Publications
Read publications and other informational products to learn more about USGS science occurring in the Mississippi Basin.
Filter Total Items: 5565
Shorebird monitoring using spatially explicit occupancy and abundance Shorebird monitoring using spatially explicit occupancy and abundance
Loss of habitat and human disturbance are major factors in the worldwide decline of shorebird populations, including that of the threatened migratory piping plover (Charadrius melodus). From 2013 to 2018, we conducted land-based surveys of the shorebird community every other week during the peak piping plover season (September to March). We assessed the ability of a thin plate spline...
Authors
Eve Bohnett, Jessica Schulz, Robert C. Dobbs, Thomas Hoctor, Dave Hulse, Bilal Ahmad, Wajid Rashid, Hardin Waddle
Effects of nitrate and conductivity on embryo-larval fathead minnows Effects of nitrate and conductivity on embryo-larval fathead minnows
Nitrate concentrations have been rising in surface waters over the last century and now frequently exceed drinking water standards and environmental safety benchmarks globally. Health-wise, these trends are concerning because nitrate has been shown to disrupt endocrine function and developmental outcomes. The present study investigated potential sublethal effects of nitrate on developing...
Authors
Thea M. Edwards, Daniel J. Lamm, Joel J. Harvey
How do ambient conditions and management actions affect manatee movements and habitat use? How do ambient conditions and management actions affect manatee movements and habitat use?
Kings Bay in northwest Florida, USA, is an important winter home of the largest aggregation of Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), and the only location in the United States where visitors legally swim and interact with manatees. In addition to ambient conditions, visitors to the area and management actions have the potential to influence manatee behaviors. We tracked 32...
Authors
Daniel Slone, Susan M. Butler, James P. Reid, Joyce Kleen, Joyce Palmer
Hidden in the hills: Phylogeny of the freshwater mussel genus Alasmidonta (Bivalvia: Unionidae) and description of a new species Hidden in the hills: Phylogeny of the freshwater mussel genus Alasmidonta (Bivalvia: Unionidae) and description of a new species
Inaccurate taxonomy can lead to species in need of conservation being overlooked, which makes revisionary systematics crucially important for imperilled groups. The freshwater mussel genus Alasmidonta is one such group in need of study. Here, we take a multilocus phylogenetic approach to assess species-level taxonomy of Alasmidonta and test monophyly of this genus. Phylogenetic inference...
Authors
Nathan V. Whelan, Nathan Johnson, Ashantye’ S. Williams, Michael A. Perkins, Caitlin E. Beaver, Jason W. Mays
Predicted aquatic exposure effects from a national urban stormwater study Predicted aquatic exposure effects from a national urban stormwater study
A multi-agency study of 438 organic and 62 inorganic chemicals measured in urban stormwater during 50 total runoff events at 21 sites across the United States demonstrated that stormwater discharges can generate localized, aquatic exposures to extensive contaminant mixtures, including organics suspected to cause adverse aquatic-health effects. The aggregated risks to multiple aquatic...
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly L. Smalling, Jason R. Masoner, Dana W. Kolpin, Stephanie E. Gordon
Nocturnal basking in freshwater turtles: A global assessment Nocturnal basking in freshwater turtles: A global assessment
Diurnal basking (“sunning”) is common in many ectotherms and is generally thought to be a behavioural mechanism for thermoregulation. Recent studies have reported the occurrence of nocturnal basking in a few distantly-related species of freshwater turtles, but the true extent of this behaviour is unknown, and it may be underreported due to sampling biases (e.g., not surveying for turtles...
Authors
Donald T. McKnight, Kendall Ard, Renoir J. Auguste, Gaurav Barhadiya, Michael F. Benard, Paige Boban, Martin L. Dillon, Colleen T. Downs, Brett Alexander DeGregorio, Brad Glorioso, Rachel M. Goodman, Coen Hird, Ethan C. Hollender, Malcolm Kennedy, Rosie A. Kidman, Andrhea Massey, Pearson McGovern, Max Muhlenhaupt, Kayhan Ostovar, Danusia Podgorski, Cormac Price, Beth A. Reinke, Louise M. Streeting, Jane Venezia, Jeanne Young, Eric J. Nordberg
The Everglades vulnerability analysis: Linking ecological models to support ecosystem restoration The Everglades vulnerability analysis: Linking ecological models to support ecosystem restoration
Understanding of the Everglades’ ecological vulnerabilities and restoration needs has advanced over the past decade but has not been applied in an integrated manner. To address this need, we developed the Everglades Vulnerability Analysis (EVA), a decision support tool that uses modular Bayesian networks to predict the ecological outcomes of a subset of the ecosystem’s health indicators...
Authors
Laura D’Acunto, Leonard G. Pearlstine, Saira Haider, Caitlin E. Hackett, Dilip Shinde, Stephanie Romanach
Fusing geophysical and remotely sensed data for observing overwash occurrence, frequency, and impact Fusing geophysical and remotely sensed data for observing overwash occurrence, frequency, and impact
Overwash is an important process that enables a barrier island to migrate landward to adapt to rising sea levels but can also impact vegetated areas and create coastal hazards for populated barrier islands. Our overall objectives were to hindcast overwash events from September 2008 to November 2009 and assess whether overwash impacts could be detected using moderate-resolution imagery...
Authors
Nicholas Enwright, P. Soupy Dalyander, Robert L Jenkins, Elizabeth S. Godsey, Spencer J. Stelly
Satellite remote sensing of river discharge: A framework for assessing the accuracy of discharge estimates made from satellite remote sensing observations Satellite remote sensing of river discharge: A framework for assessing the accuracy of discharge estimates made from satellite remote sensing observations
This research presents an evaluation of the accuracy and uncertainty of estimates of river discharge made using satellite observed data sources as input to a modified form of Manning’s equation. Conventional U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamflow gaging station data and in-situ measurements of width, depth, height, slope, discharge, and velocity from 30 USGS gage sites were used as...
Authors
David M. Bjerklie, Michael Durand, James M. LeNoir, Robert W. Dudley, Charon Birkett, John Jones, Merritt Elizabeth Harlan
A framework for estimating global river discharge from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite mission A framework for estimating global river discharge from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite mission
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will vastly expand measurements of global rivers, providing critical new data sets for both gaged and ungaged basins. SWOT discharge products (available approximately 1 year after launch) will provide discharge for all river that reaches wider than 100 m. In this paper, we describe how SWOT discharge produced and archived by the US...
Authors
Michael Durand, Colin Gleason, Tamlin Pavelsky, Renato Frasson, Michael Turmon, Cedric H. David, Elizabeth Altenau, Nikki Tebaldi, Kevin Larnier, Jerome Monnier, Pierre Olivier Malaterre, Hind Oubanas, George H. Allen, Brian Astifan, Craig Brinkerhoff, Paul Bates, David M. Bjerklie, Stephen Coss, Robert W. Dudley, Luciana Fengolio, Pierre-Andre Garambois, Augusto Getirana, Peirong Lin, Steven A. Margulis, Pascal Matte, J.Toby Minear, Aggrey Muhebwa, Ming Pan, Daniel L. Peters, Ryan Riggs, Safat Sikder, Travis Simmons, Cassie Stuurman, Jay Taneja, Angelica Tarpanelli, Kerstin Schulze, Mohammad Tourian, Jida Wang
Uptake of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances by fish, mussel, and passive samplers in mobile laboratory exposures using groundwater from a contamination plume at a historical fire training area, Cape Cod, Massachusetts Uptake of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances by fish, mussel, and passive samplers in mobile laboratory exposures using groundwater from a contamination plume at a historical fire training area, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Aqueous film-forming foams historically were used during fire training activities on Joint Base Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and created an extensive per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) groundwater contamination plume. The potential for PFAS bioconcentration from exposure to the contaminated groundwater, which discharges to surface water bodies, was assessed with mobile-laboratory...
Authors
Larry B. Barber, Heidi M. Pickard, David A. Alvarez, Jitka Becanova, Steffanie H. Keefe, Denis R. LeBlanc, Rainer Lohmann, Jeffery A. Steevens, Alan M. Vajda
Cross-sectional associations between drinking water arsenic and urinary inorganic arsenic in the US: NHANES 2003-2014 Cross-sectional associations between drinking water arsenic and urinary inorganic arsenic in the US: NHANES 2003-2014
Background: Inorganic arsenic is a potent carcinogen and toxicant associated with numerous adverse health outcomes. The contribution of drinking water from private wells and regulated community water systems (CWSs) to total inorganic arsenic exposure is not clear. Objectives: To determine the association between drinking water arsenic estimates and urinary arsenic concentrations in the...
Authors
Maya Spaur, Melissa A. Lombard, Joseph D. Ayotte, Benjamin C. Bostick, Steven N. Chillrud, Ana Navas-Acien, Anne E. Nigra