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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: 5586

Evidence for intensification of the global water cycle: Review and synthesis Evidence for intensification of the global water cycle: Review and synthesis

One of the more important questions in hydrology is: if the climate warms in the future, will there be an intensification of the water cycle and, if so, the nature of that intensification? There is considerable interest in this question because an intensification of the water cycle may lead to changes in water-resource availability, an increase in the frequency and intensity of tropical...
Authors
Thomas G. Huntington

Pushpoint sampling for defining spatial and temporal variations in contaminant concentrations in sediment pore water near the ground-water/surface-water interface Pushpoint sampling for defining spatial and temporal variations in contaminant concentrations in sediment pore water near the ground-water/surface-water interface

During four periods from April 2002 to June 2003, pore-water samples were taken from river sediment within a gaining reach (Mill Pond) of the Sudbury River in Ashland, Massachusetts, with a temporary pushpoint sampler to determine whether this device is an effective tool for measuring small-scale spatial variations in concentrations of volatile organic compounds and selected field...
Authors
Marc J. Zimmerman, Andrew J. Massey, Kimberly W. Campo

Migratory bird pathways and the Gulf of Mexico: Importance of Louisiana's coast Migratory bird pathways and the Gulf of Mexico: Importance of Louisiana's coast

Because of its geographic position, Louisiana plays an important role in the hemispheric-scale phenomenon known as the Nearctic-Neotropical bird migration system. Each year millions of landbirds migrate across or near to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Birds migrate in large, broad fronts that sometimes exceed 2 million individuals, and there is an advantage for them to take a direct...
Authors
Gregory J. Smith, Wylie Barrow

Using radar to understand migratory birds and their habitats: Critical needs for the Gulf of Mexico Using radar to understand migratory birds and their habitats: Critical needs for the Gulf of Mexico

Nearly all Neotropical migratory landbird species of the eastern United States as well as many western species use Louisiana and the northern Gulf of Mexico coast during their transcontinental migrations each spring and fall. Radar has determined that hundreds of millions of birds make the nocturnal crossing of the Gulf of Mexico resulting in daily flights of as many as 2.5 million...
Authors
Gregory J. Smith, Wylie Barrow

Evaluation of Measurements Collected with Multi-Parameter Continuous Water-Quality Monitors in Selected Illinois Streams, 2001-03 Evaluation of Measurements Collected with Multi-Parameter Continuous Water-Quality Monitors in Selected Illinois Streams, 2001-03

Eight streams, representing a wide range of environmental and water-quality conditions across Illinois, were monitored from July 2001 to October 2003 for five water-quality parameters as part of a pilot study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA). Continuous recording multi-parameter water-quality monitors were...
Authors
George E. Groschen, Robin B. King

Ecological science and sustainability for the 21st century Ecological science and sustainability for the 21st century

Ecological science has contributed greatly to our understanding of the natural world and the impact of humans on that world. Now, we need to refocus the discipline towards research that ensures a future in which natural systems and the humans they include coexist on a more sustainable planet. Acknowledging that managed ecosystems and intensive exploitation of resources define our future
Authors
Margaret A. Palmer, Emily S. Bernhardt, Elizabeth A. Chornesky, Scott L. Collins, Andrew P. Dobson, Clifford S. Duke, Barry Gold, Robert B. Jacobson, Sharon E. Kingsland, Rhonda H. Kranz, Michael J. Mappin, M. Luisa Martinez, Fiorenza Micheli, Jennifer L. Morse, Michael L. Pace, Mercedes Pascual, Stephen S. Palumbi, O. J. Reichman, Alan R. Townsend, Monica G. Turner

Grazing by the intertidal gastropod Melampus coffeus greatly increases mangrove leaf litter degradation rates Grazing by the intertidal gastropod Melampus coffeus greatly increases mangrove leaf litter degradation rates

Melampus coffeus, a pulmonate gastropod, forages for mangrove leaf litter at low tide and climbs tree trunks to avoid inundation during high tide. Unlike many grazers, these snails can assimilate mangrove leaf material. At Boca Ceiga Bay, Florida, densities of adult snails were high (>100 snails m–2) throughout a 130 m wide intertidal zone. A mark–recapture study indicated that over the...
Authors
C. Edward Proffitt, Donna Devlin

Summary of significant results from studies of triazine herbicides and their degradation products in surface water, ground water, and precipitation in the midwestern United States during the 1990s Summary of significant results from studies of triazine herbicides and their degradation products in surface water, ground water, and precipitation in the midwestern United States during the 1990s

Nonpoint-source contamination of water resources from triazine herbicides has been a major water-quality issue during the 1990s in the United States. To address this issue, studies of surface water, ground water, and precipitation have been carried out by the U.S. Geological Survey in the Midwestern United States. Reconnaissance studies of 147 streams were conducted to determine the...
Authors
Elisabeth A. Scribner, E.M. Thurman, Donald A. Goolsby, Michael T. Meyer, William A. Battaglin, Dana W. Kolpin

Commentary: selenium study on endangered razorback sucker is flawed Commentary: selenium study on endangered razorback sucker is flawed

The razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus) is listed as federally endangered throughout its range. A massive recovery effort by the Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin has focused its efforts in the upper Colorado River. The upper Colorado River basin also has two locations that have been identified by the National Irrigation Water...
Authors
Steven J. Hamilton

South Fork Iowa River watershed selected for a national water-quality study South Fork Iowa River watershed selected for a national water-quality study

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is studying seven watersheds across the Nation to better understand how natural factors and agricultural management practices (AMPs) affect the transport of water and chemicals. Natural factors include climate and landscape (soil type, topography, geology), and AMPs include practices related to tillage, irrigation, and chemical application. The study...
Authors
M.L. Erwin, Stephen J. Kalkhoff
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