Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

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

Filter Total Items: 5566

Seagrasses in northern Gulf of Mexico: An ecosystem in trouble Seagrasses in northern Gulf of Mexico: An ecosystem in trouble

The USGS National Wetlands Research Center has documented that Seagrasses in the northern Gulf of Mexico constitute an ecosystem in trouble. From studies in St. Andrews Bay, Period Bay, the Chandeleur Islands, and the Gulf Islands National Seashore, scientists have discovered that declining seagrass acreage ranges from 12% to 66% in bays and estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico. Not only are...
Authors
Water Resources Division U.S. Geological Survey

Analysis of nutrients, selected inorganic constituents, and trace elements in water from Illinois community-supply wells, 1984–91 Analysis of nutrients, selected inorganic constituents, and trace elements in water from Illinois community-supply wells, 1984–91

The lower Illinois River Basin (LIRB) study unit is part of the National Water-Quality Assessment program that includes studies of most major aquifer systems in the United States. Retrospective water-quality data from community-supply wells in the LIRB and in the rest of Illinois are grouped by aquifer and depth interval. Concentrations of selected chemical constituents in water samples...
Authors
Kelly L. Warner

The Phosphoria Formation at the Hot Springs Mine in Southeast Idaho: A source of selenium and other trace elements to surface water, ground water, vegetation, and biota The Phosphoria Formation at the Hot Springs Mine in Southeast Idaho: A source of selenium and other trace elements to surface water, ground water, vegetation, and biota

Major-element oxides and trace elements in the Phosphoria Formation at the Hot Springs Mine, Idaho were determined by a series of techniques. In this report, we examine the distribution of trace elements between the different solid components aluminosilicates, apatite, organic matter, opal, calcite, and dolomite that largely make up the rocks. High concentrations of several trace...
Authors
David Z. Piper, J. P. Skorupa, T. S. Presser, M. A. Hardy, S. J. Hamilton, M. Huebner, R. A. Gulbrandsen

Mangrove peat analysis and reconstruction of vegetation history at the Pelican Cays, Belize Mangrove peat analysis and reconstruction of vegetation history at the Pelican Cays, Belize

The substrate beneath mangrove forests in the Pelican Cays complex is predominately peat composed mainly of mangrove roots. Leaves and wood account for less than 20% of the peat mass. At Cat Cay, the depth of the peat ranges from 0.2 m along the shoreline to 1.65 m in the island center, indicating that the island has expanded horizontally as well as vertically through below-ground...
Authors
K.L. McKee, P.L. Faulkner

Development and evaluation of consensus-based sediment quality guidelines for freshwater ecosystems Development and evaluation of consensus-based sediment quality guidelines for freshwater ecosystems

Numerical sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) for freshwater ecosystems have previously been developed using a variety of approaches. Each approach has certain advantages and limitations which influence their application in the sediment quality assessment process. In an effort to focus on the agreement among these various published SQGs, consensus-based SQGs were developed for 28...
Authors
D.D. MacDonald, C.G. Ingersoll, T.A. Berger

Acute toxicity of fire-control chemicals, nitrogenous chemicals, and surfactants to rainbow trout Acute toxicity of fire-control chemicals, nitrogenous chemicals, and surfactants to rainbow trout

Laboratory studies were conducted to determine the acute toxicity of three ammonia-based fire retardants (Fire-Trol LCA-F, Fire-Trol LCM-R, and Phos-Chek 259F), five surfactant-based fire-suppressant foams (FireFoam 103B, FireFoam 104, Fire Quench, ForExpan S, and Pyrocap B-136), three nitrogenous chemicals (ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite), and two anionic surfactants (linear alkylbenzene...
Authors
Kevin J. Buhl, Steven J. Hamilton

Calcium depletion in a Southeastern United States forest ecosystem Calcium depletion in a Southeastern United States forest ecosystem

Forest soil Ca depletion through leaching and vegetation uptake may threaten long-term sustainability of forest productivity in the southeastern USA. This study was conducted to assess Ca pools and fluxes in a representative southern Piedmont forest to determine the soil Ca depletion rate. Soil Ca storage, Ca inputs in atmospheric deposition, and outputs in soil leaching and vegetation...
Authors
T.G. Huntington, R. P. Hooper, C.E. Johnson, Brent T. Aulenbach, R. Cappellato, A.E. Blum

Seagrass responses to and recovery (?) from seven years of brown tide Seagrass responses to and recovery (?) from seven years of brown tide

Most harmful algal blooms are relatively short, violent paroxysms to aquatic systems. The Texas brown tide was unique in its 7-year domination of upper Laguna Madre wherein it reduced light penetrating 1 m from 31 to 63% on an annual basis between June 1990 and May 1997. In response, seagrasses declined in biomass in deep areas for two years. Over the next three years, bare areas opened...
Authors
C.P. Onuf

Ictalurid populations in relation to the presence of a main-stem reservoir in a midwestern warmwater stream with emphasis on the threatened Neosho madtom Ictalurid populations in relation to the presence of a main-stem reservoir in a midwestern warmwater stream with emphasis on the threatened Neosho madtom

Ictalurid populations, including those of the Neosho madtom Noturus placidus, have been monitored in the Neosho River basin since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Neosho madtom as threatened in 1991. The Neosho madtom presently occurs only in the Neosho River basin, whose hydrologic regime, physical habitat, and water quality have been altered by the construction and...
Authors
M. L. Wildhaber, V.M. Tabor, J.E. Whitaker, A.L. Allert, D.W. Mulhern, Peter J. Lamberson, K.L. Powell
Was this page helpful?