Publications
Browse more than 150,000 publications authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS. Publications available are: USGS-authored journal articles, series reports, book chapters, other government publications, and more.
Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center Publications
Filter Total Items: 3235
Loss of street trees predicted to cause 6000 L/tree increase in leaf-on stormwater runoff for Great Lakes urban sewershed
Urban forests are recognized as a nature-based solution for stormwater management. This study assessed the underlying processes and extent of runoff reduction due to street trees with a paired-catchment experiment conducted in two sewersheds of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Computer models are flexible, fast, and low-cost options to generalize and assess the hydrologic processes determined in field stud
Authors
Robert C. Coville, James Kruegler, William R. Selbig, Satoshi Hirabayashi, Stephen Loheid, William Avery, William Shuster, Ralph J. Haefner, Bryant C. Scharenbroch, Theodore A. Endreny, Dave Nowak
What is a stand? Assessing the variability of composition and structure in floodplain forest ecosystems across spatial scales in the Upper Mississippi River
The forest stand typically represents relatively homogenous forest conditions; the forest stand is generally the unit at which forest attributes are assessed, summarized, and subsequently managed. However, some ecosystems, such as the floodplain forests of the Upper Mississippi River (UMR), can exhibit high variability at fine spatial scales that can confound prescription development, implementati
Authors
Marcella Windmuller-Campione, Laura F. Reuling, Molly Van Appledorn, Daniel M. Nilesen, Andrew R. Meier
Ecological status and trends of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers
Executive SummaryThis report assesses the status and trends of selected ecological health indicators of the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) based on the data collected and analyzed by the Long Term Resource Monitoring element of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration program, supplemented with data from other sources. This report has four objectives: providing a brief introduction of the UM
Comparison of radium analytical methods for municipal drinking water well operation
Radium (Ra) is a geogenic contaminant that occurs at high levels in the Midwestern Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system (MCOAS), a regionally important sandstone and carbonate drinking water aquifer. Water utilities using the MCOAS often must adopt treatment methods or use alternative water sources to maintain high-quality drinking water. Here, we show that Ra in water obtained from a municipal well
Authors
Madeleine J Mathews, Sean R Scott, Randall J. Hunt, Matthew Ginder-Vogel
Resisting-accepting-directing: Ecosystem management guided by an ecological resilience assessment
As anthropogenic influences push ecosystems past tipping points and into new regimes, complex management decisions are complicated by rapid ecosystem changes that may be difficult to reverse. For managers who grapple with how to manage ecosystems under novel conditions and heightened uncertainty, advancing our understanding of regime shifts is paramount. As part of an ecological resilience assess
Authors
Kristen L. Bouska, Nathan R. De Jager, Jeffrey N. Houser
Assessment of mercury in sediments and waters of Grubers Grove Bay, Wisconsin
Mercury is a global contaminant that can be detrimental to wildlife and human health. Anthropogenic emissions and point sources are primarily responsible for elevated mercury concentrations in sediments and waters. Mercury can physically move and chemically transform in the environment, resulting in biomagnification of mercury, in the form of methylmercury, in the food web and causing elevated mer
Authors
Evan J. Routhier, Sarah E. Janssen, Michael T. Tate, Jacob M. Ogorek, John F. DeWild, David P. Krabbenhoft
Evidence of alternative trophic pathways for fish consumers in a large river system in the face of invasion
Large rivers are susceptible to anthropogenic alteration, which can result in drastic changes to their functional ecology. We evaluated spatial–temporal changes in the functional fish communities of the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) using data from six study reaches. Species were classified into one of 14 feeding guilds and mass per unit effort (MPUE) was then calculated for each feeding g
Authors
John V. Gatto, Brian Ickes, John H. Chick
Distribution of niclosamide following granular Bayluscide applications in lotic systems
The granular formulation of Bayluscide [Bayluscide 3.2% Granular Sea Lamprey Larvicide, granular Bayluscide (gB)] is applied in lentic and lotic systems to survey (assessment) and kill (treatment) larval sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus; Linnaeus, 1758) in the Great Lakes basin. Granules are spread on the water surface, settle to the sediment surface, and dissolve. The potential risk of niclosamid
Authors
Cheryl A. Kaye, Jeffry A Bernardy, Justin Schueller, Nicholas A. Schloesser, Mary P. Henson, Chad K. Andresen, Courtney A Kirkeeng
Using structured decision making to evaluate potential management responses to detection of dreissenid mussel (Dreissena spp.) environmental DNA
Environmental (e)DNA tools are sensitive and cost-effective for early detection of invasive species. However, the uncertainty associated with the interpretation of positive eDNA detections makes it challenging to determine appropriate natural resource management responses. Multiple sources of error can give rise to positive detections of eDNA in a sample when individuals of that species are not pr
Authors
Adam Sepulveda, David R. Smith, Katherine M O'Donnell, Nathan Owens, Brittany White, Cathy A. Richter, Christopher M. Merkes, Skylar Wolf, Mike Rau, Matthew Neilson, Wesley M. Daniel, Christine E. Dumoulin, Margaret Hunter
Lake Barkley BioAcoustic fish fence effectiveness study project status update
No abstract available.
Authors
Rob Simmonds, Brent C. Knights, Andrea K. Fritts, Jessica C. Stanton, Marybeth K. Brey, Jonathan M. Vallazza
Environmental drivers of cyanobacterial abundance and cyanotoxin production in backwaters of the Upper Mississippi River
High densities of cyanobacteria in aquatic ecosystems can cause impacts to ecosystem services because they serve as a poor-quality food resource, produce toxins and can indirectly cause a variety of other negative impacts to water quality. There are many hypotheses about the potential environmental drivers of variation in cyanobacterial abundance and toxicity, but these hypotheses have rarely been
Authors
Shawn M. Giblin, James H. Larson, Jeremy D. King
Quantitative method development to determine feed consumption using a dye
Although there are many methods to determine ingestion and absorption of aquafeeds, none exist that are simple, cost-effective, and quantitative and that can mark fish with a long-lasting, visible indicator. In addition to aquafeed development, selective baits are needed that can be used for aquatic invasive species removal efforts, including for Grass Carp Ctenopharyngodon idella. Bait incorporat
Authors
James J. Wamboldt, Justine Nelson, Linnea M Thomas, John Steiner, Jillian Hebert, Richard A. Erickson, Joel G. Putnam