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: 3223
Evaluating the ability of regional models to predict local avian abundance
Spatial modeling over broad scales can potentially direct conservation efforts to areas with high species-specific abundances. We examined the performance of regional models for predicting bird abundance at spatial scales typically addressed in conservation planning. Specifically, we used point count data on wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) and blue-winged warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera) from 2 t
Authors
Jaymi J. LeBrun, Wayne E. Thogmartin, James R. Miller
New aquaculture drugs under FDA review
Only eight active pharmaceutical ingredients available in 18 drug products have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in aquaculture. The approval process can be lengthy and expensive, but several new drugs and label claims are under review. Progress has been made on approvals for Halamid (chloramine-T), Aquaflor (florfenicol) and 35% PeroxAid (hydrogen peroxide) as therap
Authors
James D. Bowker, Mark P. Gaikowski
Seasonal patterns in nutrients, carbon, and algal responses in wadeable streams within three geographically distinct areas of the United States, 2007-08
The U.S. Geological Survey determined seasonal variability in nutrients, carbon, and algal biomass in 22 wadeable streams over a 1-year period during 2007 or 2008 within three geographically distinct areas in the United States. The three areas are the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMIS) in Minnesota, the Ozark Plateaus (ORZK) in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, and the Upper Snake River B
Authors
Kathy Lee, David L. Lorenz, James C. Petersen, John B. Greene
Exposure and effects of perfluoroalkyl compounds on tree swallows nesting at Lake Johanna in east central Minnesota, USA
Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) samples were collected at a reference lake and a nearby lake (Lake Johanna) in east central Minnesota, USA contaminated with perfluorinated carboxylic and sulfonic acids. Tissues were analyzed for a suite of 13 perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) to quantify exposure and to determine if there was an association between egg concentrations of PFCs and reproductive succ
Authors
Christine M. Custer, Thomas W. Custer, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Beth H. Poganski, Laura Solem
Evaluation of 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) residues following a lampricide treatment as a risk assessment to the endangered piping plover
To evaluate the risk to the federally endangered piping plover (Charadrius melodus) from exposure to 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) during a sea lamprey control treatment we collected and analyzed a series of water, sediment, and aquatic invertebrate samples for the presence of TFM before, during, and after treatment of the Little Two Hearted River, Luce County, Michigan in July 2008. Resul
Authors
Michael A. Boogaard, Terrance D. Hubert, Jeffry A. Bernardy, Cheryl A. Kaye, Gregg A. Baldwin
Landscape controls on total and methyl Hg in the Upper Hudson River basin, New York, USA
Approaches are needed to better predict spatial variation in riverine Hg concentrations across heterogeneous landscapes that include mountains, wetlands, and open waters. We applied multivariate linear regression to determine the landscape factors and chemical variables that best account for the spatial variation of total Hg (THg) and methyl Hg (MeHg) concentrations in 27 sub-basins across the 493
Authors
Douglas A. Burns, K. Riva-Murray, P. M. Bradley, G. R. Aiken, M. E. Brigham
Simulated effects of host fish distribution on juvenile unionid mussel dispersal in a large river
Larval mussels (Family Unionidae) are obligate parasites on fish, and after excystment from their host, as juveniles, they are transported with flow. We know relatively little about the mechanisms that affect dispersal and subsequent settlement of juvenile mussels in large rivers. We used a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model of a reach of the Upper Mississippi River with stochastic Lagrangian pa
Authors
J.A. Daraio, L.J. Weber, S. J. Zigler, T.J. Newton, J.M. Nestler
Uncertainty
Management decisions will often be directly informed by model predictions. However, we now know there can be no expectation of a single ‘true’ model; thus, model results are uncertain. Understandable reporting of underlying uncertainty provides necessary context to decision-makers, as model results are used for management decisions. This, in turn, forms a mechanism by which groundwater models info
Authors
Randall J. Hunt
Mercury and other element exposure in tree swallows nesting at low pH and neutral pH lakes in northern Wisconsin USA
The primary objective of this study was to determine whether tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) demonstrate similar responses to lake pH and mercury (Hg) contamination in northern Wisconsin as do common loons (Gavia immer). Similar to common loons, Hg concentrations in the blood of tree swallow nestlings were higher, Hg concentrations in eggs tended to be higher, and egg size tended to be smaller
Authors
Thomas W. Custer, Christine M. Custer, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Paul M. Dummer, Ronald Rossmann, Kevin P. Kenow, Michael W. Meyer
Approaches in highly parameterized inversion - PEST++, a Parameter ESTimation code optimized for large environmental models
An object-oriented parameter estimation code was developed to incorporate benefits of object-oriented programming techniques for solving large parameter estimation modeling problems. The code is written in C++ and is a formulation and expansion of the algorithms included in PEST, a widely used parameter estimation code written in Fortran. The new code is called PEST++ and is designed to lower the
Authors
David E. Welter, John E. Doherty, Randall J. Hunt, Christopher T. Muffels, Matthew J. Tonkin, Willem A. Schreuder
Examining the contradiction in 'sustainable urban growth': an example of groundwater sustainability
The environmental planning literature proposes a set of 'best management practices' for urban development that assumes improvement in environmental quality as a result of specific urban patterns. These best management practices, however, often do not recognise finite biophysical limits and social impacts that urban patterns alone cannot overcome. To shed light on this debate, we explore the effect
Authors
Moira L. Zellner, Howard W. Reeves
Fate and transport of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid in surface waters of agricultural basins
BACKGROUND: Glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine] is a herbicide used widely throughout the world in the production of many crops and is heavily used on soybeans, corn and cotton. Glyphosate is used in almost all agricultural areas of the United States, and the agricultural use of glyphosate has increased from less than 10 000 Mg in 1992 to more than 80 000 Mg in 2007. The greatest intensity of
Authors
Richard H. Coupe, Stephen J. Kalkhoff, Paul D. Capel, Caroline Gregoire