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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: 3223

Classification of a wetland area along the upper Mississippi River with aerial videography

We evaluated the use of aerial videography for classifying wetland habitats along the upper Mississippi River and found the prompt availability of habitat feature maps to be the major advantage of the video imagery technique. We successfully produced feature maps from digitized video images that generally agreed with the known distribution and areal coverages of the major habitat types independ
Authors
Cecil A. Jennings, P.A. Vohs, M. R. Dewey

Evaluating fishery rehabilitation under uncertainty: A bioeconomic analysis of quota management for the Green Bay yellow perch fishery

The fishery for yellow perch Perca flavescens in Green Bay, Lake Michigan, is currently operating under a rehabilitation plan based on a commercial harvest quota. We developed a bioeconomic computer model that included links between population density and growth, recruitment, and fishing effort for this fishery. Random variability was included in the stock-recruitment relation and in a simulat
Authors
B. L. Johnson, S.R. Milliman, R.C. Bishop, J.F. Kitchell

Heavy metals in the threeridge mussel Amblema plicata plicata (Say, 1817) in the upper Mississippi River

Concentrations of mercury and zinc in the threeridge mussel Amblema plicata plicata, sampled in 1987 from Pools 3 and 10 in the upper Mississippi River, were comparable to concentrations in mussels from moderately contaminated systems, while copper concentrations were similar to concentrations in mussels from more polluted waters. Cadmium concentrations in mussels were significantly less at a l
Authors
T.J. Naimo, D. L. Waller, L. E. Holland Bartels

Determination of malachite green and its leuco form in water

Liquid chromatographic (LC) analysis can detect malachite green residues in water at less than 10µg/L. Water samples were concentrated on disposable diol columns, eluted with 0.05M p-toluenesulfonic acid in methanol, and determined by reversed- phase LC. When combined with a lead oxide postcolumn reactor, the LC method can simultaneously determine both leuco and chromatic forms of malachite green.
Authors
J. L. Allen, J.R. Meinertz, J.E. Gofus

Evaluating habitat selection with radio-telemetry triangulation error

Radio-telemetry triangulation errors result in the mislocation of animals and misclassification of habitat use. We present analytical methods that provide improved estimates of habitat use when misclassification probabilities can be determined. When misclassification probabilities cannot be determined, we use random subsamples from the error distribution of an estimated animal location to impro
Authors
M. D. Samuel, K.P. Kenow

Cadmium and mercury in emergent mayflies (Hexagenia bilineata) from the upper Mississippi River

Burrowing mayflies (Hexagenia bilineata) were analyzed to assess longitudinal patterns in their cadmium and mercury content along the upper Mississippi River. Emergent mayflies (subimagoes and imagoes) were collected in 1988 at 34 sites (25 navigation pools), extending 1260 km from Little Falls, Minnesota, downstream to St. Louis, Missouri. Cadmium concentrations in composite samples of whole mayf
Authors
J. Therese Dukerschein, James G. Wiener, Ronald G. Rada, Mark T. Steingraeber

Accumulation of mercury by aufwuchs in Wisconsin seepage lakes: Implications for monitoring

We examined temporal variation in the total Hg content of aufwuchs collected from artificial substrates in 11 seepage lakes in north-central Wisconsin and its relation to the Hg content of resident yellow perch Perca flavescens from the lakes. Dry weight concentrations of Hg in aufwuchs varied temporally, as follows: summer/fall 1985 > summer 1985 > spring/summer 1986. Areal concentrations of Hg d
Authors
W. Gregory Cope, Ronald G. Rada

Flooding mortality and habitat renewal for least terns and piping plovers

We observed extensive mortality (eggs and chicks) of the endangered interior population of the Least Tern (Sterna antillarum) and threatened Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) caused by natural flooding during the 1990 breeding season along the Platte River, Nebraska USA. Aerial videography of the Platte River before and after the flood revealed a 78% reduction of perennial vegetation on sandbars.
Authors
John G. Sidle, D.E. Carlson, E.M. Kirsch, J.J. Dinan

Habitat use by larval fishes in backwater lake of the upper Mississippi River

Light traps were used to sample larval fishes in Lawrence Lake (Pool 8, upper Mississippi River) from late May through mid-August 1990. Catches differed considerably between vegetated sites and an adjacent open-water area and were highly variable among vegetated stations. Sunfishes (Lepomis spp.) dominated the vegetated sites. Brook silversides (Labidesthes sicculus), Cyprinidae and gizzard shad (
Authors
M. R. Dewey, Cecil A. Jennings

Water quality changes and their relation to fishery resources in the upper Mississippi River

Despite a long history of human manipulation, the most dramatic changes in the upper Mississippi River occurred in the 1930s with construction of a lock and dam system to facilitate the commercial transport of commodities. In 1988, barge traffic through the system ranged from 7,500 tows per year at Lock and Dam 26 (near Alton, Illinois) to 1, 118 at Lock and Dam 1 (in Minneapolis/St. Paul). The to
Authors
L. E. Holland Bartels