Publications
Read publications and other informational products to learn more about USGS science occurring in the Mississippi Basin.
Filter Total Items: 5559
Estimating the magnitude and frequency of floods at ungaged locations on streams in Tennessee through the 2013 water year Estimating the magnitude and frequency of floods at ungaged locations on streams in Tennessee through the 2013 water year
To improve estimates of the frequency of annual peak flows for ungaged locations on non-urban, unregulated streams in Tennessee, generalized least-squares multiple linear-regression techniques were used to relate annual peak flows from streamgages operated by the U.S. Geological Survey to physical, climatic, and land-use characteristics of their drainage basins. Geospatial data acquired...
Authors
David Ladd, Paul A. Ensminger
Foraging of wading birds on a patchy landscape: Simulating effects of social information, interference competition, and patch selection on prey intake and individual distribution Foraging of wading birds on a patchy landscape: Simulating effects of social information, interference competition, and patch selection on prey intake and individual distribution
Foragers on patchy landscapes must acquire sufficient resources despite uncertainty in the location and amount of the resources. Optimal Foraging Theory posits that foragers deal with this uncertainty by using strategies that optimize resource intake within foraging periods. For species such as wading birds, this optimization is closely linked to their survival and reproductive success
Authors
Hyo Won Lee, Donald L. DeAngelis, Simeon Yurek, Yannis P. Papastamatiou
Flood of July 2023 in Vermont Flood of July 2023 in Vermont
A major storm caused catastrophic flooding in many parts of Vermont on July 9–12, 2023, resulting in millions of dollars in damages. The high amount of rainfall caused several rivers to peak at record levels, in some cases exceeding records set during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, collected and...
Authors
Travis L. Smith, Scott A. Olson, James M. LeNoir, Rena D. Kalmon, Elizabeth A. Ahearn
Exposure of infants to antibiotics via cord blood, breast milk, and formula: A review on exposure level, temporal variation, and risk assessment Exposure of infants to antibiotics via cord blood, breast milk, and formula: A review on exposure level, temporal variation, and risk assessment
The pervasive use of antibiotics across various sectors, including agriculture, medicine, and aquaculture, has led to a notable increase in environmental antibiotic residues. This phenomenon has raised significant public concern regarding the potential health risks antibiotics may pose, particularly to vulnerable populations such as infants. However, the conceptualization of exposure...
Authors
Jiating Feng, Bentuo Xu, Jason Tyler Magnuson, Jiayi Wang, Yajie Gao, Wenhui Qiu, Rongrong Xuan
A review of standardization in Mississippi’s multidecadal inland fisheries monitoring program A review of standardization in Mississippi’s multidecadal inland fisheries monitoring program
Standardizing data collection, management, and analysis processes can improve the reliability and efficiency of fisheries monitoring programs, yet few studies have examined the operationalization of these tasks within agency settings. We reviewed the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Fisheries Bureau’s inland recreational fisheries monitoring program—a 30+-year...
Authors
Caleb A. Aldridge, Michael E. Colvin
Pre-restoration woody species crown and vegetation community mapping using high-resolution uncrewed aerial system imagery, Palmyra Atoll Pre-restoration woody species crown and vegetation community mapping using high-resolution uncrewed aerial system imagery, Palmyra Atoll
The terrestrial management plan for Palmyra Atoll includes large-scale removal of coconut (Cocos nucifera) as part of native forest restoration and contaminant remediation that will leave soils and vegetation communities profoundly altered. To inform those efforts and provide baseline data for restoration monitoring, woody stem crowns and vegetation communities at Palmyra Atoll were...
Authors
Matthew Struckhoff
Environmental persistence and toxicity of weathered wildland fire retardants to rainbow trout Environmental persistence and toxicity of weathered wildland fire retardants to rainbow trout
Long-term fire retardants are employed to combat and control wildfires by altering the way fuels burn, and they continue to decrease fire intensity after water in the retardant solution has evaporated. After application, fire retardants may persist on dry stream beds or in riparian habitats before precipitation events flush the retardant into intermittent streams. We exposed juvenile (30...
Authors
Christina M. Mackey, Michael G. Iacchetta, Holly J. Puglis
The complete mitochondrial genomes of the freshwater mussel Ortmanniana ligamentina (Lamarck, 1819): male and female mitotypes The complete mitochondrial genomes of the freshwater mussel Ortmanniana ligamentina (Lamarck, 1819): male and female mitotypes
Freshwater mussels of the Unionida order are important to freshwater ecosystems but are highly imperiled worldwide. Improving our understanding of these species is crucial to their continued conservation. Some Unionid mussels exhibit double uniparental inheritance (DUI) in which individuals have two mitochondrial genomes. Of those species with DUI, sequences of the female mitotype are...
Authors
Katy E. Klymus, Jason Coombs, Dannise Ruiz-Ramos, Aaron Maloy, Christopher M. Barnhart
Evaluating episodic sediment deposition zones in freshwater mussel habitats across Missouri, USA Evaluating episodic sediment deposition zones in freshwater mussel habitats across Missouri, USA
Point-source sedimentation, such as spills from construction-related activities, can introduce substantial sediments into streams in the short term, potentially leading to mussel burial. To estimate downstream areas where freshwater mussels might face threats from sediment burial within the mussel habitats of Missouri streams and rivers, we examined 49 reaches where both field...
Authors
Qingqing Sun, Bin Wang, Brandon James Sansom, Kathleen Trauth, Henry Brown, Wenyu Zhu, James L. Kunz, M. Christopher Barnhart, Stephen E. McMurray, Andrew D Roberts, Christopher Shulse, Caleb Knerr, Jeffery A. Steevens, Baolin Deng
Interpreting a sudden population decline in a long-lived species (Malaclemys terrapin rhizophorarum) Interpreting a sudden population decline in a long-lived species (Malaclemys terrapin rhizophorarum)
Long-term ecological studies are critical for providing insight into population dynamics and detecting population declines, particularly for species of conservation concern. However, spatiotemporal variation and logistical challenges make the identification of sudden population declines difficult. We conducted an in-water capture-mark-recapture study of mangrove diamond-backed terrapins
Authors
Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Brian J. Smith, Mathew Denton, Michael Cherkiss, David Roche, Andrew G. Crowder, Kristen Hart
Practical genetic diversity protection: an accessible framework for IUCN subpopulation and Evolutionarily Significant Unit identification Practical genetic diversity protection: an accessible framework for IUCN subpopulation and Evolutionarily Significant Unit identification
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) sets global conservation standards, including the Red List of Threatened Species and the Green Status of Species. Recent analyses showed that genetic diversity has not been effectively considered by IUCN species assessments, despite being fundamental to species’ fitness and adaptive potential. Incorporation of genetic diversity...
Authors
Julia C. Geue, Laura D. Bertola, Paulette Bloomer, Anna Bruniche-Olsen, Jessica M. da Silva, J. Andrew DeWoody, Ancuta Fedorca, Jose A. Godoy, Catherine E. Grueber, Margaret Hunter, Christina Hvilsom, Isa-Rita M. Russo, Evelyn L. Jensen, Alexander Kopatz, Anna J. MacDonald, Silvia Pérez-Espona, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Jennifer C. Pierson, Helen Senn, Gernot Segelbacher, Paul Sunnucks, Cock van Oosterhout, Deborah M. Leigh
Wet antecedent soil moisture increases atmospheric river streamflow magnitudes non-linearly Wet antecedent soil moisture increases atmospheric river streamflow magnitudes non-linearly
Atmospheric rivers (ARs) drive most riverine floods on the United States (U.S.) West Coast. However, estimating flood risk based solely on AR intensity and duration is challenging because precipitation phase, antecedent conditions, and physical watershed characteristics (e.g., slope and soil depth) can influence the magnitude of floods. Here, we analyze how antecedent soil moisture (ASM)
Authors
Mariana J. Webb, Christine M. Albano, Adrian A. Harpold, Daniel M. Wagner, Anna M. Wilson