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Explore WARC's science publications.

Filter Total Items: 3374

Natural and anthropogenic factors influencing nesting ecology of the American crocodile in Florida, United States

Nesting ecology of American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) in Florida has been both positively and negatively influenced by anthropogenic and natural factors since the species was placed on the federally endangered species list in 1975. This includes a shift in nesting sites and an expansion of nesting to anthropogenic habitat. Using a 50-year record of monitoring data (1970-2020), we assessed fac
Authors
Frank J. Mazzotti, Sergio A. Balaguera-Reina, Laura A. Brandt, Venetia Briggs-Gonzalez, Michael Cherkiss, Seth C Farris, Avishka Godahewa

Ventilation systems in wetland plant species

Molecular oxygen and carbon dioxide may be limited for aquatic plants, but they have various mechanisms for acquiring these gases from the atmosphere, soil, or metabolic processes. The most common adaptations of aquatic plants involve various aerenchymatic structures, which occur in various organs, and enable the throughflow of gases. These gases can be transferred in emergent plants by molecular
Authors
Lars O. Björn, Beth Middleton, Mateja Germ, Alenka Gaberščik

Using mollusks as indicators of restoration in nearshore zones of south Florida's estuaries

Current south Florida ecosystem restoration efforts are focused on restoring more natural freshwater flow through the wetlands and into the estuaries to reestablish natural salinity gradients, particularly in the nearshore zones. Indicator taxa are used to monitor and assess restoration progress and the current suite of biota used for the estuaries in south Florida (Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay, and
Authors
G. Lynn Wingard, Bethany Stackhouse, Andre Daniels

A model of the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss applied to a Louisiana salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain

The potential for carbon sequestration in coastal wetlands is high due to protection of carbon (C) in flooded soils. However, excessive flooding can result in the conversion of the vegetated wetland to open water. This transition results in the loss of wetland habitat in addition to the potential loss of soil carbon. Thus, in areas experiencing rapid wetland submergence, such as the Mississippi Ri
Authors
Donald R. Schoolmaster, Camille Stagg, Courtney Creamer, Claudia Laurenzano, Eric Ward, Mark Waldrop, Melissa M. Baustian, Tiong Aw, Sergio Merino, Rachel Katherine Villani, Laura Scott

Migration and transformation of coastal wetlands in response to rising seas

Coastal wetlands are not only among the world’s most valued ecosystems but also among the most threatened by high greenhouse gas emissions that lead to accelerated sea level rise. There is intense debate regarding the extent to which landward migration of wetlands might compensate for seaward wetland losses. By integrating data from 166 estuaries across the conterminous United States, we show that
Authors
Michael Osland, Bogdan Chivoiu, Nicholas Enwright, Karen M. Thorne, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, James Grace, Leah Dale, William Brooks, Nathaniel Herold, John W. Day, Fred H. Sklar, Christopher M. Swarzenski

Conservation action plan for diamond-backed terrapins in the Gulf of Mexico

Diamondback terrapins are small estuarine turtles that are vital to the health of salt marsh and mangrove habitats. Their populations have declined for over a century due to many factors including coastal development, nest predation, pet trade and drowning in crab traps. Without action, terrapin populations will continue to decline. This document summarizes the Nature Conservancy's efforts in coll

Water quality monitoring: Exploring CMAP products

The RESTORE Council Monitoring and Assessment Program (CMAP), administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), spatially and temporally inventoried programs in the Gulf of Mexico focused on water quality and habitat monitoring and mapping.

Habitat monitoring: Exploring CMAP products

The RESTORE Council Monitoring and Assessment Program (CMAP), administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), spatially and temporally inventoried programs in the Gulf of Mexico focused on water quality and habitat monitoring and mapping.

RESTORE Council Monitoring and Assessment Program

The RESTORE Council Monitoring and Assessment Program (CMAP), administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), spatially and temporally inventoried programs in the Gulf of Mexico focused on water quality and habitat monitoring and mapping.

Exploring CMAP products: Mapping

The RESTORE Council Monitoring and Assessment Program (CMAP), administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), spatially and temporally inventoried programs in the Gulf of Mexico focused on water quality and habitat monitoring and mapping.

Environmental DNA methods for ecological monitoring and biodiversity assessment in estuaries

Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection methods can complement traditional biomonitoring to yield new ecological insights in aquatic systems. However, the conceptual and methodological frameworks for aquatic eDNA detection and interpretation were developed primarily in freshwater environments and have not been well established for estuaries and marine environments that are by nature dynamic, turbid, an
Authors
Raman P. Nagarajan, Mallory Bedwell, Ann E. Holmes, Thiago Sanches, Shawn Acuña, Melinda R. Baerwald, Matthew A. Barnes, Scott Blankenship, Richard E. Connon, Kristy Deiner, Daphne Gille, Caren S. Goldberg, Margaret Hunter, Christopher L. Jerde, Gordon Luikart, Rachel S. Meyer, Alison Watts, Andrea M Schreier

Modeling impacts of drought-induced salinity intrusion on carbon dynamics in tidal freshwater forested wetlands

Tidal freshwater forested wetlands (TFFW) provide critical ecosystem services including essential habitat for a variety of wildlife species and significant carbon sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide. However, large uncertainties remain concerning the impacts of climate change on the magnitude and variability of carbon fluxes and storage across a range of TFFW. In this study, we developed a proces
Authors
Hongqing Wang, Zhaohua Dai, Carl C. Trettin, Ken Krauss, Gregory Noe, Andrew J. Burton, Camille Stagg, Eric Ward