All Publications
Access all publications and filter by type, location, and search for keywords to find specific science and data information conducted by our scientists.
Filter Total Items: 171524
Insight into sources of benzene, TCE, and PFOA/PFAS in groundwater at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Florida, through numerical particle-tracking simulations
Past waste-disposal activities at Naval Air Station Whiting Field (NASWF) have led to elevated concentrations of contaminants in the underlying sand and gravel aquifer. Contaminants include two of the most commonly detected chemicals in groundwater in many countries (benzene and trichloroethylene (TCE)) and the “forever chemicals” per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) such as perfluorooctano
Authors
Eric Swain, James E. Landmeyer, Michael A. Singletary, Shannon E. Provenzano
The post-emergence period for denning polar bears: Phenology and influence on cub survival
Among polar bears (Ursus maritimus), only parturient females den for extended periods, emerging from maternal dens in spring after having substantially depleted their energy reserves during a fast that can exceed 8 months. Although den emergence coincides with a period of increasing prey availability, polar bears typically do not depart immediately to hunt, but instead remain at the den for up to
Authors
Erik Andersen, Ryan R. Wilson, Karyn D. Rode, George M. Durner, Todd C. Atwood, David Gustine
Characterization of change in tree cover state and condition over the conterminous United States
Variability in the effects of disturbances and extreme climate events can lead to changes in tree cover over time, including partial or complete loss, with diverse ecological consequences. It is therefore critical to identify in space and time the change processes that lead to tree cover change. Studies of change are often hampered by the lack of data capable of consistently detecting different ty
Authors
Francis K Dwomoh, Roger F. Auch
Nonbreeding waterfowl behavioral response to crewed and uncrewed aerial surveys on conservation areas in Missouri
Monitoring waterfowl populations provides the basis for improving habitat quantity and quality, establishing harvest regulations, and ensuring sustainable waterfowl populations through appropriate management. Waterfowl biologists currently use a variety of population and habitat monitoring methods ranging from informal ground observations to low-level occupied aircraft surveys. Although unoccupied
Authors
Reid A. Viegut, Elisabeth B. Webb, Andrew H. Raedeke, Zhicheng Tang, Yang Zhang, Yi Shang
Comparison of two otolith processing methods for silver carp age estimation
Accurate age estimates are critical in the development, implementation, and assessment of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) management plans. Lapilli otoliths are the most commonly used calcified structures for silver carp age estimation, but studies on the precision of two established preparation methods [i.e., grind-and-burn (GB), thin-section (TS)] are lacking. Therefore, we assessed wi
Authors
Jeff N. Stevens, Cooper E. Barshinger, Jonathan J Spurgeon, Michael A. Eggleton, Steve E. Lochmann
Second guessing the maximum likelihood estimator values for bat surveys
TThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allows acoustical surveys and automated identification software to determine the presence of the endangered northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) and Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis). Analytical software is required to assess presence probability on a site-night basis using a maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) that accounts for interspecific bat misclassi
Authors
W. Mark Ford, Jesse L. De La Cruz, Emily D. Thorne, Alexander Silvis, Michael P. Armstrong, R. Andrew King
First Occurrence of the nonindigenous Asian foraminifera Ammonia confertitesta in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean: Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Observations in 2022 of intertidal and subtidal foraminiferal faunas at four localities along the central-eastern side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, and molecular analyses have documented the first occurrence of the nonindigenous Asian species Ammonia confertitesta Zheng in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The species was present at three of these localities: Davis Lagoon south of
Authors
Mary McGann, Maria Holzmann
Implementation of the CREED approach for environmental assessments
Environmental exposure data are a key component of chemical and ecological assessments, supporting and guiding environmental management decisions and regulations. Measures taken to protect the environment based on exposure data can have social and economic implications. Flawed information may lead to measures being taken in the wrong place or to important action not being taken. Although the advan
Authors
Carolina Di Paolo, Irene Bramke, Jenny Stauber, Caroline Whalley, Ryan R. Otter, Yves Verhaegen, Lisa H. Nowell, Adam C. Ryan
Analysis adapted from text mining quantitively reveals abrupt and gradual plant-community transitions after fire in sagebrush steppe
ContextPlant communities vary both abruptly and gradually over time but differentiating between types of change can be difficult with existing classification and ordination methods. Structural topic modeling (STRUTMO), a text mining analysis, offers a flexible methodology for analyzing both types of temporal trends.ObjectivesOur objectives were to (1) identify post-fire dominant sagebrush steppe p
Authors
Cara Applestein, Christopher R. Anthony, Matthew Germino
River control points for algal productivity revealed by transport analysis
Measurement of planktonic chlorophyll-a—a proxy for algal biomass—in rivers may represent local production or algae transported from upstream, confounding understanding of algal bloom development in flowing waters. We modeled 3 years of chlorophyll-a transport through a 394-km portion of the Illinois River and found that although algal biomass is longitudinally widespread, most net production occu
Authors
Noah Schmadel, Judson Harvey, Jay Choi, Sarah M. Stackpoole, Jennifer L. Graham, Jennifer C. Murphy
Accurately characterizing climate change scenario planning in the U.S. National Park Service: Comment on Murphy et al. 2023
We more accurately locate the boundary between current practice and research priorities regarding climate change scenario planning in U.S. federal land management agencies by supplementing the characterization in a recent article (“Understanding perceptions of climate change scenario planning in United States public land management agencies”) of its use in the U.S. National Park Service. Accuratel
Authors
Joel H. Reynolds, Brian W. Miller, Gregor W. Schuurman, Wylie A. Carr, Amy Symstad, John E. Gross, Amber N. Runyon
Nerodia clarkii (Saltmarsh Watersnake). Predation
Predators of Nerodia clarkii are suspected to include larger species of crabs, fish, wading birds, snakes, alligators, and crocodiles. To our knowledge, there have only been two published observations of predation on N. clarkii, including a predation attempt from a Callinectes sapidus (Blue Crab) in Mississippi, USA and a successful predation by a Grus americana (Whooping Crane) in Texas, USA. Her
Authors
Bryna L. Daykin, Sidney T. Godfrey, Michael Cherkiss, Gareth Blakemore, Frank J. Mazzotti