vander Vorste, Kristin Boye, Ellen Wohl, Margaret Zimmer, Kelly Hondula, Maggi Laan, Anna Marshall, Kaizad F. Patel

Cancer risk and estimated lithium exposure in drinking groundwater in the US Cancer risk and estimated lithium exposure in drinking groundwater in the US

Importance Lithium is a naturally occurring element in drinking water and is commonly used as a mood-stabilizing medication. Although clinical studies have reported associations between receiving lithium treatment and reduced cancer risk among patients with bipolar disorder, to our knowledge, the association between environmental lithium exposure and cancer risk has never been studied in...
Authors
Jiajun Luo, Liange Zheng, Zhihao Jin, Yuqing Yang, William I. Krakowka, Eric Hong, Melissa A. Lombard, Joseph D. Ayotte, Habibul Ahsan, Jayant M. Pinto, Briseis Aschebrook-Kilfoy

Not just corticosterone: Further characterization of the endocrine response of Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) reveals elevated plasma aldosterone concentrations during field capture events Not just corticosterone: Further characterization of the endocrine response of Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) reveals elevated plasma aldosterone concentrations during field capture events

To develop safe and effective management policies, it is important to understand the physiologic effects of fishing interactions and scientific research methods on endangered marine species. In the present study, validated assays for plasma corticosterone, free thyroxine (fT4), and aldosterone were used to assess the endocrine status of 61 presumed healthy, wild Kemp's ridley sea turtles
Authors
Charles J. Innis, Katherine M. Graham, Cody R. Mott, Kristen Hart, David Roche, Michael Cherkiss, Elizabeth A. Burgess

Multispectral red-edge indices accurately estimate nitrogen content in winter cereal cover crops Multispectral red-edge indices accurately estimate nitrogen content in winter cereal cover crops

Winter cover crops reduce erosion and nutrient runoff from agricultural systems. Although cereal cover crops can decrease field nitrate leaching by 50%–95%, the magnitude of this reduction varies within and between fields, making it challenging to monitor the impact of cover crops on nitrate leaching at large spatial extents. Satellite remote sensing using red-edge bands has been shown...
Authors
Alison Thieme, Jyoti Jennewein, W. Dean Hively, Brian T. Lamb, Alicia Whitcraft, S.B. Mirsky, S.C. Reberg-Horton, C. Justice

A high efficiency method for the extraction and quantitative analysis of 45 PFAS in whole fish A high efficiency method for the extraction and quantitative analysis of 45 PFAS in whole fish

This study describes and validates a new method for extracting perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from whole-body fish tissue, demonstrates that freeze-dry preservation of tissue conserves bioaccumulative PFAS, and details a method demonstration on Lake Michigan fish. While fish filets are more commonly analyzed for their significance to human health, whole fish are...
Authors
Sarah Balgooyen, Madelynn Scott, Brett R. Blackwell, Erin L. Pulster, Michael B. Mahon, Ryan F. Lepak, Will Backe

Groundwater age estimates for the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer based on tracer data collected during 2018–20 Groundwater age estimates for the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer based on tracer data collected during 2018–20

This study characterized groundwater age across the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer (MRVA). Groundwater samples from 69 MRVA wells and 19 wells in Tertiary units of the Mississippi embayment aquifer system (MEAS) were analyzed for sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), tritium (3H), helium (He), and (or) carbon-14 of dissolved inorganic carbon (14C). The age distributions of 89 samples...
Authors
Michael C. Gratzer, John E. Solder, Katherine J. Knierim, James A. Kingsbury, Andrew M. O’Reilly, Gregg R. Davidson

What is eDNA method standardization and why do we need it? What is eDNA method standardization and why do we need it?

The rapid advancement of environmental DNA (eDNA) science in the past two decades has inspired a concomitant growth in the development of eDNA sampling and analytical methods. However, these methods are often developed by individual laboratories or institutions, which can isolate protocols within programmes, agencies or regions and prevent the beneficial exchange of data and ideas...
Authors
Susanna Theroux, Adam Sepulveda, Cathryn L. Abbott, Zachary Gold, Alison W. Watts, Margaret Hunter, Katy E. Klymus, Shana L. Hirsch, Joseph M. Craine, Devin Nicole Jones-Slobodian, Rachel J. Brown, Joshua A. Steele, Miwa Takahashi, Rachel T. Noble, John A. Darling

Time-varying rates of organic and inorganic mass accumulation in southeast Louisiana marshes: Relationships to sea-level anomalies and tropical storms Time-varying rates of organic and inorganic mass accumulation in southeast Louisiana marshes: Relationships to sea-level anomalies and tropical storms

Louisiana's coastal wetlands are complex systems that require a continuous input of organic and inorganic material to keep pace with relative sea-level rise. Coastal restoration projects such as sediment diversions are being implemented to mitigate land loss and increase availability of inorganic sediment to coastal wetlands, and marshes specifically rely on organic material to build...
Authors
Sophie Vincent, Carol Wilson, G.A. Snedden, Tracy Quirk

Streamflow, water quality, and constituent loads and yields, Scituate Reservoir drainage area, Rhode Island, water year 2022 Streamflow, water quality, and constituent loads and yields, Scituate Reservoir drainage area, Rhode Island, water year 2022

As part of a long-term cooperative program to monitor water quality within the Scituate Reservoir drainage area, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Providence Water (formerly the Providence Water Supply Board), collected streamflow and water-quality data in tributaries to the Scituate Reservoir, Rhode Island. Streamflow and concentrations of chloride and sodium estimated...
Authors
Kirk Smith, Alana B. Spaetzel

Video evidence of a Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) preying upon a live Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) duckling in Louisiana Video evidence of a Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) preying upon a live Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) duckling in Louisiana

Most animal matter in the diet of the omnivorous Trachemys scripta (Pond Slider) consists of invertebrate prey items such as insects, crustaceans, and mollusks, but often also includes fish and amphibians. Reptiles, birds, and mammals are less commonly reported, and even when found, it is usually unknown if they were captured alive, as Pond Sliders will certainly scavenge dead animals...
Authors
Brad Glorioso, Alex Landry, Gabrielle Mandill

Spawning and larval development of the mesophotic octocoral Swiftia exserta in aquaria Spawning and larval development of the mesophotic octocoral Swiftia exserta in aquaria

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill injured mesophotic and deep-sea environments over a vast area. In order to restore mesophotic and deep-sea coral species impacted by the spill, information on fundamental ecosystem processes such as reproduction is needed. During expeditions in 2021 and 2022, fragments of the mesophotic octocoral Swiftia exserta were collected from the northern Gulf...
Authors
Julia W. Johnstone, William Jenkins, Mackenzy Jankiewicz, Jonathan M. Quigley, Janessy Frometa, Enrique Salgado, Ben Higgins, Amanda Demopoulos, Christopher L. Gardner, Peter J. Etnoyer, Kristopher G. Benson

Waterfront property owners' shoreline preferences amid salt marsh to mangrove transitions Waterfront property owners' shoreline preferences amid salt marsh to mangrove transitions

1. We examined the influence of mangrove encroachment into salt marsh areas along the northern Gulf of Mexico (USA) on waterfront property owners' perceptions of coastal health and preferences for shoreline management. 2. Using mail-in and online surveys, we targeted over 3000 waterfront property owners across four jurisdictions experiencing or anticipating mangrove encroachment. 3. Our...
Authors
Jahson B. Alemu I, A. Randall Hughes, Michael Osland, Savannah H. Swinea, Kalaina A. Thorne, Remi Bardou, Christine C. Shepard, Steven B. Scyphers
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