Publications
Read publications and other informational products to learn more about USGS science occurring in the Mississippi Basin.
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Concentration trends for lead and calcium-normalized lead in fish fillets from the Big River, a mining-contaminated stream in southeastern Missouri USA Concentration trends for lead and calcium-normalized lead in fish fillets from the Big River, a mining-contaminated stream in southeastern Missouri USA
Lead (Pb) and calcium (Ca) concentrations were measured in fillet samples of longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis) and redhorse suckers (Moxostoma spp.) collected in 2005–2012 from the Big River, which drains a historical mining area in southeastern Missouri and where a consumption advisory is in effect due to elevated Pb concentrations in fish. Lead tends to accumulated in Ca-rich tissues...
Authors
Christopher J. Schmitt, Michael J. McKee
Vulnerabilities of national parks in the American Midwest to climate and land use changes Vulnerabilities of national parks in the American Midwest to climate and land use changes
Many national parks in the American Midwest are surrounded by agricultural or urban areas or are in highly fragmented or rapidly changing landscapes. An environmental stressor is a physical, chemical, or biological condition that affects the functioning or productivity of species or ecosystems. Climate change is just one of many stressors on park natural resources; others include...
Authors
Esther D. Stroh, Matthew A. Struckhoff, David Shaver, Krista A. Karstensen
Effects of hydrology, watershed size, and agricultural practices on sediment yields in two river basins in Iowa and Mississippi Effects of hydrology, watershed size, and agricultural practices on sediment yields in two river basins in Iowa and Mississippi
The specific sediment yield (SSY) from watersheds is the result of the balance between natural, scale-dependent erosion and deposition processes, but can be greatly altered by human activities. In general, the SSY decreases along the course of a river as sediments are trapped in alluvial plains and other sinks. However, this relation between SSY and basin area can actually be an...
Authors
Gustavo Henrique Merten, Heather L. Welch, M.D. Tomer
Small but tough: What can ecophysiology of croaking gourami Trichopsis vittatus (Cuvier 1831) tell us about invasiveness of non-native fishes in Florida? Small but tough: What can ecophysiology of croaking gourami Trichopsis vittatus (Cuvier 1831) tell us about invasiveness of non-native fishes in Florida?
Trichopsis vittata (Cuvier, 1831) is a small, freshwater gourami (Fam: Osphronemidae) native to southeast Asia. It was first detected in Florida in the 1970s and seems to have persisted for decades in a small area. In this study, we documented T. vittata’s ecophysiological tolerances (salinity and low-temperature) and qualitatively compared them to published values for other sympatric...
Authors
Pamela J. Schofield, Jessica Schulte
Somatic growth dynamics of West Atlantic hawksbill sea turtles: a spatio-temporal perspective Somatic growth dynamics of West Atlantic hawksbill sea turtles: a spatio-temporal perspective
Somatic growth dynamics are an integrated response to environmental conditions. Hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) are long-lived, major consumers in coral reef habitats that move over broad geographic areas (hundreds to thousands of kilometers). We evaluated spatio-temporal effects on hawksbill growth dynamics over a 33-yr period and 24 study sites throughout the West...
Authors
Karen A. Bjorndal, Milani Chaloupka, Vincent S. Saba, Carlos E. Diez, Robert P. van Dam, Barry H. Krueger, Julia A. Horrocks, Armando J.B. Santos, Claudio Bellini, Maria A.G. Marcovaldi, Mabel Nava, Sue Willis, Brendan J. Godley, Shannon Gore, Lucy A. Hawkes, Andrew McGowan, Matthew J. Witt, Thomas B. Stringell, Amdeep Sanghera, Peter B. Richardson, Annette C. Broderick, Quinton Phillips, Marta C. Calosso, John A.B. Claydon, Janice Blumenthal, Felix Moncada, Gonzalo Nodarse, Yosvani Medina, Stephen G. Dunbar, Lawrence D. Wood, Cynthia J. Lagueux, Cathi L. Campbell, Anne B. Meylan, Peter A. Meylan, Virginia R. Burns Perez, Robin A. Coleman, Samantha Strindberg, Vicente Guzman-H, Kristen M. Hart, Michael S. Cherkiss, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Ian Lundgren, Ralf H. Boulon, Stephen Connett, Mark E. Outerbridge, Alan B. Bolten
Potential effects of sea-level rise on the depth to saturated sediments of the Sagamore and Monomoy flow lenses on Cape Cod, Massachusetts Potential effects of sea-level rise on the depth to saturated sediments of the Sagamore and Monomoy flow lenses on Cape Cod, Massachusetts
In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, the Cape Cod Commission, and the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, began an evaluation of the potential effects of sea-level rise on water table altitudes and depths to water on central and western Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Increases in atmospheric and oceanic temperatures arising, in part...
Authors
Donald A. Walter, Timothy D. McCobb, John P. Masterson, Michael N. Fienen
Persistence and microbial source tracking of Escherichia coli at a swimming beach at Lake of the Ozarks State Park, Missouri Persistence and microbial source tracking of Escherichia coli at a swimming beach at Lake of the Ozarks State Park, Missouri
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) has closed or posted advisories at public beaches at Lake of the Ozarks State Park in Missouri because of Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentration exceedances in recent years. Spatial and temporal patterns of E. coliconcentrations, microbial source tracking, novel sampling techniques, and beach-use patterns were studied during the 2012
Authors
Jordan L. Wilson, John G. Schumacher, Joel G. Burken
Component greenhouse gas fluxes and radiative balance from two deltaic marshes in Louisiana: Pairing chamber techniques and eddy covariance Component greenhouse gas fluxes and radiative balance from two deltaic marshes in Louisiana: Pairing chamber techniques and eddy covariance
Coastal marshes take up atmospheric CO2 while emitting CO2, CH4, and N2O. This ability to sequester carbon (C) is much greater for wetlands on a per-area basis than from most ecosystems, facilitating scientific, political, and economic interest in their value as greenhouse gas sinks. However, the greenhouse gas balance of Gulf of Mexico wetlands is particularly understudied. We describe...
Authors
Ken W. Krauss, Guerry O. Holm, Brian C. Perez, David E. McWhorter, Nicole Cormier, Rebecca Moss, Darren Johnson, Scott C Neubauer, Richard C Raynie
Litterfall production of mangroves in the Huizache-Caimanero lagoon system, México Litterfall production of mangroves in the Huizache-Caimanero lagoon system, México
The ecological legacy of the Huizache-Caimanero lagoon system has long been known as a trophically rich and productive ecosystem that supported artisanal fisheries of local and regional importance; however, a decline in fisheries' yields has been observed in recent decades. Mangroves are a fundamental component of this ecosystem, though data records and field studies are lacking in...
Authors
Francisco Flores-Cardenas, Miguel Angel Hurtado-Oliva, Thomas W. Doyle, Mario Nieves-Sotol, Sara Diaz-Castro, Marlenne Manzano-Sarabia
Salt marsh-mangrove ecotones: using structural gradients to investigate the effects of woody plant encroachment on plant-soil interactions and ecosystem carbon pools Salt marsh-mangrove ecotones: using structural gradients to investigate the effects of woody plant encroachment on plant-soil interactions and ecosystem carbon pools
Changing winter climate extremes are expected to result in the poleward migration of mangrove forests at the expense of salt marshes. Although mangroves and marshes are both highly valued ecosystems, the ecological implications of mangrove expansion have not been fully investigated. Here, we examined the effects of mangrove expansion on below-ground properties related to peat development...
Authors
Erik S. Yando, Michael J. Osland, Jonathan M Willis, Richard H. Day, Ken W. Krauss, Mark W. Hester
Value-focused framework for defining landscape-scale conservation targets Value-focused framework for defining landscape-scale conservation targets
Conservation of natural resources can be challenging in a rapidly changing world and require collaborative efforts for success. Conservation planning is the process of deciding how to protect, conserve, and enhance or minimize loss of natural and cultural resources. Establishing conservation targets (also called indicators or endpoints), the measurable expressions of desired resource...
Authors
Stephanie S. Romanach, Allison M. Benscoter, Laura A. Brandt
Tidal saline wetland regeneration of sentinel vegetation types in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: An overview Tidal saline wetland regeneration of sentinel vegetation types in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: An overview
Tidal saline wetlands in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGoM) are dynamic and frequently disturbed systems that provide myriad ecosystem services. For these services to be sustained, dominant macrophytes must continuously recolonize and establish after disturbance. Macrophytes accomplish this regeneration through combinations of vegetative propagation and sexual reproduction, the relative...
Authors
Scott F. Jones, Camille L. Stagg, Ken W. Krauss, Mark W. Hester