Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Explore WARC's science publications.

Filter Total Items: 3377

Vegetation-generated turbulence does not impact the erosion of natural cohesive sediment

Previous studies have demonstrated that vegetation-generated turbulence can enhance erosion rate and reduce the velocity threshold for erosion of non-cohesive sediment. This study considered whether vegetation-generated turbulence had a similar influence on natural cohesive sediment. Cores were collected from a black mangrove forest with aboveground biomass and exposed to stepwise increases in vel
Authors
Autumn R. Deitrick, David K. Ralston, Christopher R. Esposito, Melissa Millman Baustian, Maricel Beltrán Burgos, Andrew J. Courtois, Heidi M. Nepf

Low-level dietary clothianidin exposure preferentially causes prepupal mortality of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus)

Data from prior research indicate the prepupal stage of the monarch butterfly life cycle is more sensitive to clothianidin exposure than the larval stage. A set of experiments was conducted to determine if the dietary clothianidin exposures that cause prepupal mortality are environmentally relevant. Monarch larvae were raised from egg to pupae on clothianidin-contaminated swamp milkweed plants (As
Authors
Timothy Bargar

Multidisciplinary characterisation of the biodiversity, geomorphology, oceanography and glacial history of Bowditch Seamount in the Sargasso Sea

The first multidisciplinary characterisation of Bowditch Seamount in the Sargasso Sea was conducted to provide new baseline knowledge of the biodiversity, geomorphology, oceanography and glacial history of this seamount. A dropframe camera transect 1483–1562 m deep on the seamount documented 77 megafaunal taxa including Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem indicator taxa such as sponges, cold-water corals,
Authors
Lea-Anne Henry, Igor Yashayaev, Claude Hillaire-Marcel, F. Javier Murillo, Ellen Kenchington, Struan Smith, Jenny Maccali, Jill Bourque, Louis L. Whitcomb, J. Murray Roberts

The National Ocean Biodiversity Strategy

President Biden has been clear that the ocean is central to life on Earth. As he has proclaimed, “the ocean powers millions of jobs; feeds and sustains us; and is a rejuvenating source of inspiration, exploration, and recreation.” The Biden-Harris Administration has worked hard to fulfill the President’s goal to protect and conserve at least 30% of U.S. waters by 2030. The ocean faces increased th
Authors
Gabrielle Canonico, J. Emmett Duffy, Masha Edmonson, Katie Fillingham, Abigail Benson, Kelsey Bisson, Amanda Demopoulos, Beth Hinchey, Katsumi Matsumoto, Chris Meyer, James Price, Elaine Shen, Woody Turner, Mike Weise, Andrea Vander Woude, Lauren Wenzel

Satellite telemetry reveals high-use internesting areas and international foraging extent for loggerhead turtles tagged in southeast Florida, USA

Developing conservation strategies for highly migratory marine species relies on understanding their spatial distributions. Nesting populations of female loggerhead (Caretta caretta) turtles typically travel from widely dispersed foraging areas and make use of common internesting areas between nesting events. Protection of these areas is essential to the conservation of this species. In this study
Authors
Glenn D. Goodwin, Kristen Hart, Abby C. Evans, Derek A. Burkholder

Mammalian lures monitored with time-lapse cameras increase detection of pythons and other snakes

BackgroundEnhancing detection of cryptic snakes is critical for the development of conservation and management strategies; yet, finding methods that provide adequate detection remains challenging. Issues with detecting snakes can be particularly problematic for some species, like the invasive Burmese python (Python bivittatus) in the Florida Everglades.MethodsUsing multiple survey methods, we pred
Authors
Marina E. McCampbell, McKayla M. Spencer, Kristen Hart, Gabrielle Link, Andrew J. Watson, Robert A. McCleery

Assessing the vertical accuracy of digital elevation models by quality level and land cover

The vertical accuracy of elevation data in coastal environments is critical because small variations in elevation can affect an area’s exposure to waves, tides, and storm-related flooding. Elevation data contractors typically quantify the vertical accuracy of lidar-derived digital elevation models (DEMs) on a per-project basis to gauge whether the datasets meet quality and accuracy standards. Here
Authors
Minoo Han, Nicholas Enwright, Dean B. Gesch, Jason M. Stoker, Jeffrey J. Danielson, Christopher J. Amante

Projected sea-level rise and high tide flooding at De Soto National Memorial, Florida

IntroductionNational parks and preserves in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region contain valuable coastal habitats such as tidal wetlands and mangrove forests, as well as irreplaceable historic buildings and archeological sites located in low-lying areas. These natural and cultural resources are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise and escalating high tide flooding events. Through a Natural Resource
Authors
Hana R. Thurman, Nicholas M. Enwright, Michael J. Osland, Davina L. Passeri, Richard H. Day, Bethanie M. Simons

Demographics of a previously undocumented diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) population

Coastal habitats are some of the most imperiled due to climate change and anthropogenic activities. As such, it is important to understand population dynamics of the species that may play a role in regulating coastal systems. Diamondback terrapins in Northwest Florida have been understudied, which has resulted in a gap in our knowledge for this region. To help fill this gap, we conducted a capture
Authors
Daniel J. Catizone, Travis M. Thomas, Christina Romagosa, Margaret Lamont

Spatial patterns as long transients in submersed-floating plant competition with biocontrol

A cellular automata model was developed and parameterized to test the effectiveness of application of biological control insects to water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes), which is an invasive floating plant species in many parts of the world and outcompetes many submersed native aquatic species in southern Florida. In the model, P. crassipes was allowed to compete with Nuttall’s waterweed (Elodea
Authors
Linhao Xu, Don DeAngelis

Visualizing wading bird optimal foraging decisions with aggregation behaviors using individual-based modeling

Foragers on patchy landscapes must efficiently balance time between searching for and consuming resources to meet their daily energetic requirements. Spatial aggregation foraging behaviors may improve foraging efficiency by sharing information on locations of resource hotspots. Wading birds are an example of patch foragers that form colonial aggregations during the breeding season to obtain suffic
Authors
Simeon Yurek, Donald L. DeAngelis, Hyo Won Lee, Stephen Tennenbaum

National Aquatic Environmental DNA Strategy

Aquatic life is the engine of ecosystems and economies. In environments ranging from freshwater through marine, this biodiversity underpins the health, culture, opportunities, and economic wellbeing of the Nation -- from local communities to the entire country. The ability to evaluate the status, trends, and future projections of nature is key to maintaining national prosperity, and this requires
Authors
Kelly D Goodwin, Christina M. Aiello, Mike Weise, Masha Edmondson, Katie Fillingham, Dee Allen, Alicia Amerson, Meredith L. Barton, Abby Benson, Gabrielle Canonico, Zachary Gold, Jennifer Gumm, Margaret Hunter, Nina Joffe, Richard Lance, Alyse Larkin, Ricardo Letelier, Christine Lipsky, Dana McCoskey, Cheryl Morrison, Karen Clark, John A. Darling, Amelia-Juliette Demery, Meredith Everett, Colette Fletcher-Hoppe, Krista M. Nichols, Kim M. Parsons, James Price, Kimberly Puglise, Katie Scholl, Mike K Schwartz, Adam Sepulveda, Janet Shannon, Woody Turner, Timothy White