Publications
These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.
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Monitoring carnivore populations at the landscape scale: occupancy modelling of tigers from sign surveys
1. Assessing spatial distributions of threatened large carnivores at landscape scales poses formidable challenges because of their rarity and elusiveness. As a consequence of logistical constraints, investigators typically rely on sign surveys. Most survey methods, however, do not explicitly address the central problem of imperfect detections of animal signs in the field, leading to underestimates
Authors
Kota Ullas Karanth, Arjun M. Gopalaswamy, Narayanarao Samba Kumar, Srinivas Vaidyanathan, James D. Nichols, Darryl I. MacKenzie
Geologic controls on gas hydrate occurrence in the Mount Elbert prospect, Alaska North Slope
Data acquired at the BPXA-DOE-USGS Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well, drilled in the Milne Point area of the Alaska North Slope in February, 2007, indicates two zones of high gas hydrate saturation within the Eocene Sagavanirktok Formation. Gas hydrate is observed in two separate sand reservoirs (the D and C units), in the stratigraphically highest portions of those sands, and is no
Authors
R. Boswell, K. Rose, Timothy S. Collett, Myung W. Lee, William J. Winters, Kristen A. Lewis, Warren F. Agena
Anthropogenic disturbance and landscape patterns affect diversity patterns of aquatic benthic macroinvertebrates
Measures of species diversity are valuable tools for assessing ecosystem health. However, most assessments have addressed individual sites or regional taxon pools, with few comparisons of differences in assemblage composition within or among regions. We examined the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on local richness (α diversity) and species turnover (β diversity) of benthic macroinvertebrates
Authors
K.O. Maloney, P. Munguia, R.M. Mitchell
Environmental endocrinology of salmon smoltification
Smolting is a hormone-driven developmental process that is adaptive for downstream migration and ocean survival and growth in anadromous salmonids. Smolting includes increased salinity tolerance, increased metabolism, downstream migratory and schooling behavior, silvering and darkened fin margins, and olfactory imprinting. These changes are promoted by growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor I,
Authors
Bjorn Thrandur Bjornsson, S.O. Stefansson, S. D. McCormick
Documenting channel features associated with gas hydrates in the Krishna-Godavari Basin, offshore India
During the India National Gas Hydrate Program (NGHP) Expedition 01 in 2006 significant sand and gas hydrate were recovered at Site NGHP-01-15 within the Krishna–Godavari Basin, East Coast off India. At the drill site NGHP-01-15, a 5–8 m thick interval was found that is characterized by higher sand content than anywhere else at the site and within the KG Basin. Gas hydrate concentrations were deter
Authors
M. Riedel, Timothy S. Collett, Ude Shankar
Metacommunity theory as a multispecies, multiscale framework for studying the influence of river network structure on riverine communities and ecosystems
Explaining the mechanisms underlying patterns of species diversity and composition in riverine networks is challenging. Historically, community ecologists have conceived of communities as largely isolated entities and have focused on local environmental factors and interspecific interactions as the major forces determining species composition. However, stream ecologists have long embraced a multis
Authors
B.L. Brown, C.M. Swan, D.A. Auerbach, Grant E.H. Campbell, N.P. Hitt, K.O. Maloney, C. Patrick
An occurrence of the protocetid whale "Eocetus" wardii in the middle Eocene Piney Point Formation of Virginia
Two protocetid whale vertebrae, here referred to “Eocetus” wardii, have been recovered from the riverbed of the Pamunkey River in east-central Virginia. Neither bone was found in situ, but both were found with lumps of lithified matrix cemented to their surfaces. Most of this matrix was removed and processed for microfossils. Specimens of dinoflagellates were successfully recovered and this flora
Authors
Robert E. Weems, Lucy E. Edwards, Jason E. Osborne, A.A. Alford
More than a century of bathymetric observations and present-day shallow sediment characterization in Belfast Bay, Maine, USA: Implications for pockmark field longevity
Mechanisms and timescales responsible for pockmark formation and maintenance remain uncertain, especially in areas lacking extensive thermogenic fluid deposits (e.g., previously glaciated estuaries). This study characterizes seafloor activity in the Belfast Bay, Maine nearshore pockmark field using (1) three swath bathymetry datasets collected between 1999 and 2008, complemented by analyses of sha
Authors
Laura L. Brothers, J. T. Kelley, D. F. Belknap, Walter Barnhardt, Brian Andrews, M.L. Maynard
Estimating detection and density of the Andean cat in the high Andes
The Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita) is one of the most endangered, yet least known, felids. Although the Andean cat is considered at risk of extinction, rigorous quantitative population studies are lacking. Because physical observations of the Andean cat are difficult to make in the wild, we used a camera-trapping array to photo-capture individuals. The survey was conducted in northwestern Argenti
Authors
Juan Reppucci, Beth Gardner, Mauro Lucherini
Integrating occupancy modeling and interview data for corridor identification: A case study for jaguars in Nicaragua
Corridors are critical elements in the long-term conservation of wide-ranging species like the jaguar (Panthera onca). Jaguar corridors across the range of the species were initially identified using a GIS-based least-cost corridor model. However, due to inherent errors in remotely sensed data and model uncertainties, these corridors warrant field verification before conservation efforts can begin
Authors
K.A. Zeller, S. Nijhawan, R. Salom-Perez, S.H. Potosme, James E. Hines
The use (and misuse) of sediment traps in coral reef environments: Theory, observations, and suggested protocols
Sediment traps are commonly used as standard tools for monitoring “sedimentation” in coral reef environments. In much of the literature where sediment traps were used to measure the effects of “sedimentation” on corals, it is clear from deployment descriptions and interpretations of the resulting data that information derived from sediment traps has frequently been misinterpreted or misapplied. De
Authors
C. D. Storlazzi, M.E. Field, Michael H. Bothner
Raman spectroscopic measurements of CO2 density: Experimental calibration with high-pressure optical cell (HPOC) and fused silica capillary capsule (FSCC) with application to fluid inclusion observations
Raman spectroscopy is a powerful method for the determination of CO2 densities in fluid inclusions, especially for those with small size and/or low fluid density. The relationship between CO2 Fermi diad split (Δ, cm−1) and CO2 density (ρ, g/cm3) has been documented by several previous studies. However, significant discrepancies exist among these studies mainly because of inconsistent calibration p
Authors
X. Wang, I-Ming Chou, W. Hu, Robert Burruss, Q. Sun, Y. Song